Gun Control Policies

Gun Control Policies

            The debate on gun control has been going on for several years. The primary reason why people have been allowed to own guns is the attempt to maintain their peace without necessarily requiring the police. However, the rampant gun ownership in the streets has come back to haunt the order that the policy is expected to maintain. Critics have been basing their arguments on the loopholes left by the various systems and have exposed the citizens to dangers associated with irresponsible behaviors of gun owners. Most of the common cases that have raised eyebrows are the increasing cases of mass shootings and killings that have occurred in recent years. However, the policies that have been presented to address the increasing cases have also fallen short of the expectations of critics. The alarming rate of increment in the number of mass shootings has called for the development of policies that are aimed at curbing the situation, although the policies have been criticized for infringing on the constitutional rights of the citizens.

Violence has increased at an alarming rate in the U.S., raising concern over the effectiveness of the policies that have been put in place to manage gun ownership. The leniency in the policies is the main flaw associated with the policies developed to control the number of guns owned by the Citizens (Robinson, n. p). Generally, Americans are allowed to own a variety of guns according to their preferences. However, the citizens do not necessarily need to own dangerous guns that pose significant danger whenever they are used. The ownership of guns by citizens should be based on the need for guns that are efficient for personal protection and not a sport. Some guns are so dangerous and have been used for mass massacres, which is not the primary reason for allowing the citizens to own guns. Generally, deadly ammunitions such as the AR-15 rifle have been used in most of the recent massacres, and the policies should now focus on maintaining the type of guns that are allowed to be owned by the citizens. Moreover, the different policies have appeared to infringe on the constitutional rights of citizens to own guns.

The development of policies on gun control has been based on the recent increase in the number of mass shootings. The policies have thus been based on the short-term challenges, and the interests of the citizens have not been considered in the development of the policies (Kleck, 153). The various policies that have been developed involve the introduction of restrictions in the gun control policies and have thus led to rebellion from the citizens. Generally, the citizens have a right to own guns without restrictions, and no rules should be put in place to deny the citizens from enjoying their rights. Besides, the policies have appeared to be against the constitution and have continued to be flawed. Instead of introducing restrictions, the government should instead deal with the culprits involved in the crimes instead of punishing the entire population. Also, the restrictions may not offer the expected solutions because culprits will always find ways to own guns. Moreover, introducing strict gun laws will instead limit the citizens from providing for their security.

The primary purpose of allowing citizens to own guns was aimed at helping the citizens to improve and maintain their security. However, the misuse of the privilege b a few individuals have brought confusion on the right administration of the policies. The development of policies to tame the extreme cases of irresponsible handling of guns has, however, worsened the situation and may act to deny the citizens a chance to maintain their security. Most of the policies are based on coming up with restrictions that are aimed at reducing the number of guns in circulation. Unfortunately, innocent citizens are on the receiving end of the negative impacts of the policies since the restrictions are not selective. The worst-case scenario is whereby the irresponsible owners find ways of overcoming the restrictions while the innocent citizens are unarmed. The severity of shootings may become worse if lesser citizens own guns to counter the attacks from irresponsible gun owners. Instead, the government should increase the number of police officers and come up with better interaction strategies so that citizens can report suspicious activities without unnecessary processes. Moreover, gun ownership has been a tradition that should be honored by every government that ascends to power.

Gun control policies have failed significantly in protecting the tradition of Americans of owning guns without unnecessary restrictions. Americans are known for their strictness in protecting their traditions. Therefore, policies should be developed in a way that considers maintaining the tradition of the citizens while ensuring that the Americans are safe (Baum, Erika, Sabbath and Summer, n. p). Unfortunately, the recent development of policies has failed to consider the protection of the gun ownership tradition. The government has instead paid more attention to policies that aim to reduce the number of guns owned by the citizens instead of coming up with strategies to make the irresponsible gun owners pay for their undoing. The government should instead involve the citizens in coming up with strategies that will protect the tradition while addressing gun violence menace. For example, the citizens may be allowed to own less harmful guns that are useful for personal security and not efficient for massacres, as has been the case. Generally, the involvement of citizens will ensure that the government does not overlook essential details that will remove the loopholes in the existing policies. Moreover, the policies have not shown the expected results in the reduction of gun violence cases.

Policies are said to be successful if the expected results are seen. If the results are not as they were expected, the policies are said to be flawed and that the priorities in developing the policies are misplaced. Generally, the implementation of gun control policies is different in different states. Therefore, the outcomes are expected to reflect the implementation process of the policies (Joslyn, Mark and Haider‐Markel, 430). New York and Washington D.C. are the states with the strictest gun control policies. Generally, one would expect that the two states report the least number of gun-related violence. However, statistics have proved the opposite of what most people would have expected. Gun-related violence is higher both in New York and Washington D.C. than any other states with weaker gun control policies. Although other factors may be responsible for the poor statistics, the strict policies should have improved the situation if they were unflawed. The policies have instead appeared as a government’s way of blinding the citizens that at least some efforts are being employed to address the menace. Besides, the pressure that the citizens put on the government after a gun shooting forces the government to rush into action without considering the expected outcomes. Moreover, the development of gun control policies has been based on assumptions on the leading cause of violence.

The assumption that the flooding of streets with guns is associated with the increase in gun-related violence is a flawed way of supporting the development of policies. Guns present one of the several methods that criminals can use to infringe harm on helpless citizens. The government has overlooked several other factors that have contributed immensely towards the rise of criminal activities. For example, increasing unemployment has left many idle citizens at risk of engaging in drug and substance abuse, which affects their decision-making ability and end up making-dangerous choices. Also, racial differences have played a crucial role in causing hatred among members of the various racial groups. Therefore, the policies are flawed in that they treat the gun ownership saga as the only reason while crime is on the rise. The results have only served to harass citizens who are enjoying their constitutional rights by owning guns. Moreover, the government should consider employing more efficient strategies for addressing gun control menace without falling out of favor of the citizens.

Democracy calls for the consideration of the most popular opinion. The issue of gun control has attracted the attention of everyone, and the government should consider involving all the relevant stakeholders in coming up with a feasible solution (Smith, Jacob, and Spiegler, n. p). First, imposing restrictions on gun ownership has not provided the expected results and should thus not be considered as a solution. Besides, criminals will come up with new strategies of acquiring guns while the citizens will be exposed to a higher risk since they will not be able to march the ruthlessness of the criminals. Also, the government should consider improving the policing abilities to offer protection to the citizens and address the developing need to own guns for self-protection. Besides, the desire to own guns comes due to the lack of protection from the government. Therefore, the government should increase the number of police officers on the streets instead of restricting the number of guns in the streets. Also, the type of guns available for ownership by private citizens should be limited to less harmful gun types. If all the citizens are allowed to possess less harmful guns, the shooting cases would not be severe, and citizens would be in a position to counter such attacks.

In sum, the alarming rate of increment in the number of mass shootings has called for the development of policies that are aimed at curbing the situation, although the policies have been criticized for infringing on the constitutional rights of the citizens. Different policies have appeared to infringe on the constitutional rights of citizens to own guns. For example, introducing strict gun laws will instead limit the citizens from providing for their security. The assumption that the flooding of streets with guns is associated with the increase in gun-related violence is a flawed way of supporting the development of policies. Generally, if all the citizens are allowed to possess less harmful guns, the shooting cases would not be severe, and citizens would be in a position to counter such attacks.