Part A: Social Issues vs Social Problems
Human beings are social and there are problems which affect them at a community setting. Social problems are conditions present in a community which some people in the community view as undesirable. A condition may be a social problem to a certain demographic group but be socially acceptable to another group. For instance, senior citizens may consider playing loud music in a neighborhood park to be a social problem while teenagers view it as perfectly acceptable. Common social problems include Corruption, Unemployment, illegal immigration and prostitution laws. On the other hand, social issues are factors which affect the social cohesion of a community and require a community approach to solve. These include gun rights, gay rights, assisted suicide and racism.
In this essay, the right to own and keep fire arms is discussed as a social issue in the US. Right to own and keep a gun is enshrined in the US Constitution, but recent mass shootings by licensed gun holders have called for a reevaluation of this right. This is a social issue in that it can be addressed at a community level and it is not widespread like social problems such as drugs and alcohol abuse.
Part B: Theory
Various theories can be used to explain social issues and problems. These theories include functionalism, social conflict, feminist perspective and SI. The functionalism theory is best suited in understanding why the right to own and keep firearms persists as a social issue. Functionalism theory interprets the society as a sum of its parts with each part having its own functions which contribute to the stability of the society because all parts are mutually dependent (Fletcher, 32). One of the reasons the Second Amendment enshrined gun rights into the Constitution was for security so that people might be able to defend themselves. However, it is the government’s role to provide security to its citizens. The function of the citizens is to be law abiding and to pay taxes to maintain the government. Failure of the government to maintain security and prevent legal guns from being used in crimes or failure of some people to maintain law and order creates insecurity and necessitates people to own guns to protect themselves.
The right to own and keep a gun becomes a social issue due to failure of some parts of the society to do their functions. By focusing on the different parts of the society and their functions, the Functionalism theory can help us understand the social issue of gun control.
Part C: Causes and Consequences
The right to own and keep firearms in the US was passed in the second amendment to the Constitution (Charles, 15). Today some groups call for the reevaluation of this right citing numerous misuse of legal firearms and the changes that have taken place in the country’s security sector since the second amendment was passed. By using the Functionalism theory we can understand the causes ad consequences of the right to own firearms. Functionalism theory asserts that social order and stability is maintained when each part of the society plays its role. When one part fails in its functions, social problems and social issues result.
The consequences of people possessing guns can also be inferred from the theory of Functionalism. When one part of the society fails in its function, the other parts have to adjust to maintain social stability. This adjustment is usually a social issue or problem and often leads to social change. The consequences of the right to own and keep firearms are that people have access to firearms to commit crimes. This is evidence from the numerous cases of legal guns being used in crimes including the recent mass shooting in a movie theater at Aurora. The Colorado shooting suspect had bought four guns and over 6000 rounds of ammunition in the 6 days prior to the shooting (Sandell, Dolak, & Curry, 1). Another consequence of the right to own and keep firearms in the US is the increased demand of guns as people seek to secure themselves from criminals with readily available guns. Baker and Wyatt reported increased gun sales due to recent mass shootings. This is ironical since the available guns are causing insecurity and to address this problem people are buying even more guns. It is also curious to note that despite the many number of people who own guns for security reasons, mass shootings continue to occur.
Part D: Graphic View of the Social Issue
CAUSES CONSEQUENCES
Part E: How to Bring about Change
Part F: Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination was important in helping me to finish this project. For starters it allowed me to visualize the social issue of gun control created by the right to own and keep firearms. To make sense of the problem, it was important to see the issue from the point of view of people calling for greater gun control and those advocating for the statuesque or even more freedoms to own a gun. Sociological imagination helped me evaluate both views without letting personal sentiments to interfere. This neutral view allowed me to develop this assignment on the social issue of gun control. The development of the project involved analyzing a social issue or problem, using social theories to understand it, evaluating its causes and consequences in light of the identified social theory and proposing possible methods that can be used to solve the social issue or problem.
Works Cited
Baker, Mike and Wyatt, Kristen. "Fear prompts gun sales after Colorado theater massacre". Salt
Lake City Tribune. (July 25, 2012). Retrieved 26 November, 2012 from http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/54556710-68/gun-sales-colorado-friday.html.csp
Charles, Patrick. J. The Second Amendment: The Intent and Its Interpretation by the States and
the Supreme Court. Jefferson, North Carolina, (2009). McFarland. Print.
Fletcher, Ronald. "Functionalism as a Social Theory." The Sociological Review 4.1 (2011): 31
46.
Sandell, Clayton; Dolak, Kevin; Curry, Colleen. "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect
Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days". ABC News (July 20, 2012). Retrieved 26 November, 2012 from http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-movie-theater-shooting-suspect-bought-guns-6000/story?id=16817842
