Regulation of guns is a necessary action that needs to be taken in order

to save lives. A good definition of gun control is needed to understand the

sides and issues. Gun control is an effort to stop the rise in violent crime

by strengthening laws on the ownership of firearms. Persons in the group

against gun control believe that gun control is wrong, and that it is a

violation of constitutional rights. Those in favor of gun control believe

that gun control is good, that the Second Amendment does not apply to regular

citizens, and that guns should be taken out of the hands of criminals. There

are several major anti-gun control groups. These groups include the National

Rifle Association (NRA), and the Gun Owners of America (GOA) . The NRA is a

national group dedicated to the upholding of the Second amendment of the

Constitution. In their magazines, American Hunter and American Rifleman, they

say "The NRA, . . . believes that every law-abiding citizen is entitled to

the ownership and legal use of firearms, . . . " The NRA does many things to

help display their beliefs and persuade others to their beliefs. This

association also has a strong pull on legislation, because it has many

lobbyists and supporters in government. This group has many members in

Congress, and former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan are NRA

members. The NRA lobbies for several types of legislation. For example, the

NRA is currently trying to repeal the ban on assault weapons. A lot of money

is spent each year on legislation . The Gun Owners of America is another

group that is against gun control. The GOA preserves and defends the rights

of gun owners through legislation. They publish books, articles, and videos

on gun issues and how those issues affect people. They also conduct seminars

for the press and Congress about issues on the Second Amendment, and gun

issues. The GOA opposes bans on semiautomatic weapons, armor piercing

ammunition, and handguns. There are also many groups that are pro gun control

in the United States. The major group for gun control is Handgun Control,

Inc. (HCI), which is headed by Sarah Brady. Mrs. Brady is the wife of James

Brady, who was shot during an attempt on president Reagan's life in 1981.

Another major group is the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV), which was

formerly known as the National Coalition to Ban Handguns. The CSGV believes

that handguns should be outlawed completely, with a few exceptions, such as

the military, police and sportsmen who keep their guns locked up together in

a gun club. Some accomplishments of HCI are laws prohibiting the interstate

sale of handguns, and laws prohibiting the sale of "assault weapons." The

main goal of this organization was to pass the Brady Bill. Some of its other

goals are to ban multiple sales of handguns, to create gun-free zones around

all of the schools, and to establish control over who can manufacture and

sell weapons. HCI is working very hard to achieve these goals. The CSGV is

dedicated to the total removal of guns from the hands of citizens, with a few

exceptions. The CSGV is trying very hard to put gun banning legislation in

the law. They believe that if there are fewer guns out on the streets, then

there will be fewer gun crimes committed. The anti-gun control people believe

in several major ideas. They believe that the second amendment rights apply

only to militia, which they define as a group such as the National Guard and

not regular citizens. These people also believe that by controlling numbers

of guns on the streets gun violence can be reduced. The national government

doing working with the issue of gun control. There have been several bills

passed in the last ten years that have to do with gun control. First, there

was the Gun Control Act of 1986, which banned all fully-automatic weapons

from the hands of citizens. Then in 1988 there was the Brady Bill, which made

a seven-day waiting period mandatory for all handgun purposes, this law

passed the House of Representatives in 1991, but part of it was ruled

unconstitutional in 1994. Most recently there was the ban on assault weapons,

which bans the sale and manufacture of what the government considers assault

weapons. Both the NRA and HCI have fought very hard against one another to

pass some bills, and to keep some bills from becoming law.

Both sides of this argument present very strong cases. They have many facts

and statistics to use as weapons. The stronger case being presented by the

pro-gun control groups. The NRA has several good points, but HCI has points

that are more relevant to the society we live in. Pro-gun control groups can

prove that crime can be reduced with more gun control laws by showing death

statistics in countries with stricter gun control laws. The NRA argues

differently, but does not have the extremely convincing evidence to back

their ideas up. To save more lives from death by firearms, some compromise

must be made between these groups. Losing some time or money to buy a gun

could save many lives. The NRA argues that people are guaranteed the right to

own guns in the Second Amendment, but anti-gun control groups say that the

law applies only to militia, not individuals. The pro-gun control groups have

the stronger case because they can prove that lives will be saved. Take away

the guns, and there will be no gun violence, it makes sense.