The Possession of Firearms

According to Webster and Vernick (2013)

There has long been a weight of gun violence in the United States. Over 31,000 people are killed by gunshot wounds. Because the majority of victims are relatively young people, gun violence accounts for a greater proportion of youthful life loss in the United States. However, it is surprising that a country with so vast riches and military might be tormented by such danger.

According to Irvin, Rhodes, Cheney, and Wiebe (2014)

Despite the fact that there is no significant difference in crime rates between the United States and other superpower countries, the rate of homicide in the United States remains seven times higher than the rate in 22 other countries with such high income. The rising prevalence in the ownership of guns, which is accompanied by less restrictive legislations, thus proliferate the violent crimes. Because of this kind of massive loss of life, there have been attempts to improve on the gun control policies in the USA, for instance:

Policy Description and Recommendations

BILL H.R.4192-115th Congress (2017-2018)

Which proposes the establishment of a program that will encourage the adoption of some policies and procedures in regard to the transfer and ownership of lethal firearms, most precisely guns (Vaughn, Perron, Abdon, Olate, Groom & Wu, 2012). Debates on gun control have always drifted in the direction of the general public on whether these weapons make people safe or unsafe. Pierce, Braga & Wintemute (2014) however note that gun ownership restrictions have, however, been trampled on with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling. It overturned the ordinance that bans possession of firearms in the Districts of Columbia and Chicago. On the other hand, Webster & Wintermute (2015) assert that the current gun control legislations in the USA do not focus on disarming law-abiding citizens above 21. Nevertheless, they only prescribe the circumstances which proscribe people from owning firearms. In addition, these laws restrain the ferrying of firearms secretly outside the owners’ homes. Thus an exquisite regulation of the acquisition of such firearms would definitely improve the safety of the general public.

Irvin, Rhodes, Cheney, & Wiebe (2014)

Maintain that vast economic costs come with gun violence in the USA. The gunshot-related fatalities and injuries make the government strain financially. For instance, in 2010-2011, $32 billion was spent in the treatment and compensation of the victims of gun-related violence. If only the government could put a halt to this form of hazards, the money could be spent on developing other areas of the economy like the Consumer Sector, which for a long time seems neglected. Besides, it is also important to note that whenever gun violence becomes routine, poverty encroaches (Webster & Wintermute, 2015). Pierce et. al. (2014) also points out that only a few entrepreneurs would wish to put their investments in the violent zones. Moreover, whenever people die, the relatives undergo a lot of emotional and psychological torture. Even so, as the victims of such violence try to adjust to the situation, especially if the death is as a result of gun violence, a retaliatory attempt is possible. This might lead to disorderliness thus more loss of lives.

Vaughn et. al. (2012)

States that both intentional and accidental gun shootings cause great anxiety and death among American citizens. Nevertheless, it is possible to prevent such injuries and deaths if appropriate gun acquisition measures are put in place. Some of these lives are lost because of the numerous loopholes that make it possible for unauthorized persons to possess firearms. In other occasions, Irvin et. al. (2014) maintains that inexperienced people in handling firearms, especially children, cause too much harm and at times death because of their little know-how in firearm operations. It is believed that even these forms of negligence are possible only because of a lack of firm penalties on such neglectful acts. There should be moderations in the gun production companies so that it would be hard for such inexperienced persons to operate these weapons without the consent of the adult owners. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether prohibiting people who belong to the high-risk groups from acquiring firearms reduces their criminal acts. On the other hand, this kind of screening of records may lead to misappropriate generalizations, whereby people from particular races and religions are marked as pointed out by Webster & Vernick (2013).

Vaughn et. al. (2012)

Contends that Federal Law, coupled with enactments in other states, forbids the possession of firearms by people with previous conviction records in regard to violent crimes. However, these laws could be improved by involving the security departments in a more intensive scrutiny of people who wish to possess guns and other life-threatening firearms. This should be done without biasness; no particular community based on race or religion should be targeted.

Conclusion

The danger of gun violence in the USA is grievous. This kind of danger can be analyzed in forms of the productive years in which life is lost, the anxiety, mental and psychological torture caused, and the impact on the economy. It is an unprecedented toll in a nation that is revered all over the globe. The weaknesses in the laws that currently govern the acquisition of firearms have been a major contribution to this burden. This is because they have established debased standards for legal possession of firearms and created significant avenues in the bills that are prescribed to keep guns and other firearms away from unauthorized people. Thus the enactment of this bill may help reduce the number of violent crimes involving the use of lethal weapons like guns.

References

Irvin, N., Rhodes, K., Cheney, R., & Wiebe, D. (2014). Evaluating the effect of state regulation of federally licensed firearm dealers on firearm homicide. American journal of public health, 104(8), 1384-1386.

Pierce, G. L., Braga, A. A., & Wintemute, G. J. (2014). Impact of California firearms sales laws and dealer regulations on the illegal diversion of guns. Injury Prevention, injuryprev-2014.

Vaughn, M. G., Perron, B. E., Abdon, A., Olate, R., Groom, R., & Wu, L. T. (2012). Correlates of handgun carrying among adolescents in the United States. Journal of interpersonal violence.

Webster, D. W., & Vernick, J. S. (2013). Spurring responsible firearms sales practices through litigation. RedUCing Gun Violence, 123.

Webster, D. W., & Wintemute, G. J. (2015). Effects of policies designed to keep firearms from high-risk individuals. Annual review of public health, 36, 21-37.