Gun Control Debate: The Roots, Parameters, and Competing Perspectives

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Gun Control
Introduction/Background
Whenever the phrase gun control is mentioned, many questions are asked. What kinds of guns should be made available to the public? Who should be permitted to buy these guns and what criteria will be used to decide someone is fit to buy a gun? Where should these guns be carried? When is it okay to draw one’s weapon and shoot? Should laws be restricting or limiting access to guns? The questions are quite many, and as the debate rages on, more questions continue to surface. Today, the gun control debate is one of the most polarizing issues in the United States. Public opinion has been swaying from left to right, and it is not clear anymore whether the American public is content with keeping guns or not. Politicians, on the other hand, have not made things any easier or better as they continue to wage war on the proposed policies. At the moment, it is still not possible to predict what will happen with regards to the gun control debate. Much money (by lobbyists) and time has been invested in making sure that status quo is upheld and it remains to be seen whether the country will change its currently divided and toxic stance on the matter of gun control.
What is the root of the gun control debate?
The root or the thing that is often blamed for the current confusion is the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment says, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Second Amendment). The above sentence has led to thousands of hours of debates as Americans try to find an interpretation that will suit everyone. However, this has proven to be a difficult endeavor as the country is still not able to find a common interpretation of this statement. On one side, there are those who believe that any legislation will infringe on their right to bear arms or their liberties while on the other hand, there are those who believe in the adoption of more regulations.
When did gun control start?
Schuppe (2018) notes that gun control is “as old as the United States,” and his statement could not be more accurate. The Second Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution in 1791, and from this point, it drew a line between those who supported gun ownership and those who did not. Schuppe goes on and takes his readers back to the time when the African Americans were not allowed to own guns. He notes that while still young, the United States did not allow African Americans as well as the Native Americans to own guns. For the African Americans, it took until late in the 19th century when new civil rights laws were passed.
The next phase that saw the introduction of modern gun control laws was in the 1930s. In this period, the U.S. passed several Acts which imposed taxes on firearms manufacturing, sale, and transportation. Additionally, the manufacturers, dealers, and importers were also required to obtain what was known as a federal firearms license. After the 1930s, it took the murders of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy for President Lyndon B. Johnson to ensure the passage of the Gun Contro...