An Overview of Gun Control Policies in America

In the United States, guns are seen as a divine symbol which made it gain independence from Great Britain. But continued gun violence leading to mass shootings has led to reigniting the gun control debate. Gun violence is the act of using firearms to cause terror resulting to harm or death of a group of people or an individual. There has been issuance of unlicensed guns to individuals which has led to many deaths through gun violence. Due to this, the government has decided to implement gun control policies to prevent people from easily acquiring unlicensed guns and using them to commit crimes in the area. This is to ensure that the country is safer and citizens are taught about the gun safety before acquiring them thus reducing homicide rates and destruction of property.

Gun control policies involve a set of rules put in place to regulate transfer, modification, sale, possession, and manufacture or firearms and ammunitions usage by civilians. The law restricts firearm and ammunitions owners from using them irresponsibly. The second Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to own and keep firearms and ammunitions thus making every individual first to abide to the rules and regulations set aside to control use of guns before he/she owns one. The policy states that legal residents and citizens can only own a gun if they are 18 years of age and above. Among many crime categories in United States, gun violence is viewed as the common kind of crime witnessed almost every day by the residents (Haynes, 2016). This is due to how guns are easily accessible in the United States. The policies set have been able to regulate how guns and other ammunitions are used in United States thus reducing most crime activities which lead to loss of lives and destruction of property. Therefore, gun control policies are effective.