Gun control

New England Journal of Medicine researchers Wintemute, Braga, and Kennedy (2011) stated “in 2007, a total number of 12,632 people in the United States were murdered with firearms, and it is estimated that another 48,676 were treated in hospitals for gunshot wounds received In assaults.” One of the main reasons that numbers associated with gun violence are so high is because guns are falling into the hands of people who should not have them. If we can prevent criminals from acquiring guns, we can drastically reduce gun violence. If someone wishes to buy a gun in the United States, he or she will do so in one of two ways. The first method is through a federally licensed dealer; all sales through a licensed dealer are regulated by the government. They are well-documented, and include screenings and background checks. Private-party sales are the second method. They are not illegal, but they are a major problem. They are completely unregulated and undocumented because they can be anonymous and undocumented; private-party sales are the obvious choice for criminals. Wintemute et al. (2011) reported, “Some 85% of all guns used in crimes and then recovered by law-enforcement agencies have been sold at least once by private parties.” This statistic shows that all gun sales should be required to go through a licensed dealer because private sales are unregulated, and they do not require background checks, which is why private sales provide easy access to guns for criminals.

Unlike sales through a licensed dealer, private party sales are completely unregulated or monitored, which allows anyone to quickly stockpile a vast supply of weapons. If a buyer wishes to purchase a gun from a federally licensed retailer, he or she is required to complete several processes that record the sale of the gun. First, proper identification must be presented to the dealer. After that, a lengthy form must be filled out; the purpose of this form is to verify that the