The topic of gun violence and gun control is one that will not go away easily. The importance of this issue is that not all Americans support strict gun control as a beneficial alternative to controlling violence. It is important to examine the issues and theories about the impact of this issue through the writings and reports of experts on gun control and violence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Gun laws have been a hot topic for centuries. We hear about it most often when a president is running for office or when a tragic event occurs, like a mass school shooting or the killing of a police officer. These incidents include the Sandy Hook massacre, the assassinations of President John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Columbine shootings. When such events occur, most people are afraid and want to either buy more guns to protect themselves or prevent people from being armed. Regardless, the citizens of the United States all have the same goal: to make America a safer place for everyone. What are the benefits of having strong gun control laws? There has been much debate about which path would be most effective. If everyone owned and carried a gun, would public shootings be less common? If no one legally owned a gun, would less violent crimes be committed? Or would the weapons be funneled into the illegal black market? Keep reading and I'll provide hard facts about what needs to be done so Americans can be safe again. Do you know the process of purchasing a firearm in the United States? Are weapons easy to obtain? Roanoke Firearms owner John Markell told the New York Times that in Virginia you can buy a semi-automatic gun "in 15 minutes." Roanoke Firearms is the store where Seung-Hui Cho — who killed 32 people in a shooting on the Virginia Tech campus — bought a Glock after passing two background checks. It took a Philly Inquirer reporter 7 minutes to buy an AR-15, the. semi-automatic pistol used in several of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States. The Huffington Post reported that in Orlando, purchasing the AR-15 took just 38 minutes, just two days after the shooting that killed 49 people at Orlando's Pulse nightclub. (Taylor & Hanbury, Business Insider, 2018) Creating a mandatory waiting time or “cooling off” period before you can purchase a firearm will help prevent angry and impulsive actions. This will also give officials ample time to properly conduct a background check and. /or mental state. A study by researchers at Northeastern University and Harvard University estimated that 22 percent of gun sales occur without background checks under the current system. This is astonishing and unacceptable. Under federal law, dealer sales background checks must be conducted using the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. (Clair, National Public, 2018) Most states that require background checks for gun sales by unlicensed sellers also use NICS, but some do not. If an FBI background check takes more than three days, the gun sale is approved bydefault. This is how Dylan Roof, the murderer of nine people in a South Carolina church in 2015, was able to purchase a gun even though he had a criminal record that included drug possession. Gun laws vary widely by state. Eight states, including California and Rhode Island, impose waiting periods for purchasing some or all firearms. But in less regulated states, like Nevada or Virginia, purchases are quick and easy. Indeed, the NRA rejected the Brady Law initially proposed in 1987. In 1998, the NRA managed to obtain an important admission: the final form of the law provided that the five-day waiting period for gun sales handgun would be replaced by an instant computerized background check that involved no waiting period. A few states have stricter regulations for certain types of firearms, such as assault rifles or ambush rifles, but in states with less strict firearm regulations, rapid-firing weapons are treated the same as any other firearm purchase. As Gardiner said: “It is shocking that a 19-year-old cannot buy a beer or a handgun, but can buy an AR-15 under federal law. » This operation is insane and must be changed. Controversy continues over which categories of people, such as convicted felons, people with serious or violent mental illnesses, and people on the federal no-fly list, should be excluded from purchasing firearms. fire. The federal and state governments are currently struggling to balance public safety with the violation of individual rights. In response to public demand, many states have taken a categorical approach to gun ownership and the mentally ill. These laws categorically restrict the rights of people with mental illness to own and purchase firearms. Some state lawmakers suggest this measure is actually the least restrictive on gun rights because it creates stricter laws without changing general gun laws as they apply to most people. A number of states have also passed laws for family members concerned that someone has a mental illness. health crisis which gives them the opportunity to report it to local police and possibly temporarily confiscate someone's firearms. These are known as red flag laws. Red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection order laws, allow a judge to issue an order allowing law enforcement to remove firearms from individuals deemed to pose a risk to themselves- themselves or for others. Since the Parkland shooting, at least two dozen states have considered adopting similar laws at home. Currently, only five states – Connecticut, Washington, Indiana, California and Oregon – have warning laws, most put in place after a tragedy. With a red flag law, they could present the evidence to a judge and demand immediate action rather than going through the more difficult process of committing or prosecuting someone for a crime. Several states have also strengthened domestic violence laws, even in states where one would not expect gun control to pass. Louisiana, for example, is among the states that have passed laws to prevent people convicted of domestic violence from carrying a concealed weapon. But in othersState lawmakers have liberalized gun laws. They pushed to allow guns in places where they had long been banned, such as schools and college campuses. These provisions have been adopted in Tennessee and Texas and many say they put students and faculty at risk. People under the age of 25 are responsible for an excessive amount of gun violence in the United States. According to data collected by the FBI, nearly 50% of all gun homicides are committed by people under the age of 25. Most of these authors are between 18 and 24 years old. Mass shooters are often also young. What common theme runs through the high-profile mass shootings in Charleston, South Carolina? Aurora, Colorado; and Tucson? All of the killers were under the age of 25 and all had purchased their guns legally. The first state to implement an anti-machine gun law was West Virginia in 1925. Many states enacted anti-machine gun laws in 1927, which was a year in which there was a united national effort to regulate these weapons. In total, at least 28 states passed anti-machine gun laws during this period. In Texas law, machine guns are defined as those in which more than five rounds are automatically fired from a magazine by a single operation of the firing device. After a series of high-profile mass shootings, President Bill Clinton signed the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, which controlled certain features of semi-automatic pistols, rifles, and shotguns. It expired in 2004 and the chances of it being re-passed by Congress are unknown. The use of an AR-15 rifle in Parkland and Sandy Hook and other attacks has continued to spark calls for new restrictions. Opponents of gun control worry that the criminal who wants a gun can obtain one illegally, leaving the average law-abiding citizen powerless and defenseless. Clearly, there is much debate between citizens who favor gun control and those who support them. Many gun advocates believe that “guns don’t kill people, people kill.” Or “If they don’t use a gun, they will use something else like a hammer, knife, or bomb.” As may be true, a single, rapid gunshot can and most likely will result in death whereas a hammer or knife should be at close range and multiple strikes should be attempted. Additionally, it is more difficult to cause mass casualties with a hammer or knife. Pro gun owners need to know that the changes that need to be imposed will not conflict with the Second Amendment and their right to protect themselves. There simply needs to be stricter laws on how guns are obtained. Countless citizens believe that all of America's gun problems are based on mental illness. While it is true that some disorders suggest that people are more prone to violence or aggression, many people with mental disorders are not dangerous. Studies actually suggest that people with psychiatric disorders are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crime. Additionally, for some reason, addiction is not recognized as a disorder that can be classified as a “mental illness,” but people with substance abuse issues are more likely to commit violent acts. There is also insufficient reliable evidence to suggest that healthcare professionals.