Need Of Gun Control And Its Significance In USA
Imagine how efficiently this country, or even the world could work if people just thought about others? According to the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence website, Over 30,000 people are killed every year due to gun violence, and still many argue it is not necessary and should be easily accessible to anyone who wants to purchase one. There are many ways to purchase guns and making them accessible for online purchase makes it even more prone for the weapons to land in the wrong hands. Gun control is essential in the United States. Background checks should have more of a limitation, and online gun sales should be banned. This is the cause to most violent crimes in America and needs to be changed so that it is selective as to who is responsible enough to hold one in their hands.
Receiving a license to sell guns is much easier than you would think. In order for the procedure of a gun purchase to even take place, one needs to go through a gun supplier who has received a Federal Firearms License, otherwise known as FFL. An FFL is used for the production in, manufacturing or importing firearms, or manufacturing, or importing ammunition. It is a major responsibility for a person to receive a FFL due to the fact that they have access to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), must keep accurate data of all the purchases they make, must notify the FBI NICS if you decide to move, change contact information, and phone number. It is surprisingly easy to receive your FFL also. The requirements are the person seeking a license has to be at least 21 years old, has not been imprisoned for over one year for a conviction of a crime, they can not be a fugitive, a drug abuser, an illegal alien, have mental health issues, or been committed into a psychiatric institution, have their United States citizenship privileges taken away, or been dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces, and also can not have a court order out for harassing, stalking, or threatening a domestic partner, or child of that partner. Another requirement is they cannot lie in the application for the license. If anyone matches with these criteria they can receive an FFL.
The process of going through a background check to be able to carry the largest responsibility on you is surprisingly not a challenging process. If one were seeking to purchase a firearm they would have to signs a Firearms Transaction Record. When that is completed three records are opened up, which are the National Crime Information Center, the Interstate Identification Index, and the NICS Index. “checks are usually determined within minutes of initiation” states the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau Invesitigation. If the files are clear then the person has the okay to go ahead and purchase a gun. Due to the Brady Law, which was put into affect in 1993, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, anyone must follow a waiting period of five days for a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun to an unlicensed individual. This law only applies to states with a better solution for background checks that have to do with handgun safety. Although there is a necessity to wait five days, but if the FFL (Federal Firearms License) has not received their decision by them they can validly continue anyway. With the online sales the background checks are a little bit different. Once you turn your computer on you can then go to any gun website you choose, such as GrabaGun.com, and Armslist.com, which make it so simple for anyone to search for free. Once you decide to make your purchase online, whomever you are buying the gun from will send your information to the FFL who will then preform a background check
Although it is mandatory to process a background check on anyone purchasing a gun, sometimes guns purchased online require a background check. Sometimes they don't. This is due to many loopholes people ineligible for purchase may go through to beat the system. Many sites like Armslist makes getting around loopholes, and increasing the risk of crime and shootings to happen. Armslist is a terrifying website which lets anyone purchase a gun without “the hassle” of a background check which Jon Gibbon, creator of the website, puts it as. Since Craigslist banned all firearm ads to be for purchase on their website he decided to create his own. By 2011 it was the largest retail sight for firearms. This also means anyone can purchase a gun from this site, whoever hands it lays in; there are no rules or credentials to follow. Which finding in my research that what I expected to come out of this website did occur. According to Stephanie Mencimer who is the writer of the article, Want to Buy a Gun Without a Background Check? Armlist can help, recorded that firearms purchased through this specific website have been the cause of four murders, and one suicide. An undercover police officer in New York City came to conclusion also that this website was a large gateway for illegal gun purchases. By law it is illegal to sell a handgun to anyone under the age of eighteen. A similar website to Armlist is called Gunlistings.org which sells to actually anyone who wants to buy a gun without any form of background check. In one case a private investigator pretended to be a seventeen-year-old boy. Not only was the investigators character underage but the seller was also not license to sell firearms. They both made arrangements to meet to bargain the price and purchase the gun. This proves that illegal gun trading and selling is taking place in this country. The fact that a kid can purchase a gun without any criteria is frightening and eye opening.
Gun violence, and crime in America is clearly a problem that needs to get more recognition. It is facts, stated on the website, Every town for gun safety, that every single day in America ninety-three people are killed due to guns. Confirmed by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Guns are also the weapons of choice for most people including domestic violence cases, and violent radicals. From the year 1999 to 2015 guns were used in fifty-seven percent of violent attacks at religion based organizations. Written by Jennifer Mascia, a writer for reporting and insight on guns in America, At least four hundred thirty people were killed from the gun violence; five hundred eighty one people were injured in the attacks as well. As well from 2009 to 2015 sixty-four percent of attacks in the U.S. had a gun involved in the crime. Gun related crime in America is also twenty times higher than any other developed countries.
There are ways we as a country and rational human beings can conquer this problem. The first step would to be expanding the background check system and criteria, and to enforce the background check more efficiently. Domestic abusers tend to most likely use a gun when attacking their loved ones, which is very sad. There needs to be more of a strength put on keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. They should be on a list similar to a sex offender’s list. The online gun sale needs to be stopped. There has got to be more investigators out stopping all these websites. Little kids should not be able to get their hands on any weapon by all means, especially illegally.
There are too many deaths, injures, and attacks in this country related to gun violence. Expanding background checks would solve half of the problem. The other half is due to online gun sales. With this alone underage kids are purchasing any gun of their choice. Once they get these into their hands who knows who will touch it and what damage they will do. There needs to be more of a restraint on who is able to receive a Federal Firearms License, and sell guns to the public. In all, people need to take guns more seriously. They are not toys , they are weapons that kill over 30,000 people every year. Some deaths are accidental, some in shootings, fights, and suicides. Once everyone takes gun violence more seriously then there will be more of an eye opener for that fact that we need more gun control in this country.
