Debate Over Gun-control in America

The current debate over gun-control in America is accelerating as statistics mount. The purpose of this research is to examine the pros and cons in this debate through a brief discussion of the history of firearms in America, an analysis of the differing points of view and a look at today's political trends influencing these views based on the statistical realities of gun-related murder and accidents in today's society.

America's romance with the firearm has a long and noble history. It predates not only the Constitution but also the discovery of firearms. Under the rule of Alfred the Great which began in 872 A.D., all English citizens from the nobility to the peasants were obliged to privately purchase weapons and be available for military duty ("The right," 1982, p. 1). This was in sharp contrast to the rest of Europe where armament and military duty were concentrated in the nobility.

Following the American Revolution and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, several states proposed a Bill of Rights which provided for the right to bear arms. The Founding Fathers had just concluded a bloody war against one form of tyranny and they were equally concerned that the centralized federal government they had just established could evolve into a dictatorship (Gottlieb, 1981, p. 4). In what was to become the Second Amendment to the Constitution, this right was guaranteed on September 25, 1789, and Congress passed the Amendment as follows:

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989, p. 9), takes the firm stand that law-abiding Americans are constitutionally entitled to the legal ownership and use of firearms ("The right," 1982, p. 29). Their mission is to uphold the Second Amendment. Any weakening of its interpretation could mean the eroding and eventual loss of the right of an individual to own a gun. Gun control advocates want to strengthen laws dictating who can own a gun and what type of gun can be owned by a private citizen and under what conditions. The NRA has backed their stand with intense lobbying efforts and its PAC has distributed in excess of $1.1 million to sympathetic Congressmen over the last three election cycles ("Bush's," 1988, p. 7). Gun control advocates have set the challenge over the last few years in building a grass roots effort. Their greatest supporters, however, have been the growing legions of victims of gun violence, police groups and media attention to the ever increasing problem of gun misuse. It is estimated that there is more then one firearm for every two people in America ("Lock," 1989, p. 9). Every day, two youths under 18 are murdered by guns and a third is killed accidentally by a firearm ("Gun," 1988, p. 11). With the increase of gangs in inner cities suc

Category: Government - D