Critical Analysis of the New Policy Concerning Gun Control in the United States

Gun control is a topic of heated controversy in today’s society. Gun control is one of the many public policies the United States possess. In the United States possessing a firearm is constitutionally protected, but gun violence is all too common in today’s world. Are government officials just focusing on gun control as a whole and not focusing on the aspect of continuing to allow law abiding citizens to own and purchase guns? For the most part, preventing the unstable to be kept away from obtaining guns should be the main focus of gun control. The new proposed policy addressed in this essay will highlight this aspect. Stricter gun laws such as more in depth background checks, mandatory firearm training, and longer waiting periods before a gun sale is final need to be enforced, not to penalize law abiding citizens, but to stop those who abuse, cause destruction and take innocent lives.

Over the past centuries, guns have been used for survival, self preservation, sport, wars, gang violence, and personal bodily harm. Gang violence and personal bodily harm from the use of guns have greatly increased (Key Gun Violence Statistics). This means the respect and compassion for human life have diminished over the years. The outcome of this is a steady loss of life in the masses if something isn’t done to prevent this. American citizens have the constitutional right “to keep and bear Arms” and this “shall not be infringed” based on the Second Amendment (History). Living in a different society compared to several hundred years ago, there is more hate, drugs, gang activity, domestic violence, and the list goes on. As a result, society is running rampant with gun induced violence and more and more people are using guns to try and solve their problems. Unfortunately, on average, 310 people are killed with guns every day in America (Key Gun Violence Statistics). There are always opinions on important issues and the NRA and Gun Control Activists are battling it out concerning gun control. The two groups do not agree on the subject of gun control, and each group has a legitimate argument. The NRA feels like the government doesn’t care about individual freedom to own a gun and the government just wants more control of freedoms as a whole (Smith). Gun control activists see guns as being bad in all aspects and want to place heavy bans on all firearm ownership (Smith). However, the focus needs to be on the well-being of our citizens and not who’s right and who’s wrong. This needs to be the focus in order to form a common agreement on gun control that will work for both sides of the argument.

As all US citizens are aware, our country has gun control policies already in place. Some of these include Red Flag Laws, the banning of assault weapons, and instant background checks (Tillett). These policies are great and help to enforce the issue America is faced with daily concerning gun violence. The problem is making sure the unstable citizens with bad intentions do not slip through the cracks in these policies. There are seventeen states which have passed Red Flag Laws (Red Flag) and seven states that have banned assault weapons (Assault Weapons). Does this mean America is progressing toward a fix to gun violence issues? The answer is yes. Hope is in sight. There is still a ways to go and the proposed policy presented in this essay will allow both sides of the gun control issues to come to an agreement.

American citizens must be protected by enforcing strict laws no matter the cost! This may mean making those uncomfortable who are trying to purchase guns with bad intentions, but that is the goal! Undoubtedly, it is important to protect our law abiding citizens and create a safe environment for all. There are three main steps to this new policy. An in depth background check and a firearms training class must be completed. In addition to these, there will be a one month waiting period before a sale is final. This means state laws must require background checks which look for those who have been convicted of a felon, domestic abuse, mental health issues, prior drug or alcohol abuse, and arrests for any type of altercation. The background checks must be done when purchasing online, at gun shows, and through private sellers. In addition, the purchaser must complete a firearm training through a reputable source and abide strictly by the one month waiting period. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in the termination of a sale. Sure these steps will take longer and inconvenience more people, but isn’t that worth saving the lives of innocent people by preventing those who are not worthy or capable of owning a gun to be stopped. This policy will be legal because it does not infringe on the Second Amendment or target a specific group of people. In order to put the policy in place, the local law enforcement offices and senators who deal closely with local violence will be contacted. The support from these offices will help the new policy make it to Congress, and in due time, the House and Senate majority leaders will debate the policy. Once these leaders see the importance and efficiency of the new proposed policy, it will be sent to the President for approval (How Laws Are Made). This new policy will make a difference and will allow those who are pro gun control and anti gun control to reach a common ground for the well-being of the American citizens.

All lives are worth saving! First and foremost, our government must start by enforcing more in depth background checks. Once the thorough background check has been approved, the applicant will have to complete a firearms training class. When the training class is completed, they will still remain in the one month waiting period from the date the background check was submitted. Finally, if all steps are completed, the applicant may be the owner of a personal firearm as a competent US citizen. Although there is no way to stop those who may become mentally unstable in the future even after these steps are completed, it is the hope that their firearm training education will give them a new respect for the lethal device they now possess.