Each year in the United States, guns kill more than 35,000 people, a death rate much higher than in any other industrial nation.
Approximately 70 percent of the murders in the United States in 1997 were committed using guns,” says Franklin E. Zimring, a professor of Law and Director of the Earl Warren Legal Institute, University of California at Berkeley, and co-author of The Citizen’s Guide to Gun Control. Gun control is regulating the use of firearms and their ownership to reduce violence. Guns and gun safety are important issues in the United States. Both Federal and State gun control laws have been passed. Proper storage of guns, gun safety classes, more efficient background checks, and increased penalties and laws are the beginnings of a safer America.
Many people strongly support increased enforcement of gun laws and bills governing firearm users. Every few minutes, a young child is killed with a loaded gun around the world, making it one of the leading causes of death in children. According to Alan Greene, MD, about half of US homes contain firearms, and one in four gun owners keep their guns loaded and easily accessible.
Not having a gun readily accessible is the safest choice. If guns are necessary, they should be emptied and locked up securely to prevent children from gaining access to them. These guns should only be accessible by responsible adults. The Children’s Access Prevention Act” holds adults liable if they fail to lock up a loaded firearm or an unloaded firearm with ammunition and it is taken by a child and used to kill or injure themselves or another person. Carl Levin, a U.S. Senator and cosponsor of the bill, explains this.
The Act creates a gun safety education program that involves parent-teacher organizations, local law enforcement, and community organizations. These safety measures are the first steps in reducing the thousands of preventable firearm deaths that occur each year. To own a gun, one must apply for a permit or license. One strategy for controlling guns requires the licensing of guns and waiting periods before purchasing a gun.
Under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), firearm dealers are required to run a background check on potential buyers. This check may identify convicted felons and other individuals who are prohibited from owning a gun. The background check is known as the Brady Bill, which was adopted by the Congress of the United States in 1993. In 1998, a new computerized verification system replaced the initial five-day waiting period requirement for the Brady Bill, making background checks easier and faster. The Brady Bill has prevented countless numbers of convicted felons, individuals with mental illness or a history of domestic violence, and minors from obtaining guns. Strict penalties and new laws to deal with those involved in gun incidents and fatalities have been discussed at recent legislative sessions. These laws would work to prohibit high-risk guns from being acquired by anyone other than the police and would also keep high-risk people from obtaining firearms” (Zimring: World Book).
Since 1934, federal law has limited the sale and ownership of machine guns and sawed-off shotguns. These were considered high-risk weapons. Semiautomatic guns joined this list in 1994 and are called assault weapons in the legislation,” (Zimring: Encarta Encyclopedia). High-risk people are those whom authorities consider most likely to misuse firearms. Federal and state laws prohibit these people from owning guns. The laws also prohibit sales of firearms to minors.
Current bills passed by the United States Congress include the ‘Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act’, which prohibits civil liability actions against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages resulting from the misuse of their products by others. The ‘Crackdown on Deadbeat Dealers Act of 2003’ aims to ensure greater accountability by licensed firearms dealers. Gun control bills passed in Congress pertain to the purchase, possession, and carrying of firearms” (NRA). These laws are becoming stricter and will remain a hot topic in the Legislature as long as there is violence involving firearms. Guns, when used unsafely or in the wrong hands, lead to numerous murders, suicides, and unintentional killings every year. Proper storage of guns and gun safety education are crucial in preventing these tragedies.
