Constitutional Issues

Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens. There should be stricter gun control laws in the United States. A CBS poll, conducted on Dec. 14, 2012, found that 51% of adults nationwide were in favor to make gun laws stricter. Currently we have a divided government with the majority of the House of Representatives going to Republicans, the majority of the Senate going to the Democrats, and adding to that a Democratic President. Democrats favor strict gun control laws e.g. oppose the right to carry concealed weapons in public places. Republicans oppose strict gun control laws and are strong supporters of the Second Amendment as well as the right to carry concealed weapons. The constitution makes it difficult on making stricter gun control laws in the United States. In order for bills to be passed through the legislative branch, majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate have to be in favor of it. Then and only if Representatives and the Senate are in favor of the bill then it goes to the President of the United States to get approved. Right now we are faced with a divided government, having both houses ruled by two different parties. Democrats favoring strict gun control laws and Republicans opposing it. So getting stricter gun laws passed right now will be next to impossible. The way to solve this dilemma is waiting until the majority of the House of Representatives are Democratic. That is the only good way in which strict gun control laws can be passed to protect our citizens from all this violence that comes with guns. Or maybe if you can convince some Democrats to switching sides, but that is highly not likely. New York City has the strictest gun control laws in the United States. As a result crime rate in New York City continues to fall and makes it one of the safest big cities in the United States. On a bigger scale, almost no one in Japan owns a gun, and most types of guns are illegal. In 2008, Japan had only 11firearm-related homicides, while the United States had well over 12 thousand, and 587 of the death were caused by guns discharged accidentally. The nation has to realize that we need strict gun control laws for the safety of the American people. We should learn from other nations across the world and maybe even adapt a couple of their methods as well. So all in all, there should be stricter gun control laws in the United States. Half the nation is already in favor of making gun control laws stricter. Know it is up to the representatives and senates on Capitol Hill to decide our future with gun control, and maybe when they come pone these bills they should think about the American people’s safety. As Josh Sugarmann once said, “Handguns are a public-health problem.”