Gun Control 2 Essay, Research Paper

GUN CONTROL

Source Summary:

Josh Sugermann is the executive director of the Violence Policy Center and the author of NRA: Money, Firepower, and Fear. Mr. Sugermann talks about how the Brady Bill, witch mandates a national waiting period for buying handguns, will not help in gun control in fact it will have a reverse affect on society and give more money and business to the gun manufactures.

Mr. Sugermann began in talking about that gun violence is in fact a public health crisis, witch in turn will not end until we regulate or completely ban products like assault rifles, and hand guns. He also talks about how guns are made by corporate giants that have employees, board members, marketing, and other business attributes. He then says that the firearm market dropped from 2.6 million in 1982 to a mer 1.4 million in 1986. So to make up for the loss the manufactures added firepower, high-tech gadgets like the laser scope, as well as other after market gizmos to attract back the buyers and even get some new ones. He then touches on how the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms have no regulations on any gun less than 50 caliber. They can t even regulate the power; safety-standards and recall like other government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration. He then continues on at why guns are so bad talking about how they are the second most deadly killers next to automobile accidents and he predicts that they will exceed motor vehicles accidents by the end of the century. He also touches on the fact that Americans look at murders, firearm suicide, and fatal accidents as separate crimes not as firearm violence. He closes the paper with saying We are way past the point where registration, licensing, safety training, background checks or waiting periods will have much affect on firearm violence.

Thoughts/reactions:

I thought that Mr. Sugarmann is a very qualified expert in gun control, though I believe in some of his views are right along side with mine, but some of them are just a little odd even way off.

One of the more remarkable thoughts he says is the fact that Americans view firearm violence as different categories and not just one crime. If we grouped all the firearm violence into one category and had a very stiff punishment for them, there would be a decline in gun purchases and firearm violence would also go down. Mr. Sugarmann also complains that the ATF has no power to regulate, safety, and recall like the FDA. I think that part of that is the ATF s fault for not asking for the power or taking it upon them to have the power. As far as the gun violence being more deadly then motor vehicle accidents by the end of the century. I think that it is not the fact people have begun to use their heads before they act to a certain point that they won’t just go and kill someone just because they looked at them wrong or something.

Overall Mr. Sugarmann wrote an excellent paper but he doesn t explore all the possibilities he is narrow minded in my opinion. He doesn t give any other alternatives to gun control other than the total banning of handguns and assault rifles or regulating them, but how? He just doesn t give any alternatives.