Gun Legislation Essay

Gun legislation is an opinionated subject that invokes a strong emotion from citizens, while for others it has no affect. The public is constantly being torn between opposing views as to what level of regulation should be enforced. High impact news stories such as violent crime and international terrorism awaken the insecurities of citizens that desire peace of mind.

The inner struggle is a balancing act of the desire for freedom versus the surrendering more to governmental control that can only add to the additional undesirable intrusion into their lives.

Historical Synopsis of Passed Gun Legislation
In 1938, the Federal Firearms Act was established controlling interstate commerce of all types of firearms through various methods of requirements. The Gun Control Act was the first gun legislation that was passed since the Federal Arms Act. The Gun Control Act is an important law. Typically, many gun control bills fail to pass through both Houses. This bill was intended by the government to ban shipping rifles to individuals; while prohibiting individuals from buying guns except in their own states. The bill allowed few exceptions. Some of the major provisions of the Gun Control Act prohibited interstate shipment of rifles, handguns, and ammunition to individuals who did not live in the same state as the dealer. Also, the law prohibited a person from making purchases from an out of state dealer.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a constant source of resistance to stronger gun control proponents and a major outside influence to many pending gun bills. The NRA is able to persuade against stricter gun control laws by applying constant pressure to legislators. They are impervious to the public sway of opinion. The NRA has grown from 900,000 members in 1968 to over 4.2 million members today. They keep members well informed about gun legislation and encourage each of them to write letters and vote. Other influences besides the NRA do not impact Congress as...