Gun Laws
The issue of gun laws has been of great concern in the United States for decades. There have been endless debates about gun laws with different people coming up with various opinions. The increase crime rate has also led to controversies between the republicans and democrats about gun policy. There have been fundamental differences between republicans and democrats on the questions relating to the causes of gun violence. Many people also possess guns illegally, and this has caused gun violence to become one of the significant issues in the country. Nonetheless, legally obtained guns have also been used in gun violence. Therefore, various aspects can be analyzed concerning gun laws and gun violence in the United States. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Democrats and Republicans Views about how Legally Obtained Guns Contribute to Violence
There have been different views about how legally obtained guns contribute to gun violence. Democrats have claimed that the ease with which people can get weapons legally can increase gun violence. According to the democrats, cases of people who have legally obtained gun being involved in gun violence have been experienced (Reeping, et al., 2019). Therefore, the democrats have claimed that firearms should not be obtained with ease to curb the number of people who can possess firearms. Most of the democrats have argued that the government should also ensure that people should be interrogated thoroughly before obtaining the weapons (Reeping et al., 2019). Also, the democrats have claimed that it is vital for the government to equip the cops and deploy more police in various institutions as a way of improving security.
On the extreme, most of the republicans have claimed that there would be less crime if more people owned guns in America. Therefore, there have been disagreements between the democrats about issuing rifles to people. The republicans have also stated that the process of obtaining weapons legally should be easy so that more people can own guns. According to most of the republicans, the mass shootings will also decrease if more Americans will own guns. The republicans have also favored background check legislation since many people are applying for firearms. The democrats have always mounted pressure on the e republicans on issues that concern gun bills (Xuan et al., 2019. The need to strengthen gun control as a way of reducing gun violence has also been supported by Democrats, whereby they have claimed that there is a need for a gun safety test. On the other hand, the republicans have stated that limiting the number of people who can obtain guns will cause criminals to attack more people (Luca, Malhotra, & Poliquin, 2020). Therefore, firearms should be eased to more people as a way of encouraging the safety of civilians. Additionally, Democrats have urged the government to ensure that stricter regulation of assault weapons.
Typically, the more guns are in the hands of many people, the more there are cases of gun violence. Therefore, the government needs to ensure that they limit the number of people who can obtain firearms. Although criminals acquire their arms from the black market, ensuring that the number of people who can legally purchase guns will help in limiting unnecessary shootings (Xuan et al., 2019). Furthermore, people who have obtained their weapons legally have also been involved in gun violence. Moreover, some of the people who get guns legally end up engaging in crime or leading their firearms to criminals. Consequently, limiting the number of people possessing weapons in the community is one of the ways that can be used to restrict gun violence. Besides, training people who have acquired the firearms legally can help in limiting gun violence since they can use the arms suitably to safeguard the people around them.
Democrats and Republicans Views on the Issue of Arming Teachers
The issue of arming teachers has also led to disagreements between democrats and republicans. There have been several leaders who have stated that teachers should not be permitted to carry guns in schools. For instance, Democrats have said that there is a need to ban teachers from carrying guns since it increases the chances of weapons falling in risky hands. The Democrats stated that they hate arming teachers, and there is no need to use federal funds to buy arms for the teachers (Reeping et al., 2019). Additionally, the Democrats argued that more guns in the hands of teachers could not stop shooting. Furthermore, democrats stated that federal funds could be used in other essential education programs instead of arming the teachers. Also, democrat’ gun control activists have insisted that mass shootings are steered by a large number of people who have guns. Democrats have also argued that the presence of firearms raises the chances of using it. Therefore, Democrats are against arming teachers in schools since it will lead to new cases of gun violence in schools
On their other hand, Republicans have pushed for the bill to be passed concerning the issue of permitting teachers to carry guns in school. In their defense, the republicans stated that teachers would help in limiting the number of gun violence that has been experienced in many schools (Xuan et al., 2019). Moreover, teachers will be trained to ensure that they have adequate skills to use their guns. Therefore, democrats and republicans had different views regarding the gun laws that will allow teachers to carry their weapons. The disagreements also led to a heated debate with both sides trying to justify their opinions. For instance, the republicans added that the teachers would not be forced to carry their guns in school, but those who are skilled at shooting should take them. Moreover, the republicans stated that the aim of arming teachers is to minimize the carnage since it is hard for them to stop the shooters. Inversely, the democrats have reported that teachers should teach, and cops should carry out their duties instead of arming teachers. Therefore, the issue of arming teachers has been one of the topics that have led to debates concerning gun laws in America.
In my opinion, not all teachers should be armed since not all will have the right skills to use their arms. Therefore, a strategy should be made to ensure that teachers who will acquire the right skills during training can be permitted to obtain a gun. Equally, issuing all teachers with guns will lead to more gun violence since teachers have their issues, which can force them to misuse guns. For instance, some teachers might be facing challenges in their lives, causing them to have poor mental health and misuse guns. Consequently, a thorough background check should also be exercised before issuing rifles to the teachers (Magstadt, 2020). For instance, Ohio local school boards are allowed to decide who can possess or have access to firearms in the school compound (Morgan, 2019). In this case, only the skilled personnel have been allowed to have access to weapons in the school. Similarly, it is essential to inform people that there are armed persons in the school as a way of limiting shootings in schools. Other ways that can be exercised to improve school security include installing cameras in all entry points, equipping security officers with radios to call for backup in case there is an attack in the school.
Democrats and Republicans Views on the Issue of Concealed Carry Laws
The issue of concealed carrying of guns in public has also led to disagreements between democrats and republicans. Many states have relaxed restrictions of concealed handguns. However, people have raised concerns about how concealed carry laws could affect gun violence. According to the democrats, increase carry of concealed guns can lead to an increase in gun violence. Besides, the Democrats argued that people would be forced to use the weapons in cases of disagreements (Morgan, 2019). Similarly, more people will practice perceived threats and conflicts will quickly lead to casualties when handguns are readily available. Therefore, democrats have mentioned that the likelihood of encountering an armed victim will force criminals to carry and use their firearms, which will lead to increased deaths due to gun violence. Additionally, permitting more people to carry concealed guns can lead to more cases of suicides, unintentional injuries, and more defensive gun use (Reeping et al., 2019). Thus, democrats focused on the need to ensure that carrying concealed guns is limited to prevent more people from engaging in gun violence. Correspondingly, the democrats urged that people with good moral character and those that require self-defense can be permitted to carry concealed guns.
Republicans have also focused on a bill that requires each state to recognize permits for the concealed carry of handguns. Republicans introduced the issue of a concealed gun after the mass shooting that has happened in the country for the past few years (Morgan, 2019). For instance, the shooting conducted by Stephen Paddock in Las Vegas hotel and the shooting in Sutherland, Texas, by Devin Patrick raised concerns about the need for more people to carry concealed guns (Luca, Malhotra, & Poliquin, 2020). The republicans used these incidences and several others to show the need to ensure that more people should be allowed to carry concealed handguns. Furthermore, most of the republicans stated that concealed carrying of handguns would help more people to fight gun violence. Typically, criminals threaten innocent civilians bearing in mind that they are armless and cannot fight back (Luca, Malhotra, & Poliquin, 2020). Therefore, republicans claimed that only a few criminals are likely to risk their lives, knowing that more people are armed.
Although permitting more people to carry concealed guns in various areas has both disadvantages and disadvantages. I think it would be crucial for the government to focus on different states and the rate of gun violence in these states. Consequently, it will be easy for the government to decide which states deserve more people carrying concealed handguns. Moreover, people will be trained on how to use guns and avoid engaging in gun violence. Equally, training will help them to protect themselves from armed criminals, which will reduce cases of gun violence. Additionally, the gun holders can cooperate with cops during incidences of mass shootings to ensure that the criminals do not harm or kill more people. In essence, permitting more people to carry concealed handguns can limit the number of gun violence cases in many states.
Democrats and Republicans Views on the Issue of Buyback programs
Buyback programs have also been encouraged by democrats to curb the number of guns in the streets. Typically, the buyback programs that are suggested will involve buying the weapons from gun owners on the roads (Wallace, 2019). In this case, few people will possess guns, which will limit gun violence cases. According to democrats, mammy countries have successfully reduced the number of guns in the streets by buying weapons. Besides, mass shootings are piling up in the country, and there is a need for strict measures to be carried out to prevent more cases of mass shootings (Wallace, 2019). Embracing mandated buyback programs will also help the government to recover more dangerous weapons from the streets. Moreover, many Democrats have stated that owners of assault weapons who will sell the guns to the government will not be charged. Therefore, more people have been encouraged by democrats to support the buyback programs, since it will help in improving the safety of people.
On the extreme, the republicans have stated that they do not hate gun control measures. However, they have claimed that better policies and rules should be enacted to prevent gun violence. Similarly, the republicans have stated that the buyback of assault-style weapons may be a difficult task to achieve since not all people will be willing to sell their guns (Wallace, 2019). Further, the republicans claimed that the government could use other better ways of limiting gun violence, such as permitting more people to obtain arms legally. In this case, the republicans and the democrats are differing since the democrats are advocating for fewer guns in the streets, unlike Republicans who are defending for more legally obtained firearms in the streets. Additionally, some of the republicans have stated that buybacks will violate the second amendment and the right to bear arms. Hence, buyback programs have also led to disagreements between democrats and republicans.
In my opinion, buying back weapons may lead to more cases of gun violence since not all people will sell back their guns. Furthermore, criminals will not sell their firearms, which will be an advantage to them since fewer people will be armed in the streets. Similarly, some criminals can sell their weapons back to clear their names and purchase new weapons. Therefore, buying back programs may not be the appropriate way of reducing the number of firearms in the streets.
Conclusion
To sum up, strict measures need to be invented to curb gun violence in the United States. Furthermore, people obtaining guns legally should go for background checks to ensure that they do not use weapons illegally. Also, highly skilled teachers can be armed to protect students during mass shootings. However, the teachers should also are checked to prevent issuing guns to teachers who may misuse them. Also, the government can ensure that it focuses on educating the youth on the dangers of being involved in crimes. In this case, few teenagers will engage themselves in gun violence. Correspondingly, the government can ensure that more cops are deployed in various states that have many instances of gun violence. Also, both democrats and republicans can design a strategic plan that will help in controlling gun violence in multiple states. Furthermore, both democrats and republicans can focus on concluding gun laws that are designed to reduce mass shootings and gun-related crimes in the country.
References
Luca, M., Malhotra, D., & Poliquin, C. (2020). The impact of mass shootings on gun policy. Journal of Public Economics, 181, 104083.
Magstadt, T. M. (2020). Understanding politics: Ideas, institutions, and issues. Cengage Learning. Oxford Analytica. US Republicans will eye 2020 ‘red wave’. Emerald Expert Briefings, (oxan-db).
Reeping, P. M., Cerdá, M., Kalesan, B., Wiebe, D. J., Galea, S., & Branas, C. C. (2019). State gun laws, gun ownership, and mass shootings in the US: cross sectional time series. bmj, 364, l542.
Xuan, Z., SM, M., Siegel, M., Webster, D., & Hemenway, D. (2019, November). Youth-focused Gun Laws and Youth Gun Carrying in the United States. In APHA’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo (Nov. 2-Nov. 6). American Public Health Association.
Wallace, L. (2019, Aug 5). “Pacific Standard”. Retrieved from: https://psmag.com/social- justice/firearm-buybacks-could-be-part-of-a-solution-for-gun-violence-in-the-u-s
Morgan, D. (2019, Sep, 19). “Reuters”. Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa- guns-congress/democrats-pressure-republicans-by-advancing-gun-control-bills- idUSKCN1VV2AT