How far are gun control laws popular in the US?

It can be argued that gun control laws are popular in the US to a certain extent; gun control is defined as the banning of handguns/assault rifles and the restriction of gun sales and ownership. This is placed in the context of the US where 42% of households own a gun. Following the Tucson shootings this year, there have been renewed calls for better gun control, but despite this, it can also be argued that gun control laws are not popular in the US. Such laws can be seen as unconstitutional and are politically perilous, especially close to elections. Firstly, it can be seen that the popularity of gun control laws is a divisive issue between red and blue America, dependent upon the predominant ideological beliefs of the state, and their political leanings. Gun control laws are typically more popular amongst Democrats, who are statistically 18% less likely to own a gun than Republicans, and largely advocate gun control. Such laws are strongest in California and the solid Democrat Northeast implying that the popularity of gun control laws is raised in states with Democratic ideologies. To support this idea, the red Republican states see guns as a traditional part of American culture and as a result, gun control laws are generally less popular and weaker in Southern states; in Arizona a citizen can carry a concealed weapon. However, there is not a distinguished divide between the ideological beliefs regarding gun control between the two political parties, and many Democrats are gun owners and members of the NRA, and vice versa. For example, Gabrielle Giffords, the Democratic congresswoman shot by Jared Loughner in Tucson, was pro-gun, and George W Bush the compassionate conservative, vowed to extend the assault weapons ban in 2000. In addition to this, gun control laws are unpopular, and dont work effectively, in states with an urbanised culture where gang warfare and mafias are prevalent such as Washington. This would suggest that the popularity of gun control laws in the US is mixed depending on the individual states and their culture. Gun control laws can be considered largely unpopular in the US as pressure groups like the NRA have a huge influence in US politics, with over 3 million members in opposition to gun control laws and restrictions on guns. Since the 1960s the National Rifle Association (NRA) has been influential on stopping encroachments on citizens rights to own and use legal firearms as they believe it is a civil right to be able to defend yourself; they encouraged 25 states to adopt your home is your castle laws allowing homeowners to shoot people on their property without fear of prosecution. Such pressure groups have made gun control laws even more unpopular as they make it politically toxic for politicians to advocate gun control laws, particularly in swing states that oppose gun control, where obtaining the vote is crucial and so politicians must put aside their views on such laws to secure the vote. However, there are also pressure groups that advocate gun control and make it a popular issue, such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) which believes that the ideology of gun rights absolutists poses a threat to US democratic values. In addition to this, although the NRA is influential it is not omnipotent and despite it spending millions of dollars campaigning against Obama, who is distinctly anti-guns, in several states, Obama won them anyway. This would suggest that gun control laws are mostly unpopular in the US

as only 10 states prohibit of severely restrict gun carrying laws after campaigns by the NRA, and the popularity of anti-gun movements are significantly smaller than their opponents. It can be argued that the popularity of gun control in the US depends on the individual citizens interpretation of the Second Amendment which gives the people a right to keep and bear arms. The framers of the constitution wrote the 2nd Amendment so that an armed citizenry could act as the ultimate check against tyranny, and in modern times it is interpreted in one of two ways. Republicans generally see the amendment to guarantee an individuals right to own guns, which is just like any other liberty, but Democrats tend to see it as a collective right relating to the formation of state militias which is no longer relevant. Those who support the individual interpretation believe that gun control laws are a breach of their civil liberties and freedoms, and oppose gun control, but those who see it as irrelevant generally advocate gun control. Therefore it can be seen that the popularity of gun control laws in the US depend upon the interpretation of the 2nd Amendment by each individual. In addition to this, it can be argued that gun control laws are unpopular, and seen as being unconstitutional, in the US because of the Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v Heller. In 2008, the Supreme Court decided a case relating to the meaning of the 2nd Amendment and declared a 1976 ban on handgun ownership to be unconstitutional as gun ownership was an individual right, implying that gun control laws are generally unpopular in the US and seen as a breach of freedoms. Despite this, it can be seen that gun control laws are popular in the US as legislation such as the Brady Bill which was signed into law in 1993, receiving 239 votes in favour in the House. The Brady Bill requires a background check on individuals who attempt to purchase handguns, which is done in the form of a National Instant Check System (NICS). The fact that elements of the bill are still in effect prove that this form of gun control has some degree of popularity. Despite this, the NRA opposed the Brady Bill and the assault weapons ban, showing that there was a large degree of unpopularity to the threat of gun control laws becoming stricter. Also, certain propositions in the bill were dropped as they were deemed to be unconstitutional, implying that tighter restrictions on guns were unpopular in the US. In conclusion, it can be seen that although there is support for the gun control movement, particularly in todays political climate where shootings and homicides are higher than ever before and pressure groups like the CSGV are becoming more influential and important, the desire to control guns with legislation is still predominantly unpopular in the US. The lack of partisan identity over the issue of gun control means that there are no strict divides in ideology and many Democrats own guns and are NRA members. Increasing amounts of Americans see it as their individual right to own a gun, and believe that gun control imposes upon their personal freedoms. The popularity and influence of pressure groups like the NRA and the reluctance of politicians to attack the issue of gun control mean that there is a lack of political action on the issue, implying that gun control laws are unpopular because politicians do not want to risk political suicide by aligning themselves with either side of the debate. Therefore, it can be argued that gun control laws are largely unpopular in the US.