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The Problem of Gun Control in the United States
For a long time the problem of gun control in the United States has remained open. This issue is one of the most serious to date, since it is directly related to the large number of victims who were killed because of the use of firearms. Firearms control problem is socio-political in nature. Of course, one can talk about the moral aspects of the problem, but the regulation of sales of weapons and their storage by the state is what really matters. This issue raises many disputes that have lasted for many years. Basically, there are two major parties which express the opposing views on restrictions on gun ownership. Over the past decade, the incidents involving firearms, as well as the number of victims, have increased dramatically. The statistics on this phenomenon makes people protest against the easy access to weapons or advocate for stricter procedures for obtaining it. Nevertheless, proponents of free access to weapons are convinced that this problem will remain unsolved even with the various prohibitions. To date, there are new participants and the various amendments in the debate regarding gun control, but the question still remains unsettled.
The Pro-Gun Control Position
In a recent referendum, just after the shooting in Orlando, when the terrorist Omar Mateen killed about 50 people and wounded 53 more, the senators have made a decision concerning the tightening of control over arms sales. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential contender, said: "We should not be selling automatic weapons which are designed to kill people" (Bradner 2016). Nevertheless, the amendments to the tightening of the law and other legislative initiatives relating to weapons were rejected by the Senators. This voting was conducted with the aim of tightening control over arms sales. During the voting, the Democrats and the Republicans introduced the amendments that concerned the detailed checks of the biographies of those who dared to buy a firearm. However, the political lack of agreement prevented from making one single decision. Sen. Larry Pressler said that Hillary Clinton "is anti-(National Rifle Association) -- and remember that these domestic terrorists also buy automatic weapons Unfortunately the Republican candidate Trump has pledged publicly total cooperation with the NRA" (Bradner 2016). In the opinion of those who put forward these precautions, this aspect is very important in the issuance of weapons to civilians, and the State should pay more attention to the gun lobby and the NRA in total. Therefore, those who fell into the list of potential terrorists should not be allowed to buy a firearm.
Another terrible incident occurred earlier, on December 14 2012, in Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children were killed (Vizzard 2015, p. 881). Shooting gave a 20 year-old Adam Lanza, who killed his mother and took an automatic rifle from her collection. On that day he killed 20 children and 6 adults from the school staff. Lanza shot himself before the arrival of rescuers and special services. This incident was neither the first nor the last in a series of massacres with automatic weapons: "Since 2010, there have been at least 80 more school shootings" (Duplechain & Morris 2014, p. 145). Nevertheless, "no gun control legislation has passed either house of Congress since the sunsetting of the assault weapons ban" (Vizzard 2015, p. 881). Thus, there were no significant changes in the law. These tragedies demonstrate the complexity of the situation. These and other cases are the basis for the argument of those who favor the legal restrictions on the issue of weapons. The right to own a firearm is enshrined in the US Constitution. The country is ranked first in the world in the number of weapons in the hands of the population, and the highest number of the armed violence, as "the combination of persons with a predilection for violence and firearms is very dangerous" (Vizzard 2015, p. 903). The number of people dying from bullets in the US is "15 times larger" than the level of casualties in other advanced economies (Duplechain & Morris 2014, p. 145). In the US, one can order a weapon on the internet and it does not require much effort. In this regard, firearms become easily accessible for minors, which increases the likelihood of recurrence of tragic cases such as those which were discussed above. Supporters of gun control are concerned about this issue; they do their best to influence the government and public opinion. To do this, there are plenty of activities in the form of rallies, meetings, and petitions to the State. The main arguments for gun control advocates base their arguments on the tragic precedents, which repeat every year. Although these implementations should improve the environment for additional gun control, "significant policy change in the area of gun regulation seems unlikely in the foreseeable future" (Vizzard 2015, p. 903).
Undoubtedly, supporters of gun control are well aware of the problem. They realize that the right to bear arms is determined by the US legislation and they do not claim the cancellation of any civil right. According to them, the right to arms should be adjusted. The main arguments are aimed at making the certain amendments that would ensure the safety of young people, who suffer from the tragedies like those that have been mentioned above. Because of the easy availability of weapons in the US, there is a huge number of shootings and victims among children, and this fact has been confirmed repeatedly: e.g. "the mass shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado; Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia; a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado; and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut" (Vizzard 2015, p. 881). According to gun control supporters, the amendments to the law will reduce the likelihood of recurrence of the tragic experience of the American citizens.
The Pro-Gun Rights Position
As for the position against gun control, there it is necessary to point out the statistics. The number of those who favor the free acquisition and use of firearms is more than 50% of the US population (Squires 2012, p. 14). Moreover, the FBI reported that it conducted "455,000 more background checks on gun buyers during the six-month period following 9-11 than during the same period the year before" (Medlock 2005, p, 39). An interesting fact is that a new wave of discussion on this issue begins after each tragic incident with a weapon. What is most interesting in this case is the fact that after each incident, a number of people willing to buy weapons increases as well as the number of those who favor limiting access to it. According to Medlock (2005), "although a handgun is unlikely to effectively defend against a suicide attack with an airplane, an anthrax letter, or a car bomb, owning a deadly weapon made many people feel safer" (p. 39). As already mentioned, there is a large number of people who have firearms in the United States, and this privilege is due to the US legislation. "Pro-gun advocacy groups complement their education efforts for younger children with training for teenagers" (Forman 2002, p. 169). In the case of the discussion of the "gun rights", one should mention the notions such as the Gun Lobby and The National Rifle Association (NRA), which stand for the free use of firearms by the US citizens. According to Fortune magazine, the NRA is "the most powerful Washington lobbying group in 2001, replacing the American Association of Retired Persons" (Forman 2002, p. 173). These organizations focus their activities on the struggle for the rights of citizens to buy and use firearms.
At the same time, they act at the legislative level and have good support from both citizens and the Senate. For example, the NRA's Blackman believes that "education and supervised access to guns lead to responsible gun use among adolescents, whereas unsupervised access often leads to accidents and violence" (Forman 2002, p. 169). Of course, they are concerned about what has happened over the last decade. But at the same time, they do not agree with that the gun rights should be abolished. According the adherents of the gun rights, the USA can be described as a ‘gun culture’; there, "gun culture is not understood as an attribute only of the weaponry itself but also, significantly, a tradition of the people, an aspect of history and ideology" (Squires 2012, p. 224).
The opinion of the supporters of gun rights implies that the law that allows acquiring and carrying weapons is well compatible with the weapons control law. Entering the debate, both sides oppose each other their arguments. As already mentioned, the main argument against the position of the gun right is that its members are convinced that tragedies involving firearms and automatic weapons are a reflection of the arms control issues in the US. President Barack Obama supports the position of the restriction of rights to acquire weapons, but there are no the desired results; hence, Donald Trump states that Obama's words regarding the terrorist's armed attack are too "timid". Thus, according to the Trump campaign claim, it will "address this terrorist attack, immigration, and national security," which implies the strengthening of the gun rights for the US citizens (Bradner 2016). This again allows verifying the complexity and contradictory nature of the issue. The supporters of the gun rights are convinced that the tragic events such as those that took place in Orlando, Connecticut, and other states have other causes. So, for example, many argue that the problem in this case does not lie in the rights of a firearm, but in education, bullying, family, mental disorders, and drugs (Duplechain & Morris 2014, pp. 146-147). According to supporters of gun rights, any amendments should not be implemented, because in fact, the weapon is not a direct threat to human life and it serves mainly to protect a person and a private property (Squires 2012, p. 143). Americans see in weapons the security guarantees and the possibility to arm themselves against injustice. This need for weapons acquisition has existed for many years, and in fact, very few people will to part with their weapons.
In conclusion, the problem of the gun control in the United States is one of the most complex, controversial, and urgent today. The debates on the two main positions concerning the issue involve almost every citizen. The main opinions are divided into two main camps: some are in favor of the amendment and limitation in the law, considering that this is a sure way to prevent the tragedy occurred earlier. Others are convinced that the right to arms shall not be subject to abolition and that there are several other methods to control the arms trafficking. Anyway, significant changes in legislation have not been implemented in recent years, although some types of weapons with a large capacity of ammunition have been prohibited. The analysis of the issue makes it clear that the current problem is still open, as both sides cannot arrive at a consensus, which may lead to new tragedies in the future.
Reference List
Bradner, E 2016, 'Orlando Shooting Sparks Gun Control, Language Debates', CNN, Retrieved from 3 July 2016, <http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/12/politics/orlando-shooting-gun-control-islamic-terrorism/>.
Duplechain, R, & Morris, R 2014, 'School Violence: Reported School Shootings And Making Schools Safer', Education, 135, 2, pp. 145-150, Education Research Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 July 2016.
Forman, JJ 2002, 'Children and guns: advocacy groups speak out', The Future Of Children / Center For The Future Of Children, The David And Lucile Packard Foundation, 12, 2, pp. 164-173, MEDLINE with Full Text, Philip Robinson Library, viewed 3 July 2016.
Medlock, S 2005, 'NRA = No Rational Argument? How The National Rifle Association Exploits Public Irrationality', Texas Journal On Civil Liberties & Civil Rights, 11, 1, pp. 39-63, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 July 2016.
Squires, P 2012, Gun Culture or Gun Control?: Firearms and Violence: Safety and Society (1), Routledge, Florence, US. Available from: Philip Robinson Library. [2 July 2016].
Vizzard, WJ 2015, 'The Current and Future State of Gun Policy In The United States', Journal Of Criminal Law & Criminology, 104, 4, pp. 879-904, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 July 2016.
