Introduction
Gun politics and gun control has been one of the most controversial issues in the United States of America politics. The bone of contention mainly stems from the debate on an individual liberty to own a protective weapon in this case a gun and the government’s duty to introduce more gun laws so as to prevent crime and maintain public order. Under the Second Amendment, the United States constitution upholds the right of an individual to bear arms.
Party positions
Gun politics do not play out to as a strictly partisan issue but the Democrats are seen to be in favor of gun control. This is especially so if you look at the public opinion on the position of party members on this issue. Although Republicans are seen to mainly lean on anti-gun control measures, public opinion suggests that they are divided on the issue. For instance, President George Bush in his 2000 campaign supported trigger lock requirement, increasing the age limit and applying limits on gun shows but no legislation on gun control was initiated by the president after his election. The libertarians on the other hand overwhelmingly oppose gun control. (Nolanchart) In fact, the Libertarians approach this with very clear and straight forward sentiments that could almost be termed as radical. They see gun control as having racist motivations and refer to the pre-civil war era when gun ownership was outlawed to the black slaves. Libertarians perceive those who want to have introduced or want to introduce more legislation on gun control as restricting individual rights of self defense and effectively infringing on individual freedoms. They go ahead to associate gun control with dictatorial ruling systems such as communism and fascism. Rights restriction and victim disarmament are other terms the Libertarians use to refer to the act of gun control. (Nolanchart)
The democratic officially however do not have such strong views on gun control to counter those of the Libertarian party in its role as maybe the only active advocate of gun control. In its official position it recognizes the right of an individual to own an arm in accordance to the second amendment. However, they indicate the importance of reasonable regulation on the ownership of firearm and also cite that different realities exist in different areas. This is seen to mean that uniform laws cannot be imposed on the whole nation but localities can come up with their own legislations of gun control that suit their respective area. (Phelps) In their opinion, people can enact what they (democrats) call commonsense laws and improvements. This, they point out include improving the background check system, closing gun show loophole and reintroducing the ban on assault weapon. The reason that Democrats give for these measures is for the people to ensure that these weapons do not fall in the hands of criminals and terrorists. They cite the importance of respecting the wide range of views on this issue and acting responsibly. This way Americans can uphold the right to own arms and keep the communities and the children safe. (Phelps)
Conclusion
The Republicans seem to lie in the middle of the debate but they nevertheless oppose strong legislations aimed at gun control. In my opinion the issue of gun control is going to remain a thorny one but no significant or landmark legislation is going to be enacted to enhance gun control. One can though expect a scenario contrary to this if the Libertarian came to power. They sure would even scrap the existing laws on gun control. Problem is-public rating is not on their side.
Work cited
Position of libertarian and other political parties on gun control: 2009. Web.
Shawn Phelps: Position of political parties on gun control: 2009. Web.