The gun control debate in America is a battle between personal freedom and public safety. For nearly 160 years, there were no limits to the Second Amendment, which guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." In 1934, however, and especially in the last four decades, Americans have begun to proscribe and debate the extent of that right. The National Firearms Act of 1934 was the first restriction on gun rights in American history. As a result, fully automatic weapons are available only after an extensive background check on the owner.
In 1968, the term "gun control" gained new meaning with the passage of the federal Gun Control Act. Ratified in the wake of two important political assassinations -- Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. -- the Act requires that all guns carry serial numbers forever tied to the original purchaser. Additionally, it prohibited gun ownership by convicted felons and, as a result of a 1990s amendment, it requires a criminal background check for purchasers at the time of sale.
Certain states have their own gun control legislation, although all are governed by the federal Act of 1968. Individual states can deem their own levels of restriction on concealed weapons and "open carry," or the visible transporting of a weapon. And restrictions vary widely by state, with New York and Illinois seen as the most restrictive and Arizona and Texas, the most relaxed.
The latest incarnation of the gun control debate has been in the form of the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, which Congress failed to uphold in its latest session. The law prohibited the sale of any semi-automatic assault weapons manufactured after 1994. Supporters of the ban said it helped keep violent weapons off the street, while opponents claimed it imposed a confusing classification system, was overly restrictive and had little effect on controlling violent crime.
Gun rights advocates argue that a well-armed public helps prevent crime and ensure personal safety. Gun control proponents, on the other hand, fear that widespread gun ownership actually increases crime rates and leads to other negative outcomes, both public and private. Is the Second Amendment out-of-date, or does it guarantee an integral right?
Opine Tree encourages debate on today's most controversial political topics, including abortion, affirmative action, cloning, the death penalty, euthanasia, gay marriage, gun control, health care, social security, stem cells, as well as other debate topics.
UK Water RatesYOU CANNOT BE DISCONNECTED FOR WATER RATES DEBTSWater... Read More
With the world's largest oil and natural gas reserves, second... Read More
The CBR taxes the Pakistani source income of nonresident individuals... Read More
When this president's father was in the Oval Office, he... Read More
Public utilities and a problematic issue on the allowance of... Read More
Recently scientists have been watching the exponential growth of marine... Read More
With respect to the States' databases, you may not locate... Read More
Compulsory-attendance laws force parents to send their children to public... Read More
"The Jesuit priest John H. Surratt, proven to be the... Read More
Visible remnants of the world's eldest democracy can be seen... Read More
Close to 500,000 people - one in four - live... Read More
So you are ready to run for public office are... Read More
Have you noticed that the when the service men who... Read More
There are many types of fuels besides that gasoline we... Read More
We are told by out leadership that we risk loss... Read More
Pierre Dupont de Nemours:After arranging the Armistice that ended or... Read More
A visitor to Moscow would be immediately struck by the... Read More
How can any human being today, anywhere in this world,... Read More
The use of homosexual men in the area of espionage... Read More
The City of Portland is going after any small business,... Read More
Prison guards and corrections professionals are hard at work insuring... Read More
Former Senator, Daniel Moynihan, accurately summed up the situation when... Read More
You say, you want to help the Palestinians, but most... Read More
We can all see the issues involved in the cloning... Read More
The partisan feuding in the U.S. Senate over federal judicial... Read More
They do not allow the criticism of the president in... Read More
Three years ago I published a book of short stories... Read More
As a result of the conflict analysis exercise and a... Read More
Forest Vegetation Simulations for Fire Prevention, Healthy Forest and Saving... Read More
I would like to pose a question. I am unsure... Read More
When I was growing up, I actually considered a career... Read More
In typical bureaucratese, the pensive EBRD analyst ventures with the... Read More
All government regulators or diplomat who are in high risk... Read More
Why are intelligent people so afraid of the idea that... Read More
The devastating loss in case of Elliot Spitzer for NY... Read More
The gun control debate in America is a battle between... Read More
Telemarketing and DO NOT CALL lists sure made headlines, but... Read More
With gasoline prices at the pump climbing strongly into the... Read More
Entrepreneurs can clean up the environment if we would let... Read More
The partisan feuding in the U.S. Senate over federal judicial... Read More
As we reel from the news of the recent bombings... Read More
Sarbaines Oxley was probably the easiest way to destroy free... Read More
Many people make a lot of money in war. In... Read More
Tonight I resigned myself to the fact that this is... Read More
When we go through periods of droughts we also have... Read More
It is time for a change. A change in philosophy,... Read More
We need a government that can be as responsive to... Read More
We are slowing the transportation flows of our civilization by... Read More
The TSA seems to have completely missed the ball at... Read More
Year Item Price Rate of Inflation 03/80 Gasoline (per gallon)... Read More
Dust from Deserts and Particulate ControlThe greatest contributor to particulate... Read More
Bill Cosby got it wrong. His many speeches regarding the... Read More
For many years now, I have been the proud holder... Read More
Many folks who are pro-NASA and Pro-Space Colonies say that... Read More
Well we have certainly been reading a lot about prison... Read More
Expected new applications for Mexican trucks to enter the US... Read More
The UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is hear to stay and... Read More
As we increase our populations every new soul will require... Read More
Ethanol is a great way to produce fuel, great fuel... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission has very important Anti-trust Laws. They... Read More
Fearful that terrorists will next target Australia, Prime Minister John... Read More
Roberto Calvo Macias, a young author and thinker from Spain,... Read More
1) IS HAVING A DEMOCRACY MORE EFFECTIVE IN ADDRESSING POLITICAL... Read More
Last Summer the Federal Trade Commission came out with a... Read More
Businesses advertising alcohol either in TV or non-broadcast format need... Read More
Aspartame activists are constantly being attacked because all data are... Read More
Political |