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Cara Fader April 15th, 2014 ENGL 1102 Gun Control The right to bear arms, do United States citizens still have it? In recent years, mass shootings have sent different groups of people into a frenzy about whether gun laws should be stricter and mental health be thoroughly evaluated before anyone can gain ownership of a gun. Some people, Criminologists and the National Rifle Association being examples, disagree with the idea of new gun laws or the renewal of old ones. At the same time, some groups such as Gun Control Activists feel that gun control would solve the issue of mass shootings and gun violence. The gun control debate is not only controversial, but most groups of people, even those not directly involved, have a justifiable presumption on what the outcome should be pertaining to stricter gun laws. Criminologists alone play a major role in the debate on Gun Control in the United States. Typically, a criminologists job is to study and gather information based on crimes, how they happen, and why. With that being said, because criminologists are directly involved in the effects and aftermath of gun violence, they can validate their opinions on gun laws with statistical evidence they find just by being in their field of study. Though there are always people in certain groups that dont agree with the rest, most criminologists can stand together and say they do not support stricter gun control laws. The reason for this does not rest solely on the opinions of criminologists, but also the research theyve done that contradicts reasons for supporting new gun laws. Some reasons for supporting gun control have been violent entertainment, especially videogames, are casually

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linked to mass murders (Fox Pg. 128), and mass shootings are on the rise (Fox Pg. 132). If these statements were told to the general public, many people would agree that gun control would help solve these problems. Dr. James Alan Fox and Dr. Monica J. DeLateur, professors at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, have written a 22-page article on behalf of the Homicide Research Working Group that essentially takes common myths like those listed above, and provides evidence as to why they are just that, myths. They explain how even since the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban has taken place in the United States, deaths due to gun violence and mass shootings has not drastically changed in any way over the last few decades (Fox). Another reason criminologists disagree with the idea of stricter gun laws is the fact there are so many other factors that go into gun violence where taking them away or prohibiting them would be ineffective. The existence of black markets in the United States challenges any ideas and opinions that banning all assault weapons or guns would effectively stop gun violence or mass shootings from happening. Jay Wachtel, an agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) who is an expert on crime executed with guns, states that only about 10% to 15% of gun used in crimes are stolen (Noyes). The ATF reports that majority of guns used in crimes that arent registered and werent stolen come from illegal gun traffickers and black markets in the United States. With the amount of crime that happens with guns, and the easy accessibility of guns in black markets, criminologists have a fairly strong argument in the debate against gun control. An organization that primarily focuses on firearm ownership and safety, the National Rifle Association is inarguably eligible to voice an opinion in this national debate. The NRA also promotes firearm competency, and is responsible for a vast amount of firearm proficiency and safety training among police officers in the Unites States (NRA). Like criminologists, the

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National Rifle Association partakes in the disagreement of stricter gun laws in the United States. Both voices in this debate relate to each other on behalf of second amendment rights and evidence that shows why restricting gun rights would be an ineffective way of reducing gun violence overall. Nearly a year after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a letter made its way to congress after being signed by 54 national religious leaders and organizations in attempts to pass stricter gun laws to prevent shootings like Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Columbine and many others (Roberts). Supporting 2nd amendment rights, the NRA completely disagrees with the interfaith community, members of different religions, in their effort to pass new gun laws because of their background in promoting firearm safety. Amongst a politically-driven debate that has been formed in response to mass shootings over the last few decades, the Libertarian Party supports ideas similar to those of the National Rifle Association. Political perspectives are important in controversial debates such as gun control because politics is mainly what divides a country and the beliefs of people on a topic. Being more complex than just guns alone, Libertarians believe that gun control should also take into account rights that are already written in the constitution, citizens rights to self-defense, and also personal responsibility (Libertarian). Restricting gun ownership and ammunition to lessen gun violence or attempt to prevent mass shootings also takes away the right to bear arms and right to self-defend from law-abiding citizens. On the other hand of this debate lies an opinion that most law-abiding citizens are against, yet know the least about. Though controversial debates come with extreme opinions and sides, those who support gun control, like gun control activists, arent extremists on the topic of stricter gun laws. Gun control activists simply support ideas that would make firearms safer for

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the general public and help prevent accidental gun deaths and mass shootings. Students from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania posted an article to The Tartan, the school newspaper that explained some ideas of gun control activists, which included adding child safety locks to guns, creating more extensive background checks for those interested in purchasing firearms, and possible raising the age-limit to buy a gun permit (Stricter Gun Control). One argument that gun control activists can make to support their ideas of gun control is the idea that though stricter gun laws wouldnt put a halt to gun violence, they very well could help prevent mass murders and deadly accidents. 1,300 people were killed in the United States between 2005 and 2011 from accidental shootings. Passing gun laws that would require childproof safety locks and loading indicators would reduce the risk of unintentional gun deaths by 31%, says the U.S. General Accounting Office (Law Center). That means that over the 6 year span where 1,300 people died unintentionally, nearly 400 of those deaths could have been prevented if congress would pass laws that are only intended to lower death rates by firearms. Gun control activists can also argue that the lack of knowledge by civilians on the topic of gun control is a reason why many dont support it. Though it is misconceived that gun control activists want to take guns away from all people, it is in fact not the case and new gun laws would mainly aid in preventing more unintentional deaths from happening. Though there are always at least two sides of every argument, gun control has been a huge internal conflict in the United States since recent mass shootings have erupted in society. The over-glamorized news on mass shootings has been causing extreme backlash about gun rights by all different groups of people. All three groups of people mentioned, criminologists, the National Rifle Association, and gun control activists have very clear, biased opinions about this

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controversial subject yet each support their ideas with convincing evidence. It ultimately comes down to the decision of the nation, do we pass laws that could potentially save hundreds of lives or continue with our current ones and allow guns to fall into the hands of those who point them aimlessly?

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Works Cited Page Fox, James Alan, and Monica J DeLateur. Mass Shooting In America: Moving Beyond Newton. Homicide Studies 18.1 (2014): 125-145. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. "Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence Gun Law Information Experts." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence RSS. Something in the Universe, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. "Libertarian Party." Libertarian Party. Libertarian Party, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Noyes, Dan. "How Criminals Get Guns." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Roberts, Tom. "Letter Signed by Interfaith Leaders Urges Congress to Pass Gun Control Laws." National Catholic Reporter. National Catholic Reporter, 09 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Stricter Gun Control Laws Needed." - The Tartan Online. Ed. Braden Kelner. Rachel Cohen, 18 Aug.2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.