Background checks are an integral piece of an efficient and effective system for gun control. These precautionary checks often focus on targeting individuals with restraining orders, fugitive statuses, and mental illnesses - a strategy that, according to (IDENTIFY) Bisakha Sen and Anantachia Panjamapirom, has historically helped lower overall homicide rates in states that check for such criteria. However, the recent alarming increase (ADD STATS) in gun related crimes, especially among already convicted felons, is a primary indicator that expansion and uniformity in the quantity and quality of background checks remains necessary. Background checks also significantly decrease the likelihood of unregistered firearms being dispersed among the general
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Individual rights are the foundation of the United States, and it seems increasingly apparent that the government has no causation to interfere with the gun industry, which generates billions of dollars annually in state and federal taxes, or the rights of Americans to own firearms unless there is clearly discernible to reason to do so. These very critics, over-indulged in their own form of political correctness, also argue that background checks violate an individual’s right to maintain privacy. This raises a simple question: Do Americans prefer total and complete privacy or increased safety? There is no factual response to such a notion, forcing citizens to simply weigh the costs and benefits of partially giving up their egocentric desire for utter privacy for the sake of creating safer communities better protected from criminals with guns. In fact, as cited by Tom W. Smith in his study, “Public Opinions About Gun Policies,” 70 percent of the interviewed respondents agreed that the government “should do everything it can to keep handguns out of the hands of criminals, even if it means that it will be harder for law-abiding citizens to purchase handguns.” Rigid concealed carry laws that outline stringent requirements for individuals to hold concealed carry licenses are a fundamental piece of an effective gun control system. Providing individuals with the ability to carry concealed firearms essentially grants them the ability to walk freely with …show more content…
Mustard and John R. Lott, authors of “Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns,” assert that allowing individuals to carry concealed firearms is more beneficial for communities as a whole. They supported their claim both economically and socially, stating that gains made in states that allow concealed carry surpassed the revenue of those with strict laws by almost $5.74 billion, and that counties with “shall issue” concealed carry laws had 7.65 percent fewer murders (Mustard). However, Mark Duggan, author of “More Guns, More Crime,” is quick to debunk their assertions, claiming that the duo’s study only took into account small counties with low population sizes that are not often applicable to most areas. He argues that these smaller counties generally tend to be the ones with the nation’s lowest overall crime rates, further discrediting Lott and Mustard’s findings. Duggan, with his more “accurate and credible” study, discovers that a mere 10 percent increase in gun ownership in counties with populations of over 100,000 residents led to an over 2 percent increase in homicide rates, and when the number of household with at least one gun decreased by just 17 percent, the overall homicide rate decreased by an impressive 36 percent (Duggan).
Background checks and concealed carry laws are both essential pieces of a well-rounded and effective gun control system. It is imperative
Individual rights are the foundation of the United States, and it seems increasingly apparent that the government has no causation to interfere with the gun industry, which generates billions of dollars annually in state and federal taxes, or the rights of Americans to own firearms unless there is clearly discernible to reason to do so. These very critics, over-indulged in their own form of political correctness, also argue that background checks violate an individual’s right to maintain privacy. This raises a simple question: Do Americans prefer total and complete privacy or increased safety? There is no factual response to such a notion, forcing citizens to simply weigh the costs and benefits of partially giving up their egocentric desire for utter privacy for the sake of creating safer communities better protected from criminals with guns. In fact, as cited by Tom W. Smith in his study, “Public Opinions About Gun Policies,” 70 percent of the interviewed respondents agreed that the government “should do everything it can to keep handguns out of the hands of criminals, even if it means that it will be harder for law-abiding citizens to purchase handguns.” Rigid concealed carry laws that outline stringent requirements for individuals to hold concealed carry licenses are a fundamental piece of an effective gun control system. Providing individuals with the ability to carry concealed firearms essentially grants them the ability to walk freely with …show more content…
Mustard and John R. Lott, authors of “Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns,” assert that allowing individuals to carry concealed firearms is more beneficial for communities as a whole. They supported their claim both economically and socially, stating that gains made in states that allow concealed carry surpassed the revenue of those with strict laws by almost $5.74 billion, and that counties with “shall issue” concealed carry laws had 7.65 percent fewer murders (Mustard). However, Mark Duggan, author of “More Guns, More Crime,” is quick to debunk their assertions, claiming that the duo’s study only took into account small counties with low population sizes that are not often applicable to most areas. He argues that these smaller counties generally tend to be the ones with the nation’s lowest overall crime rates, further discrediting Lott and Mustard’s findings. Duggan, with his more “accurate and credible” study, discovers that a mere 10 percent increase in gun ownership in counties with populations of over 100,000 residents led to an over 2 percent increase in homicide rates, and when the number of household with at least one gun decreased by just 17 percent, the overall homicide rate decreased by an impressive 36 percent (Duggan).
Background checks and concealed carry laws are both essential pieces of a well-rounded and effective gun control system. It is imperative