History of Gun Control & Mass Shootings
The history of gun control in the United States stretches all the way back to the time of our founding fathers with the writing of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and later the United States Bill of Rights, which states that U.S. citizens have the right to bear arms. Many laws have been made over the last 200+ years that have put restrictions on firearms. Although many are successful, there are a number that have not lowered murder rates, but instead have done the exact opposite.
1835 Massachusetts Gun Control Law
dangerous weapon, without reasonable cause to fear an assault or other injury, or
violence to his person, or to his family or property, he may on complaint of any person
having reasonable cause to fear of an injury, or breach of the peace, be required to find
sureties for keeping the peace."
- Almost 200 years ago, a gun control law was passed in Massachusetts which banned a person from carrying a weapon with him or her, with the only exception being if he or she were in a reasonable fear of being in danger.
- According to Saul Cornell in his scholarly journal, "The Right to Carry Firearms Outside of the Home: Separating Historical Myths from Historical Realities," in 1835, the state of Massachusetts passed a law that stated...
dangerous weapon, without reasonable cause to fear an assault or other injury, or
violence to his person, or to his family or property, he may on complaint of any person
having reasonable cause to fear of an injury, or breach of the peace, be required to find
sureties for keeping the peace."
- Even though this law helped to keep people from carrying guns in public, the downside was that the law was very broad. A person would have to first prove that they were in danger in order to carry a weapon in public.
Gun Control Act of 1968
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Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
- On November 30, 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was enacted.
- The act was named after James Brady, a White House press secretary who was seriously injured during President Ronald Reagan's attempted assassination in 1981.
- According to Jack Lee, this law established a five day waiting period and a mandatory background check for all handgun purchases.
- This law is also responsible for the setup of the National Instant Background Check System (NICS), which is used today by every (legal) firearms dealer.
Gun Ownership Rates vs. Murder Rates
- According to Thomas Sowell in his article, "Connecticut Shootings; Tragedy Again Brings Out Calls for Gun Control Laws," many locations within the U.S. that have tried to have strict gun control laws ended up with a lower gun ownership rate and a higher murder rate than most other locations.
- Within the United States, handgun ownership has doubled within the past 20-30 years, while there are lower murder rates altogether.
- Many countries, such as Russia, Mexico, and Brazil, have stronger gun control than the United States. All of them have higher murder rates than the U.S.
- England also has strong gun control, however, they have seen a very low murder rate compared to the United States.
Mass Shootings
Mass shootings have periodically made headlines and grabbed the attention of the entire nation for decades. These incidents have taken place in public settings, making the citizens of this country apprehensive about going into places such as schools, shopping malls and office buildings.
Despite substantial attention from the media, these types of shootings account for a very small percentage of all gun deaths. In the book The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know, Philip Cook and Kristin Goss write that mass shootings "claimed less than 1% of all gun homicide victims in 2010" (47).
It seems as though the presence of incidents of mass shootings in the media is ever increasing. In his New York Times article "FBI Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000," Michael S. Schmidt cites a FBI report stating that "mass shootings have risen drastically in the last half-dozen years" (Schmidt par. 1). This is the first time the FBI has acknowledged a fact such as this.
Here is a brief history of mass shootings:
Columbine
On April 20, 1999, seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris walked into Columbine High School where they set off bombs and fired weapons. The two young men eventually killed 12 fellow students and 1 teacher. 23 more students were injured in the shooting, which ended when Klebold and Harris took their own lives in the library. Thousands watched as surviving students walked out of the school with hands raised. This was the largest high school shooting in the history of the United States.
Virginia Tech
April 16, 2007, is a day which will live in infamy across the country. That was the day when Seung-Hui Cho committed the most horrific school shooting in American history. The first attack occurred when the shooter entered a residence hall and shot into a room where a couple was sleeping, killing one person. The second attack followed, where 31 people were gunned down. Two false bomb threats in the previous week led some students to disregard warnings about the shooting, contributing to misinformation around the campus regarding the shooting.
Newtown
Perhaps, the most outrage came after the shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza, a 20 year old and a teacher's son, killed his mother, Nancy, at their Newtown home before obtaining an arsenal and driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School. After shooting his way into the building, Lanza made his way to a kindergarten classroom where he killed 20 children. All in all, Lanza killed 26 people in what was the second worst school shooting in American history.
Mass shootings have periodically made headlines and grabbed the attention of the entire nation for decades. These incidents have taken place in public settings, making the citizens of this country apprehensive about going into places such as schools, shopping malls and office buildings.
Despite substantial attention from the media, these types of shootings account for a very small percentage of all gun deaths. In the book The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know, Philip Cook and Kristin Goss write that mass shootings "claimed less than 1% of all gun homicide victims in 2010" (47).
It seems as though the presence of incidents of mass shootings in the media is ever increasing. In his New York Times article "FBI Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000," Michael S. Schmidt cites a FBI report stating that "mass shootings have risen drastically in the last half-dozen years" (Schmidt par. 1). This is the first time the FBI has acknowledged a fact such as this.
Here is a brief history of mass shootings:
Columbine
On April 20, 1999, seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris walked into Columbine High School where they set off bombs and fired weapons. The two young men eventually killed 12 fellow students and 1 teacher. 23 more students were injured in the shooting, which ended when Klebold and Harris took their own lives in the library. Thousands watched as surviving students walked out of the school with hands raised. This was the largest high school shooting in the history of the United States.
Virginia Tech
April 16, 2007, is a day which will live in infamy across the country. That was the day when Seung-Hui Cho committed the most horrific school shooting in American history. The first attack occurred when the shooter entered a residence hall and shot into a room where a couple was sleeping, killing one person. The second attack followed, where 31 people were gunned down. Two false bomb threats in the previous week led some students to disregard warnings about the shooting, contributing to misinformation around the campus regarding the shooting.
Newtown
Perhaps, the most outrage came after the shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza, a 20 year old and a teacher's son, killed his mother, Nancy, at their Newtown home before obtaining an arsenal and driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School. After shooting his way into the building, Lanza made his way to a kindergarten classroom where he killed 20 children. All in all, Lanza killed 26 people in what was the second worst school shooting in American history.
References
Books:
Cook, Phillip and Kristin Goss. The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know. 1st ed. ch. 4. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford UP, 2014. Print.
Journals:
Cornell, Saul. “The Right to Carry Firearms Outside Of the Home: Separating Historical Myths from Historical Realities.” Fordham Urban Law Journal 39.5 (2012): 1695-1726. Academic Search Complete. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/10/09.
Periodicals:
Florin, Karen. "Sandy Hook Report: Not Motive Uncovered; Police Response Was Swift." The Day [New London, Connecticut] 25 Nov. 2013, State and Regional News sec.: n. pag. Print.
Harnden, Toby. "Massacre on Campus: Gunman Kills 32 in the Deadliest Campus Shooting in American History; Warning E-Mail Issued After First Shootings." The Vancouver Sun 17 Apr. 2007, News sec.: A1. Print.
Pak, Samantha. "An Unhappy Anniversary; Ten Years After Columbine, School Security On the Rise." Idaho Falls Post Register 19 Apr. 2009, sec. A: A1. Print.
Sowell, Thomas. “Connecticut Shootings; Tragedy Again Brings Out Calls for Gun Control Laws.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (December 18, 2012, Tuesday):n.pag. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/10/07.
Webpages:
Lee, Jack. “14 Crucial Moments in U.S. Gun Control History,” Policy.Mic. (February 14, 2013): n.pag. http://mic.com/articles/26570/14-crucial-moments-in-u-s- gun-control-history. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/10/21.
Schmidt, Michael S. "F.B.I Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000." New York Times 25 Sept. 2014: A19. Print.
Main Image URL:
http://www.assaultweapon.info/images/m4a1.jpg
Books:
Cook, Phillip and Kristin Goss. The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know. 1st ed. ch. 4. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford UP, 2014. Print.
Journals:
Cornell, Saul. “The Right to Carry Firearms Outside Of the Home: Separating Historical Myths from Historical Realities.” Fordham Urban Law Journal 39.5 (2012): 1695-1726. Academic Search Complete. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/10/09.
Periodicals:
Florin, Karen. "Sandy Hook Report: Not Motive Uncovered; Police Response Was Swift." The Day [New London, Connecticut] 25 Nov. 2013, State and Regional News sec.: n. pag. Print.
Harnden, Toby. "Massacre on Campus: Gunman Kills 32 in the Deadliest Campus Shooting in American History; Warning E-Mail Issued After First Shootings." The Vancouver Sun 17 Apr. 2007, News sec.: A1. Print.
Pak, Samantha. "An Unhappy Anniversary; Ten Years After Columbine, School Security On the Rise." Idaho Falls Post Register 19 Apr. 2009, sec. A: A1. Print.
Sowell, Thomas. “Connecticut Shootings; Tragedy Again Brings Out Calls for Gun Control Laws.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (December 18, 2012, Tuesday):n.pag. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/10/07.
Webpages:
Lee, Jack. “14 Crucial Moments in U.S. Gun Control History,” Policy.Mic. (February 14, 2013): n.pag. http://mic.com/articles/26570/14-crucial-moments-in-u-s- gun-control-history. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/10/21.
Schmidt, Michael S. "F.B.I Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000." New York Times 25 Sept. 2014: A19. Print.
Main Image URL:
http://www.assaultweapon.info/images/m4a1.jpg