A bill was passed by former U.S. President George Bush which banned the production of nine types of assault weapons and the importation of forty-three types of assault weapons. Bush felt that assault weapons were responsible for majority of the violent crimes committed in the United States. Field & Stream writer, David E. Petzal agreed with Bush stating that, "Assault weapons are designed to put out a high volume of fire with

a high degree of controllability. The only purpose these firearms have is to kill people" (27). Gun related crime is still very common.

Voters who support gun control feel that people often turn to handguns for personal protection. With a gun they feel as though they are safe. Self-defense leads to inexperienced people owning guns, which leads to accidental shootings. This is believed because the owners do not know how to handle a gun. In 1990, over 1200 people died from handgun related accidents (Cooper 161). However, the hazards of gun ownership and use by citizens are greatly exaggerated because of society's fears, not by actual evidence.

Instead of gun control laws, the United States should reevaluate the justice system. According to David L. Bender's book Gun Control, a study showed that only four criminals go to jail for every one hundred crimes reported. The FBI estimates that 60% of all crimes are not reported. The study also showed that for every one hundred prisoners with life sentences, twenty-five are freed before their third year; forty-two are out of prison by their seventh year; and people acquitted of murder by reason of insanity only spend an average of five hundred days in a mental institution before they are released (163). These people that only serve a portion of their sentence are often involved in crimes after they are back on the streets. The reason for the early release of many prisoners is the fact that jails and prisons are over-crowded.

The problem with statements like the above is that people are forgetting about the black market. If a person is planning on buying a handgun for criminal purposes, he is not likely to buy it through a dealer. If he buys a gun through a dealer, the gun has to be registered in that person's name. If the gun is used in any crime or murder where a shot is fired and the gun is left behind, the police could very easily trace the gun to that person. This situation causes many criminals to turn to the black market. Any person can buy any type of gun off the streets with no hassle. He doesn't have to fill out a questionnaire, or go through the registration process. Even if an ex-convict tries to buy a handgun from a dealer and is turned down, he could easily get access to a firearm. Therefore, gun control is not enough to eliminate crime and violence.

When people look at the crime rate and death statistics compared to the number of times firearms are used, they are quick to point the finger at guns. They feel that

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Approximate Word count = 1698
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)