Personal Freedom (Guns, Guns, and more Guns)

Nothing defines America more than guns. Peace through superior firepower is often times joked around by soldiers as an A-10 Thunderbolt 2 makes a strafe run across the arid terrorist-rich environment of the Syrian battlefield. A hunting advertisement had a picture of a father teaching his daughter how to shoot a rifle, captioning something similar to "because a Restraining Order is just a piece of paper."

Being able to protect oneself is a big reason why (sane) people possess firearms. We have it in the Constitution as an unalienable right, a right that cannot be taken away from you.

Firearms are always a big issue since they became more common to the public. From muskets to lever-action, from bolt-action Springfield M1903's to the selective-fire M16's used by forces around the world, firearms have seen a dramatic development from the creation of our republic.

However with the recent trend of people shooting up malls, schools and movie theaters, presidents in the last few terms have taken drastic measures to control gun violence.

A major placement was the 1994 Clinton Ban, or the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. It was in effect from 1994 to 2004, and banned a number of semi-automatic civilian firearms that were seen as assault weapons. They also banned a number of "high capacity" magazines (Extended Mag for COD players) which would increase the number of rounds in a single magazine to allow more rounds down range and less time reloading (which is when a shooter is most vulnerable). Frank Lautenburg (D- NJ) wrote on the Huffington Post:

"High-capacity magazines -- devices that dramatically boost a weapon's firing power -- were prohibited from 1994 until 2004, when the federal assault weapons ban was in place... It's time to end the bloodshed and restore common sense to our gun laws -- beginning with a permanent ban on high-capacity gun magazines,"

ABC News

For 10 years, the law was in affect. However, the exact effectiveness of the law is inconclusive. Authorities could not determine weather or not the law had help decrease the amount of gun violence in the US within the given time frame.

"Ultimately, the research concluded that it was “premature to make definitive assessments of the ban’s impact on gun crime,” largely because the law’s grandfathering of millions of pre-ban assault weapons and large-capacity magazines “ensured that the effects of the law would occur only gradually” and were “still unfolding” when the ban expired in 2004." - Factcheck.org

Other reports reported that the time frame was too short to give a strong conclusion. Both sides of the argument gave their respective views of the law and said their results of the law.

"independent studies, including one from the Clinton Justice Department, proved that ban had no impact on lowering crime." - Wayne LaPierre, President of the National Rifle Association.

"found that it was responsible for a 6.7 percent decrease in total gun murders, holding all other factors equal (1997 report)...the use of assault weapons in crime declined by more than two-thirds by about nine years after 1994 Assault Weapons Ban took effect (2004)" - Senator Dianne Feinstein's Press Release from 2004 using both reports to build her statement.

Does limiting firearms to the general public result in anything at all? Some say that it's stealing their right to bear arms, while other agree that it is inevitable due to the recent number of criminal activity with firearms usage.

The United States civilians own some 270 million firearms by a Swiss Small Army Survey conducted in 2007. Converted, this approximates to about 88 guns per 100 persons. With that said, the second most firearms owned per capita is Yemen, with about 58 for every 100 persons. Firearms are most commonly used in homicide in the US, and seen from the New Town Shootings, and the recent shootings at Sacramento City College. Since homicide is so frequent, more Americans lose their lives to homicide than terrorism. From about 2001 to 2013, nearly 406,000 people were killed by firearms (homicide, accidents, suicides), compared to only about 3,300 from terrorism brought to Americans (both within and outside US soil). It can be guessed that Americans have become numb to the carnage since it happens so often, so often that 51 mass shooting (4+ killed) has happened since 1997. The same data gives that only 3 mass shooting have taken place in Germany and Switzerland, and none in Australia and Japan. Nearly 33,000 Americans are killed yearly from firearms, which is slightly less than deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents (~35,000).

CNN News: Deaths and Guns in the US

Firearms is indeed a large problem in the US. Homicides are the #1 usage for firearms. You are more likely to be killed by a gunshot wound then drinking alcohol. However, since homicide is in fact a large portion of death, it is important to know how to counter-act the aggression. Finding the medium and equilibrium for firearm regulation is always and will always be a tough compromise for both side. Let's just hope it doesn't start a civil war like the case about Slavery.