Gun Control Essays (1517 words) - Gun Politics In The United States

Gun Control Essays (1517 words) - Gun Politics In The United States Gun Control One of the most controversial issues of today is the topic of gun control. It is not only a popular debate, but has now become one of the key reasons people vote for a particular candidate. But is gun control the only answer to help stop crime, or is there another solution? I believe that if we as a society cannot even control ourselves to become responsible for our own actions then we are lost. Gun control isnt the answer, instead we should concentrate on training and controlling the people who are using these firearms. A quote from Charlton Heston, president of the NRA, We teach our children not to play with a hot stove, to look both ways before crossing the street and to avoid the dangers of drugs and other harmful substances. And we should certainly teach our young children how to avoid tragic accidents with firearms. With such groups as the NRA, ACLU, and the MRC many agree that their has to be another solution. The NRA alone has over four million people supporting them. The NRA also supports many programs to better increase the knowledge about firearms and the safety of the people using them. For example they agree with the proposition to have mandatory background checks for anyone purchasing a firearm at a gun show. They also agree with and help to fund school education programs for gun safety including their award winning Eddie Eagle GunSafe Programs, which since 1988 has been viewed by over 12 million school children in every state in the country. But the controversy doesnt arise in these programs because almost everyone would agree that a more informed and educated society isnt a bad thing. The problem lays within the issue of banning guns, and registering guns. Should all guns be registered in a national database? The NRA says no. Another quote from Charlton Heston. In every jurisdiction where registration has been imposed, government confiscation and destruction has occurred. Yet, that is exactly the goal of anti-gun lobbyists. This was taken from a debate between NRA president Charlton Heston and Handgun Control Inc. chair Sarah Brady. Heston continues on to say Sarah Brady, chair of Handgun Control Inc., told the New York Times on August 15, 1993 that her ultimate goal is a need based licensing system, with all guns and gun transfers registered with the federal government. In her ideal world, an honest citizen would have to prove to government bureaucrats his or her need to own a firearm. Think about that for a moment. Can you satisfy Mrs. Bradys requirement that you need your shotgun? Or the handgun you keep for protection in your home? This raises an interesting point. If this system were to pass, how would you judge a persons need for a firearm, especially for protection purposes? Another possible precaution that is being proposed by presidential candidate Al Gore, is the fingerprinting and photographing of every gun owner for an identification card. What criminal is going to stand in line and give his fingerprints and photograph away to the federal government? So how would this help reduce gun-related crimes? Simply put, it wouldnt, but Al Gore is still pushing for it, much like the systems that were already introduced to such countries as Australia, England, and Canada. Shortly after these countries began confiscating and destroying privately owned guns. Now Im not saying that I believe the federal government is trying to overturn our country by taking away our firearms, but it is a little suspicious when compared to the previous history of other countries. So what does Sarah Brady and the Handgun Control Inc. think about national registration of firearms? Handgun registration is: a way of ensuring that the police can track any gun that is used in a crime, do a better job of proving that a crime gun was indeed purchased by the criminal and convict those criminals and send them to jail. Though they believe in handgun registration, they dont believe in registering rifles or shotguns since they are rarely used in crimes. I agree that justice must be served and that any possible way of finding these criminals and upholding the law should be taken, but choosing between confiscation and registration is a tough choice. Id rather have the right to own a gun. Also if the possibility of confiscation arose think how much easier it would be for the federal government to track you down and steal your firearm. Although it seems far fetched that this could ever happen Id rather not take any chances. Another huge controversy of today is between the two possible presidential candidates Al