Gun related crime in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gun related crime in the U.S - Essay Example One of the main reasons for failure of regulation is the attitude of federal government towards guns distribution; it pays virtually no attention to the design, manufacture, or marketing of guns. The two agencies with potential jurisdiction over these matters, the BATF and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) currently lack the authority to address them. This lack of federal supervision of the gun industry allows several dangerous conditions to persist since 1983. (Jacobs, 2002, p. 19) Now, the question arises whether or not gun regulation can control violence in the U.S History (1970 and 1980) reveals that gun control regulation has never been helpful in crime reduction. This is evident from regression analysis, state data, and experimenting social and economic variables, which Murray (1975) concludes, "gun control laws have no significant effect on rates of violence beyond what can be attributed to background social conditions". In addition, he observes that "controlling for basic social factors, the data show that gun laws have no significant effect on access to firearms and differing rates of access to handguns had no significant effect on violent acts" (Murray 1975). According to Gorman & Kopel (2000) the gun control regulation has reduced the number of legal firearms in the ... If we analyze UK historical significance of gun regulation, it is evident that England and Wales had lower rates of robbery and burglary than the United States (in 1981)". (Gorman & Kopel, 2000) "Unfortunately, the British government's single-minded devotion to eliminating defensive arms has made life more dangerous for British citizens. In the United States, youth is more afraid of running into an armed homeowner than the police. As a result, the hot burglary rate today and the rate of crimes that occur when the householder is home is 13 percent in the United States and about 50 percent in England and Wales". (Gorman & Kopel, 2000) That means crime in UK is more vulnerable towards violence than in U.S. According to a review of firearm statistics in Canada, Australia has by far adopted the best policy in combating gun violence and control and has a solution to this problem. "Even though an estimated one in five Australian households contained a gun before the 1996 legislation, Australia has always had relatively few problems with firearms when compared with other industrialized nations. According to a 1995 report done for the Canadian Department of Justice, Australian homicide rates were very low by worldwide standards, and only 18 Australians died in accidents with firearms in 1993". (Aus, 2006a) This might be the result of the "Australian Government's approach to firearm regulation which seeks to achieve a balance between allowing those with a genuine need to possess and use firearms and providing a safe and secure environment for the broader community. In particular, the Australian Government is supportive of the legitimate use of firearms by