GUN CONTROL RESEARCH PAPER

Over the past few months, people across the nation have Topics ran"in" from firearm restrictions to

een !e atin" a o#t "#n control$ een heavil& !isc#sse! &

ac%"ro#n! chec%s have

oth emotion an! lo"ic, & oth "#n s#pporters an! "#n control activists, an! it seems li%e their is no mi!!le "ro#n! for oth parties to a"ree on$ '& opinion is that, altho#"h this is an emotional topic, emotions sho#l! e secon!ar& to lo"ic, for fin!in" a sol#tion to prevent "#n control can not e on that ma%es #s feel etter$ (t has to e one that act#all& wor%s an! is not insanel& e)pensive$ ( elieve that "#n violence is a pro lem that is e)tremel& !iffic#lt to era!icate, #t can e prevente! if people thin% of new i!eas while not ac%"ro#n! chec%s are implemente!$ lettin" emotions or ra!icalism "et to their hea!s an!

According to Harvey Rosenthal of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, "It is sad that almost the only time meaningf l ! blic attention t rns to o r comm nity is in the wake of a tragedy"" ( a"ree with this statement, for it perfectl& shows America*s !isaster+response c&cle$ ,e !o not anticipate an& tra"e!ies, we simpl& react to them$ ( elieve that, not -#st with "#n violence, Americans nee! to feel a sense of responsi ilit& to protect their fellow Americans an! eliminate pro lems while the& are still "rowin", not wait #ntil the& are en!emics$ (t seems that, whenever a tra"e!& occ#rs, we respon! & ein" irrational an! tr&in" to c#t off the hea! of the . east. /"#ns, in this case0 witho#t m#ch consi!eration for other, more lo"ical sol#tions$ (n or!er to fin! a lo"ical sol#tion, we first nee! to reali1e that "#ns !on*t %ill people$ People %ill people with "#ns$ 2or this reason, annin" certain "#ns or re!#cin" ma"a1ine si1es

will have a ver& minor effect, if the& have one at$ So, since the real . east. in this case is the pop#lation, not "#ns, we m#st fin! a wa& to prevent possi le %illers from "ettin" access to firearms$ ( if there are eliminate$ ,e li%e to thin% that there is a facile sol#tion to ever& pro lem$ Oftentimes, we form#late opinions an! whimsicall& p#t them into action$ 3#t there isn*t a simple sol#tion to "#n violence$ elieve that simple ac%"ro#n! chec%s can prevent some potential m#r!erers from #& one in the lac% mar%et or steal one from "ainin" access to the weapons$ However, (f some o!& reall& wants to "ain access to a "#n, even ac%"ro#n! chec%s, the& can alwa&s famil& or frien!s$ This is one reason wh& "#n violence is a tremen!o#sl& !iffic#lt iss#e to

,e have to reali1e this efore we waste h#man an! monetar& reso#rces on plans that ma& onl& have minor effects, if the& have an& at all$ 2or e)ample, armin" teachers with firearms to protect st#!ents is an impossi le an! para!o)ical plan$ How wo#l! a!!in" more weapons into the e4#ation ever re!#ce the amo#nt of violence5 (t wo#l!n*t$ 3rin"in" "#ns into schools wo#l! !esensiti1e st#!ents to "#ns, not rep#lse them$ 2#rthermore, trainin" staff wo#l! waste mone& an! e ineffective, for most teachers wo#l! feel #tterl& rep#lse! at the i!ea of preparin" to shoot their own st#!ents, an! wo#l! not ta%e the matter serio#sl&$ Personall&, ( %now that not one of m& teachers wo#l! fin! this law appealin"$

(f "#n violence is so !iffic#lt to solve, what is the sol#tion5 O#t of the c#rrent plans to!a&, a"ain, ( elieve that ac%"ro#n! chec%s will e the most s#ccessf#l$ (nstit#tin" ac%"ro#n! chec%s on all firearm #&ers wo#l! e an eas& an! pro!#ctive wa& to separate some of the criminals from the harmless$ Also, the fact that the mentall& ill are ein" viewe! as #nsta le %illers an! the primar& reason for instit#tin" ac%"ro#n! chec%s is completel& prepostero#s$ Sall& Satellite, a ac%"ro#n! chec%s "oes, ps&chiatrist states in her article, .Severel& (*ll people acco#nt for onl& 6 to 7 percent of violent crimes in the "eneral pop#lation$. As far as the effectiveness of however, the fact that most of the "#ns #se! in crimes are ac%"ro#n! chec%s will not solve the pro lem$ o#"ht ille"all& means that even

(n a!!ition to other ra!ical i!eas, the plan of tas%$

annin" most firearms is &et another impossi le

Adam #inkler of $he %niversity of &alifornia states, "'ne key to ratcheting down the emotions in the g n debate is to move beyond disbarment and to recogni(e the !ermanence of g ns in America" #ith a!!ro)imately *++ million g ns already in circ lation and g n owners g ns are here to stay"" This 4#ote proves that the plethora of firearms in the Unite! States is c#rrentl& ins#rmo#nta le & an& ans$ Altho#"h this is a fact, ( elieve that "#n enth#siasts nee! to open their e&es to ornness, in this !e ate, will solve new s#""estions that ma& arise from the !e ate$ St# nothin"$ An& laws that are enacte! nlikely to ever com!ly with orders to t rn in their g ns, the

& the Unite! States "overnment will not violate the secon!

amen!ment, which seems to e the "#n lovers* primar& tool for ar"#ment$ ,e, as Americans, nee! to sacrifice o#r emotional attachments to "#ns in or!er to create a safer f#t#re$ Ro ert ,al%er, who was previo#sl& the le"islative !irector for Handg n &ontrol, writes in his New York $imes article,

"""" there is nothing in the &onstit tion or o r love of g ns that sho ld !rel de witho t ,eo!ardi(ing the right of law-abiding Americans to own g ns $. This 4#otation shows that, a!!ition to this statement, eca#se reforms can

s from

enacting sensible g n laws that wo ld significantly red ce g n violence, and we can do so

e ma!e to "#ns in America witho#t violatin"

the constit#tion, "#n lovers sho#l!

e more acceptin" of necessar& plans to re!#ce violence$ (n

.r" #alker adds, "having a g n in the home - assa lt wea!on or otherwise - is accost acted with a m ch higher risk of death or in, ry," which s#pports m& opinion that there are positive effects to "#n restrictions which nee! to e consi!ere! & "#n enth#siasts$

(n concl#sion, the c#rrent "#n !e ate is f#ll of ra!ical an! emotional i!eas that hin!er pro"ress in re!#cin" "#n violence$ 3efore an& reforms are !eci!e! on an! instit#te!, reali1e that reachin" a m#t#al !ecision is the onl& wa& to solve this pro lem$ ( altho#"h "#n violence is an e)tremel& !iffic#lt iss#e to era!icate, it can proce!#res an! lo"ical plannin"$ http899&o#thvoices$net9!isc#ssion9"#n+control+research+paper oth the "#n elieve that enth#siasts an! the "#n control activists nee! to face the facts a o#t "#ns in America an! e !one thro#"h proper