The Secondary Gun Market

According to “Closing Illegal Gun Markets”, “Forty percent of all annual firearm sales are through secondary or informal markets which involves felons, friends, and family and do not go through licensed retailers.” That number is almost half of all gun sales and of the half that go through licensed retailers. It is unknown how many people are purchasing guns for people who could not buy one legally. The problem with illegal gun purchases lies in the national background check system that is used, when someone purchases a gun at a licensed retailer. When these people go into buy a weapon, we have no idea what their intentions are. If they can pass the background check they are able to walk out with any guns they chose, from there these guns can end up in anyone’s hands. Background checks are not sufficient to stop gun violence due to back doors in the system and lack of punishment for offenders.

When looking to purchase a weapon one must pass what is known as a background check. The gun retailer typically makes a phone call to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and they go through a history of any possible serious crimes the particular individual has been involved with. Those with a serious criminal background are not approved and therefore can’t purchase firearms, individuals who have clean slates pass and are able to purchase firearms. In recent years there have been a few incidents where the government

According to a report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, the United States has about 35-50 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns and has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. With no restriction and so much freedom, firearms can be distributed throughout the United States illegally and obtained as easy as buying it from a person, disregarding all gun laws. Implementing stricter background checks can help reduce the amount of crime relating to gun violence. It can also keep firearms away from those who shouldn’t have possession of them.

These guns are sold on what is called the black market to basically anyone. Anyone of any age, with no waiting period, no matter what your criminal record is, can purchase these guns. The fact that these guns are sold illegally allows guns to fall into the wrong hands. Gang members and murderers purchase these guns and go onto the streets and kill members of our own families. These problems are trying to be prevented by catching them and putting them in jail. By this point it is too late, someone?s child or mother has been killed. If the guns were taken out of their hands the crime would never be committed.

There are roughly 32,000 gun deaths per year in the United States. Around 60% of these crimes are gang related. In discussion of gun violence, a controversial issue is whether gun related crimes are blamed on the person who owned the gun or by the illegal gun purchase. While some people believe gun violence should be blamed on the people that cause the violence, others contend that gun violence should be blamed on the way people receive their gun. When I was younger and uninformed, I thought gun purchases are effective and legal. I failed to notice that guns the purchase of the gun itself is being conducted informally, which leads to people also trading their guns illegally. Between informal gun purchases and illegal gun trading, this also leads to gang related gun violence.

Guns are easily accessible in the world today, easier to obtain than getting a college degree, a job, or even a loan from your bank. This poses a threat to everyone on both ends of the gun and can harm both the victim and offender. The crimes often coincide with drugs, gang affiliation, robbery, and the intent to murder. People lose loved ones to every day when foul play is involved, ending up dead or seriously injured and disabled, bound to wheelchairs or brain dead for the rest of their lives. The offender ends up sentenced to life in most cases.

Every year, all across America, guns cross the hands of various members of our society. Guns are legally put to use for the military, the police force, SWAT teams, or even hunters. When it is the military, police force or SWAT teams using guns, they are well-trained in their proper use and make responsible decisions that save lives. In extreme cases, guns are used illegally by large numbers of gangs, drug dealers, juvenile offenders, or other forms of criminals. These people do not obtain guns with the greater good of others in mind, they do so to benefit themselves. They are not properly trained in how to use guns and often times, make decisions that injure or kill the people around them. For these reasons, there are many mixed

In January, Mike Petters, President and CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries released a video on ethics. His message spoke to the importance of speaking up when witnessing acts that violate our code of ethics and business conduct. He reminded us that our company values are clear: Integrity, Safety, Honesty, Engagement, Responsibility and Performance.

State laws that prohibit groups associated with high risk, such as domestic violence offenders, those with severe mental illness, and those that commit violent misdemeanors, from the possession of guns has been documented to have a reduced effect on violence. The number of state laws that prohibit individuals with a domestic violence restraining order from owning guns has resulted to close to a 19 percent reduction in domestic homicides (Webster, Vernick, Bulzacchelli, 530). A universal background check for the various states alongside the other laws which are meant to increase the accountability between the purchasers and sellers of guns have had a significantly positive impact in the reduction of the number of guns that have found their way to the illegal market scene. Illegal markets are where these prohibited groups often obtain their firearms. Background checks will genuinely diminish the number of guns entering the illegal market, which will result into the reduction of unstable individuals from obtaining

The United States is one of the few countries were the right to bear arms is protected by the constitution. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most violent with incidents involving guns this year reaching an estimated 36,212 and an approximate 9,050 deaths (“Gun Violence Archive”). There are an estimated 310 million firearms in households across American, these are only estimates because current gun laws do not require them to be registered or tracked. A more staggering estimate is that most of the guns owned by private citizens are semi-automatic guns, the same type of gun used in almost all mass shootings. While these privately owned guns are legally purchased, many times, they land in the hands of criminals, and owners never report them stolen. Mass shootings and gun crimes are not the only issues with gun violence the one never talked about is suicide, more guns available equals more suicides. The United States is one of the easiest countries to own a gun legally or illegally, stricter gun control laws are necessary.

guns out of the hands of criminals that endeavor to buy guns legally, but virtually all criminals don't

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.

cited for demanding unlimited access to firearms, but according to the data provided in this paper, there is only a small chance that privately owned guns will be used in a situation against a robber, intruder, or a criminal. Firearms that are legally purchased by civilians will most likely be used by criminals and will leave innocent citizens injured. Also, supporters of gun rights believe that ‘the right to keep and bear arms” is a guaranteed right to all citizens of the United States and cann

Further, despite the fact that gun ownership in the U.S. increased enormously during the 1990’s, there was a consistent, dramatic reduction of criminal violence. In fact, homicide and violent crime have plunged over the last 15 years. Considering that 18 of 25 countries surveyed had an increase of violent crime, America’s large decline is impressive. Moreover, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, and Denmark also have a high rate of private gun ownership, and the murder rates in these countries are as low as or lower than developed nations with less gun ownership (Kates & Mauser, 2007).

With the popular culture providing positive images of guns, the United States has a gun prevalence that is very rare in the modern world. While many people appreciate the “gun culture”, guns are heavily involved in violence in the United States. According to U.S. Department of Justice, since 1960, more than 750,000 Americans have died under firearms, including homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries. The figure 1 provides a comprehensive survey of U.S. violent crimes for the period from 1993 to 2011.This figure illustrates that from 1993 to 2011, about 60% to 70% of homicides were associated with a firearm. Over the same period, between 6% and 9% of all nonfatal violence, with about 20% to 30% of robberies and 22% to 32% of aggravated assaults involving a firearm.