Gun Violence and Gun Control From a Political View

This rise has made the political arena to be very active and flexible in developing feasible policies that will help control possession of guns which can help in reducing rates of crimes. Canada has had a share of gun violence which is the result of the present day legislation about firearms (BBC News 2016). Canada effort to register gun holders has been in force for many years but gained momentum in 1995 after the Montreal massacre (Green Party of Canada, 2018). This resulted in the passing of Bill C-68 by the Liberals which entailed firearms requiring all firearms to be registered (Trudeau 2018). However, the use of guns which poses unreasonable dangers to citizens has been opposed by the Green party (Green Party of Canada, 2018). Essential bills such as Bill C-150, C-51, C-17, and C-68 were critical in regulating the use of firearms in the country (Mauser 2007).

The criminal code that was enacted in 1892 wanted persons who owned guns ton only carry them in time they feel their lives are in danger (Mauser 2007). Guns possession was not limited, and persons could buy and sell firearms as they wished (Spitzer 2005). The laws changed in 1935 when trading of guns was considered an illegal business under act 16 (Mauser 2007). The vendor of the short firearms was required to keep proper update records such as the name of the buyer, the sale date and all the extensive descriptions of the weapon (Stolberg 2018). For instance, since United states September, 11 terror attack, there has been increased terror strikes and invasion from around the world (Stolberg 2018). Many people have been slain by gun holders who have brought about many questions to both political leaders and citizens.

This includes the need for an urgent review of the existing gun control measures. For instance, gun violence is on the increase in the United States but is also being experienced in Canada (Green Party of Canada, 2018). Data from 2009 to 2013 show that there have been over 977 gun homicide cases in Canada compared to the 56,000 gun homicides of United States (Stolberg 2018). Political parties’ stance on gun control However, the liberals have felt that the president and the Green Party have been unable to develop gun control policies efficiently. The Liberal party states that it will take critical measures that will make the government able to come up with stringent gun control laws and which has no gaps (Trudeau 2018). The Liberals states that the present day policies give criminals a simple way of accessing firearms and other assault weapons.

For instance, they claim to bring appeal changes of Bill C-42 which has allowed free transportation of prohibited and restricted guns without requiring permits (Trudeau 2018). The liberals are bitter about these decisions and are determined to return the control of guns to the police and not politicians. He mentioned that similar to urban areas the rural places required guns for security. These comments from the prime minister brought about heated debates and criticism from the other prominent politicians who termed his statements as reckless. They believed that the less the guns the county had, the better for the general security of the residents. However, the prime minister said that it was wrong to take the law into one's hands but again noted that guns were necessary for security reasons (BBC News 2016).

He also said the government was working hard to make the lives of gun owners easier. The increased gun violence has forced human right movement to come up to oppose the possession of guns and gun violence. For example, there is the zero gun violence movement led by Angela Wright (Leesti 2007). She observes that moist homicides that are being committed in the country are a result of illegal guns and especially from the United States. She notes that the government of the day should take more control of the borders and ensure there is no proliferation of illegal arms into the country (Leesti 2007). Also, she calls upon the administrative offices to work together in enhancing gun control and protecting the public. Many immigrants from Asian and African countries are getting into the United States and Canada unnoticed and is another reason for the failing security (Spitzer 2005).

Today, United States is one of the leading countries to experiencing the most violent gun attack cases regardless of its strict security details. The killings have been on the increase, and experts speculate more incidents in future of the gun violence (Stolberg 2018). When the United States fails to enact gun control measures Canada will also remain unsafe as many guns that come into Canada gets their way from the United States (Trudeau 2018). Laxity of gun laws is a leading cause of the rising gun violence in the United States. NRA funds the Congress’ legislators who in turn block changes that approve gun control and regulation (Stolberg 2018). The US has the highest number of private firearm owners and thus leads to more prevalence of homicide incidents than in other countries (Spitzer 2005). Ease of purchasing and owning of guns has made likely for an individual to kill peers, friends, and family if arguments get heated up or do not just go their way.

The Republicans party stipulates that inadequacy of funds is to blame for the increasing rates of gun violence in the US. President Trump depicts that spending cuts imposed on the federal agencies and departments have significantly affected legislation programs governing gun control (Stolberg 2018). Gun control and gun violence in the US revolves around the Second Amendment. The constitutional part allows rights of purchase and ownership of firearms that is open to all individuals. Thus, policies that aim at regulation of firearms are perceived as an infringement of the owners’ constitutional right. This aspect makes it difficult to control the availability of guns and ultimately gun violence in the US. National Rifle Association channels funds to politicians who in turn support policies that promote gun ownership rights and gain high political ratings.

no. retrieved from, http://www. statcan. gc. ca/pub/85-002-x/85-002-x1997007-eng. and Kaplan, Thomas. Feb 2018. “Is This the Moment for Gun Control?” Retrieved on 17th March 2018 from https://www. nytimes. com/2018/02/25/us/politics/gun-control-congress-governors.