preview

Gun Control Vs Gun Rights Essay

Decent Essays

Gun Control vs Gun Rights: A Perpetual Debate In the light of the recent, tragic incidents of gun violence in the United States, such as those in San Bernardino and Las Vegas, the controversial issue of gun control has rekindled the grand debate of whether or not the government should enact stronger restrictions on guns to protect the public. This issue in recent years has become quite contentious as public opinion has balanced out to nearly 50/50. While restricting firearms may seem like a good idea at first, as it limits the availability of the irascible weapons, the proposals shouldn’t be made into law because they would infringe the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms” and result in an increasingly violent society, where one …show more content…

Congress enacted the first major federal gun control initiative in 1934 which regulated the sale of fully automatic firearms. A new federal law followed this new legislation in 1938 that required gun sellers to be licensed and prohibited persons convicted of violent felonies from purchasing guns. Congress didn't pass any more gun control legislation until 1968. The Gun Control Act of 1968 regulated imported guns, intensify gun-dealer licensing requirements, and expanded the list of persons not eligible to purchase guns to include persons convicted of any non-business related felony, minors, persons found to be mentally incompetent, and users of illegal drugs. In 1986, federal legislation established mandatory penalties for the use of a gun in the commission of a federal crime. Also prohibited were "cop killer" bullets capable of penetrating bulletproof clothing. In 1990, legislation was passed which banned the manufacturing and importation of semiautomatic assault weapons. In 1994, Congress ratified what has been regarded as the most comprehensive effort

Get Access