Gun control has been a controversial issue for years. A vast majority of citizens believe that if gun control is strictly enforced it would quickly reduce the threat of crime. Many innocent people feel they have the right to bear arms for their own protection. But, how much protection can a gun provide? The mindset that guns are an obvious solution for crime rate reduction is a very popular one, but also very untrue. More guns = more crime - or at least a much smaller reduction in the crime rate. A 1999 study by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, based on FBI crime statistics, demonstrates that liberalizing CCW laws may have an adverse effect on a state's crime rate. Between 1992 and 1997, the violent crime rate in states which kept strict CCW laws fell by an average of 24.8%. The 29 states that bought the NRA line that hidden handguns make them safer saw their violent crime rates drop by only 11.4%. Nationally, violent crime declined by 19.4% in that five year period. Violent crime actually rose in 12 of 29 states (41%) which liberalized their CCW laws over the five years beginning in 1992, compared to a similar rise in violent crime in only 4 of 22 states (18%) which did not change their CCW laws.
the ordinary citizen from purchasing a gun on the whim, but it actually protects the common criminal. Underage buyers and other delinquents can purchase mass quantities of weapons through "dummy buyers" that have clean backgrounds. So if a burglar enters a house with full intention to maim or kill, the innocent victim (who can't get a gun to protect his family because he was arrested for drunk driving seven years ago) is simply a victim of a law that supports black market trade. There are over 200 million registered guns in
The second amendment states the citizens right to own and bear firearms. Freedom to poses arms is a guaranteed citizen right. If the constitutional rights of a citizen are violated, it can be a complex issue. The government tries to intervene with this freedom by inhibiting the process of buying. Purchasing a handgun legally is a complex procedure. The consumer must go through a two month waiting period, which prevents the impulsive behavior and provides time for a background check. These procedures guarantee the innocence and reliability of a gun owner.
Another practiced technique of preventing dangerous firearms from killing honest people is to ban an entire type of weapon. The AK-47 is a commonly-used example of that. Again, the criminals still have limited access to the weapon through underground channels, but these banned weapons are so powerful that there is really is not practical purpose for them in the home (or in hunting).
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