gun control

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Gun laws in the United States
In recent years, mass shooting has increased tremendously in the United States. The most recent cases are the Florida school shooting and Texas mass shooting. In the situation of Florida shooting the culprit was a former student called Nikolas Cruz. Texas has had its history of deadly mass shooting, for instance, Virginia Tech shooting of 2007 and Baptist church shooting 2017. The shots were carried out by young people with high caliber guns. The incidences indicate that something is wrong with our gun laws and need a remedy. In a recent study done, more adult white men own guns compared to women and blacks. The principal reason for holding a gun is for protection and hunting. However, some people are restricted from owning a gun, for instance, mentally challenged, illegal alien and drug abuser. They cannot hold a weapon due to the dangers associated with possessing a firearm like accidental shooting and suicide. The main reason why there are many mass shooting is lack of comprehensive laws to regulate ownership and use of guns.
It is not clear how many gun laws exist in the United States. However, the National rifle association claims that there are over 20,000 gun-related laws (Mustard 650). On the other hand, Wayne LA Pierre counted over 9,000 laws while a combination of scholars in the 2000s found four hundred laws. This data shows that the problem is no shortage of proposals instead it’s their ambiguity. It also demonstrates that the rules are inadequate and either needs some amendment or proper enforcement.

Some of the critical gun laws put in place included. 1927 law which Banned shipment of handguns through the postal services. The national firearm act of 1934 requiring machine guns to be registered and their transfer taxed. Creation of a national licensing system for manufacturers, importers and gun dealers in 1938. In 1968 the omnibus crime control and safety street act made it illegal for a person to buy a gun outside his or her state of residence. Firearm owner’s protection act of 1986 that allowed interstate gun ownership. This law also prevented any form of registration by the federal government (Mustard, 640). The lawful commerce in arms act of 2005 started functioning. According to this rule, gun manufacturer or dealer cannot be held responsible due to damage caused by a gun he sold.
Authorities usually put laws in place mainly after a mass shooting in the United States. However, these rules do not seem to offer any solution to the gun menace. For instance, after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, Congress passed a law (Mustard, 640). The law passed required the federal government to provide funds to states to upgrade mental records of gun purchasers. It is not clear up to date if this rule is functioning. Failure to implement laws serves as a setback in controlling gun acquisition and usage.
Other laws work against efforts to control gun usage. A good example is the 1986 firearm owners act signed by President Reagan. The act allowed selling of guns at gun shows and also interstate gun purchase. Reagan’s law also prohibited the federal government from keeping any form of gun registration. Lack of a collective record implies that an unauthorized person could purchase a gun from another state. One can buy a gun because individual gun records are only in one’s state of residence.
Failure to update some laws is a challenge in the United States. Congress, for instance, has not renewed a ban on guns carrying more than ten rounds (Mustard, 650). There have been cases of shooting using the high caliber guns in places such as Aurora and Newtown. Although the sale of automatic weapons remains under a ban since 1934, about 500,000 such weapons are available. Evidence from Britain shows that after banning handguns in 1998, suicide cases reduced to 1.5%. This means that gun ban work over a period.
There lack uniform gun laws across the states. At least nine states have passed laws allowing students to carry guns to school. According to some states, a person below the age of 19 should not own a high caliber gun. However, Nicholas Cruz was just 19 years meaning he was not supposed to own a gun. Also, people do not follow what the law says regarding gun storage. A good example is in the case of Florida shooting. The young man is barely 19 years, but he was in possession of three guns. Having a weapon at this age suggests that either he accessed another person’s arm, or he bought it without undergoing background checks. Many people store their firearms in unlocked cabinets and while loaded. Lack of proper storage has led to misuse of the guns when they land in unwanted hands. When teenagers access these poorly kept weapons, they pose a significant danger just as the case of the school shooting by Nicholas.
In conclusion, active and updated laws can help reduce gun cases in the United States. In countries like Switzerland and Israel, there are more guns on the hands of civilians than in the United States. However, there are very few gun-related suicides or crimes. There are few incidences because there are sound and functional laws regulating firearm acquisition and use. Guns in the United States accounts for 50% of all the suicide cases reported. All firearms used in crime originate from a legitimate dealer but find its way into criminal activities. Laws are thus necessary to solve this. There is also a high concentration of firearms in some homes. Some homes have more than ten different guns which increase cases of gun abuse. Many laws have been there since the 1930s but despite the laws cases of misuse of firearms are prevalent. It is upon the legislators to strengthen the existing laws and also bring up new rules. The regulations should address the current gaps in gun ownership and use. The federal government also needs to maintain a registry of all the people and their mental and conditions. The record will help in assessing any person willing to be a gun holder. With good laws, cases of firearm abuse will reduce in the United States.
Work cited
Mustard, David B. “The impact of gun laws on police deaths.” The Journal of Law and Economics 44.S2 (2001): 635-657.