Gun Control Comparison

2016 Words9 Pages
Introduction There have been few, if any public policy controversies that have dominated the political arena for decades as prolifically as gun control has. Recent massacres have taken the public spotlight and has place gun control on the political agenda since the late 1980’s and has been a tantalizing topic for all media outlets. Crime and mortality rate statistics are often used in the gun control debate stating that the number of homicides committed with a firearm annually increased 173% from 1985 to 1993 for age groups 14-24 and then decreased 47% from 1993-1998 but still is very prominent in today’s society. The calls for more gun bans and for restrictions on certain or all types of guns is calling for significant change in policy. The following will be an exploration of some of the current and past policy measures that have been implemented to either curb or allow the public’s access to guns as well as a policy analysis stating some of the weaknesses and strengths of both pro-gun control and pro-gun arguments. History The 1968 assassination of president JFK was the reason for passing the “Gun Control Act”. The subsequent assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy also fueled its quick passing. This act required that gun dealers were to keep a better record of those that are buying guns, as the records being kept were lax. The act also banned the sale of handguns over state lines, restricted dealers to selling guns to those that had a prior felony conviction, those that were mentally incompetent and those that were past drug users. This ban also restricted the sale of firearms through the mail. In 1972, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms was created and was given the main responsibility to enforce gun laws, specifically illegal gun trafficking. The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1986 made it illegal for anyone to

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