Gun Control Opposing Viewpoints - 1449 Words

GUN CONTROL: OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS Introduction and Preliminary Research In a country where the people own more than 70 million handguns and perhaps one million automatic rifles and assault weapons, public opinion on gun control is understandably divided. Those opposed to gun control often cite the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, which appears to guarantee private citizens the unrestricted right to bear arms; less theoretical arguments include the practical need for self-defense in a violent society, and the prospect of political tyranny in a society where only the government possesses weapons. Finally, the sporting rights of hunters and target shooters are said to be threatened by calls for registration of rifles and†¦show more content†¦Although numerous advocacy groups have emerged on both sides of the issues, the battles lines are most clearly drawn between the pro-gun National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun-control groups comprised of the many associations of police officers and chiefs (POAs). The National Rifle Asso ciation, with over 3 million members nationwide and a large office building prominently located near the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., has aggressively fought gun registration and control for decades, and is said to be the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill beside the government employees union. The NRA has been able to intimidate politicians by mounting a large single-issue lobby at election time, but President Clinton has announced his intention to sign the Brady Bill for tightened gun control, and in March of 1993 actually dared to criticize the NRA for lobbying against gun control efforts at the local, state and national level (Clinton Criticizes the NRA, 1993: 155). On the opposite side of the issue is a wide array of gun control groups, but perhaps the most significant are the police officer and police chief associations as a whole, which in the last decade have come out solidly in favor of increased handgun and automatic weapon registration and restriction. The street war with criminals, and the increasing incidence of mass murder, are finding America s police