Can strict gun control bring to an end to the problem of gun violence in America? Recent Gallup poll indicates that sixty-one percent of Americans prefer stricter gun laws towards ending gun violence. However, this data hides the fact that there is a strong divide between Democrats and Republicans; 31% of the Republicans support stricter gun laws as compared to 87% of Democrats. According to Spitzer (2016), the political divide greatly affects the decision on whether strict gun control can end gun violence or not. Building a strong consensus on gun policy requires one to listen more to those who disagree than to judge. Furthermore, listening to those who are against it is a sign of respect and understanding their motives behind, thus, coming up with more and better ways of ending gun violence.
The increase in gun violence has brought the attention of sociologists to be involved in the gun control topic to lend a hand in ending gun violence in America (Harding, 2017) . For strict gun controls to end gun violence, sociologists are bound to understanding social structures, which are central to the issue. For instance, research shows that Canada has the same number of guns per capita as compared to the United States. However, America's numbers of deaths related to gun problems are far higher than that of Canada. As a sociologist, one would, therefore, be interested in exploring the cultural attitudes and beliefs of a person related to the ownership and use of guns.
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Effects of strict gun policies are difficult to describe but of importance in fighting gun problems (Lott, 2013). Knowing whether a gun policy is effective, one needs to determine ways in which it affects the outcomes, for instance, participation in hunting and suicidal rates. There being scarce scientific evidence of gun laws effects, both the public and policymakers have often relied upon expert's view. Experts from two different groups were surveyed and they seem to come to an agreement by favoring gun laws. Both believed that strict gun laws would help in reducing homicides and suicides in America.
States with strict gun policies experience fewer gun deaths as compared to non-strict states. Proponents of strict gun controls put that common sense leads to tough policies that can stop gun violence. In states where guns are regulated less, for instance, Alabama and Louisiana, the rate of deaths related to guns is higher four times. This is compared to states like New York, Hawaii and, or Massachusetts with strict gun laws which experience fewer death rates due to gun violence ( Kleck, 2017 ). With researchers attributing that states with more strict laws had lower gun violence, they still could not put it clear whether strict gun policies were the main reasons for the outcome. This contradiction has thus called for more studies to establish the nature of strict gun laws in ending gun violence in the United States.
Research has indicated that strict gun laws have led to lower gun-murder cases. Even though the research on this subject is inadequate, the states that enforce strict gun laws have fewer gun deaths as compared to those who do not have strict regulations. According to Reinberg (2019), the study found out that states that require background checks by police for a gun license have seen a fourteen percent drop in gun-murder cases. The intention of background checks is to single out prohibited individuals from owning handguns. “Permit-to-purchase” is another licensing law requiring a background check by either local law firm or the state conducted by those dealing with gun business. Additionally, there is the Right-to-carry law, which permits one to carry their licensed handgun and the stand-your-ground law that allows one to defend themselves.
References
Harding, R. W. (2017). Gun use in crime, rational choice, and social learning theory. In Routine activity and rational choice (pp. 85-102). Routledge.
Kleck, G. (2017). Targeting guns: Firearms and their control . Routledge.
Lott, J. R. (2013). More guns, less crime: Understanding crime and gun control laws . University of Chicago Press.
Reinberg, Steven. 2019. "Gun Control: House Votes To Expand Background Checks To ....". Retrieved 2019 ( https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/27/gun-control-house-hold-first-major-vote-years/2954526002/ ).
Spitzer, R. J. (2015). Politics of gun control . Routledge.
