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Aria Blair

Charles Freeland

1201 English Composition II

October 25, 2020

What are some possible solutions for Gun Control in the United States?

Gun control has been a hotly debated topic internationally as far back as the

1500’s when Queen Elizabeth banned wheel lock guns. (Doeden p.12) Specifically, gun

control refers to legislation that regulates or restricts the ownership of firearms. In the

last century, there have been many federal regulations, as well as state regulations on

firearms. Because of the differences between the states, we can explore many different

applications of gun regulation and contrast it to others. (“Gun Control”)

One major issue facing researchers and policy makers is the lack of reliable data

about the subject. This is because of the lobbying efforts of a gun rights advocacy group

known as the National Rifle Association, or the NRA. They backed a federal funding

freeze passed by congress on any research related to firearms. That means that major

public health organizations like the Center for Disease Control or the National Institute

of health are stopped from funding any research on the topic. (Lopez) Because of this, all

research on gun control effectively must be privately funded, which opens it to all sorts

of biases and also limits the resources of the scientists. This is something to consider

when reviewing the data.

Several implementations of federal gun regulations have already been in place. A

law was passed in 1927 that banned mailing handguns. The National Firearms Act of
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1934 heavily taxed and regulated guns like machine guns and sawed-off shotguns. These

laws are still enforced today. A federal law passed in 1938 that taxed firearms, and

disallowed felons to purchase them, replaced later by the controversial Gun Control Act

of 1968 after the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr. These laws

were later expanded and changed in 1986, often becoming far less strict in certain areas.

This same law also completely banned automatic weapons made before 1986. (Alters)

Other laws banned guns that would not appear on x-ray machines, or toy guns that

looked like real firearms. One notable federal law was passed in response to the

assassination attempt on Ronald Regan and his press secretary James Brady. The law,

known commonly as the Brady law, created an early version of the background check

system used today, as well as establishing waiting periods. (Alters) All of these dates are

important to consider, because data is available to see how these laws affected gun

deaths nationally, as well as to understand the system already in place.

A major facet of the debate against gun control is the individual right to bear

arms given by the second amendment. Every regulation weighs public safety against the

rights of the people. How one determines the true cost of gun regulation depends on

one’s interpretation of the second amendment and its purpose. (Doeden p.19)

One of the major issues facing gun control regulation is not only the efficacy of

certain solutions, but also the ethical considerations and rights of the citizens. Both pro-

gun and anti-gun arguments focus on different sides suffering, injury, and death.

(DeGrazia) Pro-gun advocates focus on using a tool to take back one’s autonomy from

those who would take it from you in violence. Anti-gun advocates focus on the pain and
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death that the tool causes. Its important to reflect on each viewpoint before evaluating

different solutions.
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Works Cited

Alters, Sandra M., editor. “Firearm Laws, Regulations, and Ordinances.” Gun Control: Restricting

Rights or Protecting People?, 2011 ed., Gale, 2011. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

Gale, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ191930103/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=bafcd22c.

DeGrazia, David, and Lester H. Hunt. Debating Gun Control : How Much Regulation Do We Need?

Oxford University Press, 2016. Sinclair Library, Dayton Online Resource Online Book,

EBSCOhost, http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1772583&site=eds-live.

“Gun Control.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, Gale, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999212/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d1ce679c.

Lopez, German. “A New, Huge Review of Gun Research Has Bad News for the NRA.” Vox, 2 Mar.

2018, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/2/17050610/guns-shootings-studies-rand-

charts-maps.

Matt Doeden. Gun Control : Preventing Violence or Crushing Constitutional Rights? Twenty-First

Century Books TM, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=386714&site=eds-live.