The tragedies of mass shootings have created a polarizing problem in the United States. Both sides of the issue are vehement in their position, whether they are for or against gun control. Despite what side of the issue someone is on, the problem of gun violence needs to addressed. Every day in the United States people are shot and killed by fire arms; sometimes out of anger, accident, or suicide. In the United States guns are a common culture acceptance, however not all countries share our view. In the article "Finland Defends Gun Laws,"writer Jari Tanner has a graph sourced from, "Small Arms Survey 2007" showing that out of every 100 people in the U.S., 90 people have a gun. The United States ranks number one in the world for weapons
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293). It is important to note that those who are against gun control believe taking away the right to carry a firearm would leave them more vulnerable to violent crimes. The media doesn’t help either and reporters looking for a quick story will usually use violent television shows, movies, and video games as a scapegoat. However in studies where children have been observed watching violent media there was no direct correlation between violent media and real violence. ‘A conservative conclusion is that mass media violence has a small effect on real-life violence that is eclipsed by other influences… we should remain skeptical of mass media effects until the empirical evidence becomes compelling…’ (Barkan, 2007, pp. 290-291). Advocates of gun ownership should not use violent media as the cause of real life violence when there is not a substantial amount of evidence to prove their …show more content…
The Gun Control Act of 1968 put a restriction on machine guns, limiting mail order deliveries, as well as placing national restrictions upon who could purchase a firm arm. The law was passed as a reaction to the violent inner city riots of the 1960s. The groups that the act put restrictions on were minors, convicted felons, fugitives, drug abusers and anyone dealing with a history of mental illness (Rosen 47). The second act is the Brady Act, which went into effect in 1994. Somewhat recent laws that limit the access of firm arms include: the Armor Piercing Ammunition Band, The Gun Free School Zone Act, and the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act. Gun activist groups like the NRA will often argue that regulation is part of the problem, but there is evidence that regulation does work. The U.S. has seen a 35% drop in gun crime, and in the year of 1997 alone, 69,000 handgun sales to convicted felons were blocked by the Brady Bill (GunCite.com) . Background checks have also been successful, according to the Justice Department, background checks have kept over half a million guns from being transferred to people who weren’t buyers (Rosen
293). It is important to note that those who are against gun control believe taking away the right to carry a firearm would leave them more vulnerable to violent crimes. The media doesn’t help either and reporters looking for a quick story will usually use violent television shows, movies, and video games as a scapegoat. However in studies where children have been observed watching violent media there was no direct correlation between violent media and real violence. ‘A conservative conclusion is that mass media violence has a small effect on real-life violence that is eclipsed by other influences… we should remain skeptical of mass media effects until the empirical evidence becomes compelling…’ (Barkan, 2007, pp. 290-291). Advocates of gun ownership should not use violent media as the cause of real life violence when there is not a substantial amount of evidence to prove their …show more content…
The Gun Control Act of 1968 put a restriction on machine guns, limiting mail order deliveries, as well as placing national restrictions upon who could purchase a firm arm. The law was passed as a reaction to the violent inner city riots of the 1960s. The groups that the act put restrictions on were minors, convicted felons, fugitives, drug abusers and anyone dealing with a history of mental illness (Rosen 47). The second act is the Brady Act, which went into effect in 1994. Somewhat recent laws that limit the access of firm arms include: the Armor Piercing Ammunition Band, The Gun Free School Zone Act, and the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act. Gun activist groups like the NRA will often argue that regulation is part of the problem, but there is evidence that regulation does work. The U.S. has seen a 35% drop in gun crime, and in the year of 1997 alone, 69,000 handgun sales to convicted felons were blocked by the Brady Bill (GunCite.com) . Background checks have also been successful, according to the Justice Department, background checks have kept over half a million guns from being transferred to people who weren’t buyers (Rosen