Introduction
Gun rights in the US have at the middle of debates for several years since the issue has affected many families in the US. According to research conducted by Oraka et al., about 200 to 250 million firearms are circulating privately, and out of four Americans, one individual owned a gun (2019). Guns are crucial for the safety of Americans, but the risk associated with them seem to outweigh the benefits (Oraka et al., 2019). This essay specifically outlines how gun control is an issue, provides a solution and recommendation, and explains why this policy should be the most preferred. While some individuals gain by possessing guns, cases of registered firearms killing innocent people are increasing daily. The debate that firearms protect individuals and prevent criminals from breaking the law does not surpass the consequences of possessing guns.
The Issue
Gun control entails legal measures to restrict or prevent the use or possession of guns, specifically firearms. In most industrialized nations, the control of guns is uncontroversial and strict. At the same time, it is a nervous political challenge, opposing the individuals who consider guns necessary for public security against people who view gun control as a threatening personal liberty infringement. Gun control is more controversial in the United States (the constitution permits US citizens to own guns) than in other nations. Hence, the US has the highest number of firm arm homicides among the developed countries. Gun control issue is not a concern of individuals possessing or not owning guns. Instead, it relies on judging the effectiveness gun control measures have towards controlling gun ownership.
American politics ideological divisions normally involve selecting between less and more meddling government characters, dissimilar amongst means rather than outcomes (Oraka et al., 2019). However, mutual parties would claim that because their resources are real and their rivals are not, dispersing them is a technique that enhances the antagonism to hide its factual objectives. The 1968 Gun Control Act highlights the current federal policy in this department largely passed in response to public wrath following Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, and John Robert. Highly exposed cases of gun atrocities, including the attempted assassination of Jim Brady and ex-president Ronald Reagan and several shootings with assault armors, resulted in the Assault Weapons and the 1993 Brady Act ban. Although at least figuratively contested, both are comparatively modest measures, in several instances less strict than the assortment of state laws that crosscut the nation.
Despite the various gun control laws already existing, this fact has been used not to increase the number of individuals owning guns in the US. The laws are essentially applied in monitoring the manufacture, designation, and sale of guns but not necessarily applied in possession of guns. Already, there are excess gun control laws in the US in deciding what the government should incorporate in the laws. For instance, several local laws ban carrying firearms in public places; thus, increasing the number of gun control laws along the abovementioned rules relating to the manufacture, design, and sale of guns (Oraka et al., 2019). The other laws concerning gun control have prevented politicians from implementing more laws because the government has already regulated gun control issues.
Historical Background
The tradition of hunting in America emanates from when the US was an agrarian. Some people hunted for a living in this subsistence country, an alternative source of shelter and food for some settlers and a dissuasion to animal predators. A link between survival and shooting skills among the men of rural America was normally a necessity and a passage of rite for individuals entering manhood. In modern times, hunting survives as a core sentimental element of gun culture as a method of controlling animal populations all over the country, irrespective of the contemporary trends away from rural living and subsistence hunting. Gun control regulations are old as the Second Amendment approved in 1791.
During colonial America, gun control laws included forbidding the transfer of guns to Natives, indentured servants, slaves, and Catholics. Individuals used guns for self-defense and hunting (Oraka et al., 2019). In addition, individuals used guns during the American Revolution War. Several gun laws in colonies required all families owning guns to enroll in militia and possess personal firearms. For instance, in Connecticut, at least one adult from every house was required to carry a gun to a public meeting and church to protect against the Natives’ attacks, prevent stealing of firearms from unattended houses. Other laws needed migrants to possess guns for them to own land or migrate.
Action plan: Recommendations
The US government should implement gun safety and prevention infrastructure to prevent gun violence among individuals. Gun safety entails implementing sensible gun guidelines that decrease the accessibility of guns and establishing a gun safety culture (Oraka et al., 2019). Gun culture comprises reducing firearms access among the youths and other individuals, ensuring accountability over gun ammunition and sales, licensing gun owners, and securing gun storage. On top of that, the US government should support gun violence studies and create comprehensive health systems that provide more guidance on using guns without causing harm to others.
Alternatives
Other researchers might say that the abovementioned strategies may fail to control gun violence in the USA since gun violence has been a major problem in the USA since the agricultural revolution. However, the recommendations above are the best since they ensure gun safety by reducing gun accessibility and ensuring gun accountability among sellers. Currently, the USA has implemented strict rules on gun ownership whereby the individuals who need to own a gun must join the gun club and be licensed (Oraka et al., 2019). This policy differs from the plans mentioned above since it may encourage more youths to join the gun club to own a gun.
Conclusion
Gun control is a crucial issue the USA is dealing with in the current era. It is an issue that has impacted the US from its colonial times during the agricultural times. The fact that there are more than 20000 laws concerning gun control, the issue of gun control is still a nightmare to many citizens of the US. Law implementers have not been motivated to implement more laws to counter the issue since they believe there are enough laws. To counter the issue of gun control, the government of the United States should implement more stringent laws that can curb the cases of gun violence across the nation. In addition, the government should implement more sensible safety measures to limit the accessibility of firearms among the youths and other individuals. On top of that, the government should offer civic education about gun violence and establish systems that can offer training on using guns without harming others.
Reference
Oraka, E., Thummalapally, S., Anderson, L., Burgess, T., Seibert, F., & Strasser, S. (2019). A cross-sectional examination of US gun ownership and support for gun control measures: Sociodemographic, geographic, and political associations explored. Preventive Medicine, 123, 179-184. Web.