Gun Control

The United States Government needs to substantially strengthen gun control laws,

because most homicides, suicides and unintentional injuries or deaths are preventable .

Each day, on an average in the United States, thirteen children under the age of

nineteen are killed by firearms . These acts which are occurrences are begging the

country for stricter gun control laws and ordinances, but no one will listen . The only

way you can get them to listen is for one of their loved ones to be killed . Then maybe

they will listen . Stricter gun control laws by both private industries and the United States

government have met both opposition and acceptance in both the private and

governmental sector . Laws such as the Brady Bill were created in direct response do a

given horrific event . (the paralyzation of the Brady Bill in protection of a United States

president )these bills are unpopular with independent liberals and organizations like the

National Rifle Association . The laws in some cases severely restrict the steady sales

these organizations are currently enjoying , they are not extremely popular . The Brady

Bill expired November 30, 1998 . The attempts to restrict or regulate the sales and usage

of firearms needs to continue if the nation expects to end the violence in the American

home and street .

The issue of gun control and violence, in the United States, is one that simply will

not go away. One example of stricter gun control laws was in 1977, legislation was

passed by the Canadian Parliament regulating long guns for the first time, restructuring

the availability of firearms, and increasing a variety of penalties . Canadian firearms law

is primarily federal, and "therefore national in scope," while the bulk of the firearms

regulation in the United States is at the state level; attempts to introduce stricter

legislation at

the federal level are often defeated. The importance of this issue is that not all North

Americans are necessarily supportive of strict gun control as being a feasible alternative

to controlling urban violence. There are concerns with the opponents of gun control, that

the professional criminal who wants a gun can obtain one, which leaves the average

law-abiding citizen helpless in defending themselves against the criminals of urban life.

Through the analysis of the writings and reports of academics and experts of gun control

and urban violence, it will be possible to examine the issues and theories of the social

impact of this issue. (Part II: Review of the Literature A) Summary In a paper which

looked at gun control and firearms violence in North America, Robert J. Mundt, of the

University of North Carolina, points out that "Crime in America is popularly perceived as

something to be expected in a society which has less respect for the rule of law than does

American society. In 1977, the Canadian government took the initiative to legislate

stricter gun control. Among the provisions legislated by the Canadian government was a

"Firearms Acquisition Certificate" for the purchase of any firearm, and strengthened the

"registration requirements for handguns and other restricted weapons" . The purpose of

the 1977 legislation was to reduce the availability of firearms, on the assumption that

there is a "positive relationship between availability and use". In Robert J. Mundt's study,

when compared with the United States, trends in Canada over the past ten years in

various types of violent crime, suicide, and accidental death show no dramatic results,

"and few suggestions of perceptible effects of the 1977 Canadian gun control legislation".

One of the positive effects, Mundt, found in the study was the decrease in the use of

firearms in robbery with comparison to trends in the United States . In an article by Gary

A. Mauser of the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, he places special

emphasis on the attitudes towards firearms displayed by Americans. According to

Mauser, large majorities of the general public in America "support gun control legislation

while simultaneously believing that they have the right to own

firearms" .

Despite the similarities, there are apparent differences between the general public in the

United States . As Mauser states that "Canadians are more deferent to authority and do

not support the use of handguns in self defense to the same extent as Americans.

Surprisingly enough, nationwide surveys in both Canada and the United States "show

remarkable similarity in the public attitude towards firearms and gun control". More

Canadians are exposed to American television (both entertainment and news

programming) and Canadians and Americans read many of the same books and

magazines. As a result of this, the Canadian public has adopted "much of the American

culture" . In an article by Catherine F. Sproule and Deborah J. Kennett of Trent

University, they looked at the use of firearms in Canadian homicides between the years

of 1972-1982. Their findings firmly support the conclusion that gun control is beneficial

gun control may be influencing some suspects to kill by other methods, but it is less

likely for these suspects to kill multiple victims. From the study conducted by Sproule

and Kennett the rate of violent crimes was five times greater in the U.S. than Canada and

"almost double the rate of firearms used in American than Canadian homicides" . The use

of firearms "in Canadian homicides has declined since the legislative changes in gun

control in 1977. The Canadian cities have been traditionally safer, and less vulnerable to

'Crime Waves' than the United States due to our extensive police force and gun control

laws . The "American Constitution guarantees citizens the right to bear arms, and this has

made it possible for U.S. criminals to obtain firearms more readily than their counterparts

in countries like Japan". The high rate of homicide in the United States reflects to some

extent, the estimated 50 million handguns and rifles legally and illegally owned by the

American people . The book The Saturday Night Special, explains the cheap, usually

illegal, easily concealed handgun that plays a part in so many crimes in the United States.

The author reviews the role of guns in American life-from the shoot-outs of the Old West

to the street violence of today. Most murders occur in shabby neighborhoods; of the

690 murders

in Detroit in 1971, for example, 575 occurred in the black slums mostly by handguns.

The hardest hit of all American urban centers is the inter-cities of Los Angeles, New

York, Detroit, and Washington. These cities largely consist of minorities who are

frustrated with the hand dealt to them, and simply resort to "drugs, guns, and violence" as

a way of life . The incidence of killings by handguns, compared to nonshooting methods

between the United States and Canada for the years 1977 to 1983. In Canada there were

443 handgun killings per 100,000 people compared to 4108 in the U.S. over the period of

1977-1983 . Also noted the "American murder rates for handguns are higher than the

total Canadian homicide rate. Canada's favorable situation regarding murder relative to

the United States is to large measure the result of Canadian gun control, and Canadians

must be vigilant against any erosion of our gun control provisions . The introduction of

the 1977 legislation by the Canadian government is a good example of how gun control

has benefited by having a safer society, and reduction in crime. A benefit reaped by this

legislation has been a "trend away from the use of firearms in robberies has been

noticeable ever since the passage of the gun control provisions of the 1977 Bill C-51 ".

Canadians are "more supportive of stricter controls on handguns than are Americans .

Canadians appear to be less supportive of home owners using firearms to defend

themselves than are Americans" . Canadians do have confidence in gun control, and law

enforcement in controlling the safety of their well-being. Similarities: The book The

Saturday Night Special , a major topic of concern is the status structure of the street gang

in which "success in defense of the turf brings deference and reputation . Here the

exercise of violence is a road to achievement". This violence is exercised by the means of

a gun that can be easily obtained in the United States due to the easy accessibility of

guns. Gun ownership in the United States is inversely related to individuals lack of

confidence in collective institutions to protect their security of person and property. The

vast majority of people who own guns , simply own them because it is

a part of their

American heritage, and the constitution gives them "the right to"the differences in

political elites and institutions rather than in public opinion" .Due to Canada's political

structure, it is a lot easier to make and approve laws in comparison with the United States

Congress structure. The claim of gun control opponents in their slogan "people kill, guns

don't". The introduction of gun control in Canada significantly shows that Canadian gun

control, especially the provisions pertaining to handguns, does have the beneficial effect

of reducing violent crime, and saving lives. When looking at the 1977 Canadian

Legislation of gun control, it is easy to see that there is some bias and assumptions

present. For one, it assumes that left to its own devices the legislation will make it

virtually impossible for a criminal to obtain a handgun. Secondly, there is an assumption

that if a person doesn't have a criminal record (it doesn't necessarily mean that they are

law-abiding) then they are eligible to obtain a firearm with an FAC (firearms Acquisition

Certificate). With the implementation of Bill C-51, a `Black Market' for illegal handguns

has emerged from the United States into Canada, making it extremely easy for the

professional criminal to obtain a firearm. It can be agreed that since the implementation

of Bill C-51 in 1977, Canada has remained relatively safe in incidents involving firearms

in comparison to the United States. The assumption of many Americans, is that having

the right to bear arms increases their security is open to dispute. It is just as reasonable to

assume that restricting the `right to bear arms' will increase the safety and security of a

society. In accordance with many sociologists beliefs, Canada historically hasn't

experienced the problems of crime, that the United States has, because of it's central

police force. The significant effect of gun control is the method of killing. Although "gun

control may be influencing some suspects to kill by other methods, it is less likely for

these suspects to kill multiple victims". As witnessed by the American media, mass

murder in public is much more a common occurrence in the U.S. than Canada. It is safe

to say that gun control has saved the lives