Gun Control Essay
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In "Just Take Away Their Guns," author James Q. Wilson argues that "Legal restraints on the lawful purchase of guns will have little effect on the illegal use of guns" (Wilson 63). Wilson points out that it would be tough to remove all legally purchased guns from the streets and nearly impossible to confiscate illegally purchased guns. Gun advocate J. Warren Cassidy argues that "The American people have a right 'to keep and bear arms'. This right is protected by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. . ." in an article titled "The Case for Firearms" (Cassidy 275). James B. Jacobs and Kimberly A. Potter wrote in an article called "Keeping guns out of the "wrong" hands: the Brady law and limits of regulations" that "US law enforcement should concentrate on stiff sentences for crimes committed with guns and recognize that gun control laws do not keep guns from the wrong people" (Jacobs and Potter 1 of 27). Daniel B. Polsby, author of "The false promise: gun control and crime," simply states, "Gun control laws don't work" (Polsby 1 of 11). Polsby feels that "gun control laws are ineffective because [they] have not been proven to be a deterrent to crime" (1 of 11). James D. Wright states, in his article "Second Thoughts about Gun Control," that "If there were fewer guns around, there would also be less crime and less violence" (Wright 93). More gun control laws will only make it a hassle for law abiding citizens to purchase guns. They will not keep guns out of the criminal's hands because they have other methods of obtaining guns, such as the secondary market which is the illegal sale of firearms. Another reason why more gun control legislation will backfire is that those who want to purchase guns to protect themselves and their family may not due to the timely and costly process they must undergo because of stricter gun regulation. However, if they had purchased a gun, they may intimidate a prospective predator and avoid confrontation. Finally, criminals have the most "inelastic demand" for guns and are willing to pay more for them (Polsby 3 of 11). On the other hand, the people who are being deprived of guns are those who "comply with gun control laws and don't value guns in the first place" (Polsby 3 of 11).
Gun control consists of the government restricting the ability of individual citizens to purchase weapons. There are many gun control laws and they fall under one of two general types. Those that are older aim to regulate "how, where, and by whom firearms could be carried" (Polsby 1 of 11). Recently, gun control laws have made it more expensive "to buy, sell, or use firearms. . .by imposing fees, special taxes, and surtaxes on them" (Polsby 1-2 of 11). However, no one is satisfied with the laws. There are countless ways for criminals to avoid these government regulations. J. Warren Cassidy author of "The Case for Firearms" states that "Antigun laws- the waiting periods, background checks, handgun bans, et al.--only harass those who obey them" (276). Criminals, who have or are planning to break the law by robbing, raping, or murdering, are not the ones purchasing their guns in the local gun shop. Wilson writes, "Our goal should be not disarming law abiding citizens. It should be to reduce the number of people who carry guns unlawfully, especially in places- on streets and in taverns- where the mere presence of a gun can increase the hazards we all face" (64). By allowing police to perform reasonable-suspicion tests, they can confiscate guns being carried illegally. If an officer has "reasonable-suspicion" that a suspect is carrying an illegal gun, he/she can pat down the person's outer clothing. If, during the frisking, a gun is revealed and being carried illegally, the officer can enter the suspect's pocket to remove it. As officers use reasonable-suspicion more often, they tend to become more familiar with the kinds of actions the Court will accept as a stop and frisk.
Polsby argues, "While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny, and bureaucratic control, illicit markets easily adapt to whatever difficulties a free society throws their way" (1of 11). Gun control laws infringe on the American's freedom to the right "to keep and bear arms". The law abiding citizens of America should have their right without it being a hassle to exercise it. If criminals know that someone may be carrying a gun, they will not bother trying to mug them, on the other hand, tougher gun legislation would make it more difficult for innocent people to protect themselves. Those looking to protect themselves by purchasing a gun usually become frustrated with how expensive it is to purchase them or with how long the background check takes and they wind up deciding against purchasing a gun. "It is easy to count the bodies of those who have been killed or wounded with guns, but not easy to count the people who have avoided harm because they had access to weapons," states Polsby (2 of 11). If the dead victims had bought a gun to protect themselves, they may still be alive today. Gun control stops the ordinary citizen from purchasing a gun, but protects the common criminal. Underage buyers and other delinquents can purchase mass quantities of weapons through "dummy buyers" that have clean backgrounds. So if a burglar enters a house with full intention to maim or kill, the innocent victim, who can't buy a gun to protect his family because he was arrested for drunk driving seven years ago, is simply a victim of a...
Cassidy, Warren J. "The Case for Firearms." Current Issues and Enduring Questions.Eds. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston, MA: Bedford Books, 1996. 275-276.
Desuka. Nan. "Why Handguns Must Be Outlawed." Current Issues and Enduring
Questions. Eds. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston, MA: Bedford Books,
1996. 277-281.
Jacobs, James B. and Kimberly Potter. "Keeping guns out of the "wrong" hands: the
Brady law and the limits of regulation." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
86 (Fall 1995): 93-120.
Polsby, Daniel D. "The false promise" gun control and crime." Current June 1994:
4-11.
Wilson, James Q. "Just Take Away Their Guns." Current Issues and Enduring
Questions. Eds. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston, MA: Bedford Books,
1996. 63-66.
Wright, James D. :Second Thoughts about Gun Control." The Gun Control Debate.
Ed. Lee Nisbet. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1990. 93-107.
MLA Style
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