The Aim of Gun Control

Gun legislation in the United States represents the efforts of political officials and interest groups to restrict gun usage and availability. Their primary purpose is to reduce crime rates by regulating more strictly those who can possess a firearm and under what circumstances. The Gun Control Act of 1968 placed restrictions on how guns could be sold and distributed throughout the United States. Only licensed individuals, such as gun dealers, could distribute firearms between different states. Furthermore, the act significantly restricted who could and could not possess a firearm legally. For example, any person convicted of a crime with a jail sentence of over a year could not buy a firearm. In addition to anyone with a criminal record, illegal aliens were likewise not permitted to buy or possess a firearm. The Gun Control Act of 1968 generated much controversy amongst as many gun owners and licensed firearm dealers felt overly restricted by ATF regulations. After instances of questionable behavior of ATF officials towards licensed firearm dealers, the Gun Control Act of 1968 was revised under the Firearms Owner’s Protection Act in 1986.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. This law instituted for the first time a lateral mandate to perform federal background checks for all those wishing to purchase a handgun. As with the Gun Control Act of 1968, any background check indicating a criminal past would revoke one’s ability to purchase a handgun. Between 1994 and 2008, over 300 attempts by individual’s with criminal pasts were denied being able to buy a handgun (Knox, Becca, Brady Background Checks: 15 Years of Saving Lives. Washington, DC: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. November 30, 2008). In addition to these acts, other federal court and Supreme Court ruling have also enacted gun control. While many concerns exist that question the implications of gun control, such as it restricting constitutional rights, the most publicized aim of gun control legislation is to reduce crimes committed by using firearms. Evidence suggests that gun crime has been reduced since the laws have taken effect. However such evidence still does not tell the entire story about the tricky relationship between guns and crime.