Guns control in US

The United States stands out among developed countries for being home to approximately one third of all firearms in the world and weak controls on access to firearms.

Firearms are generally classified into three broad types: (1) handguns, (2) rifles, and (3) shotguns. Rifles and shotguns are both considered "long guns."

 

Handgun  A weapon designed to fire a small projectile from one or more barrels when held in one hand with a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand. 

 

Revolver  A handgun that contains its ammunition in a revolving cylinder that typically holds five to nine cartridges, each within a separate chamber. Before a revolver fires, the cylinder rotates, and the next chamber is aligned with the barrel. 

 

Pistol  Any handgun that does not contain its ammunition in a revolving cylinder. Pistols can be manually operated or semiautomatic. A semiautomatic pistol generally contains cartridges in a magazine located in the grip of the gun. When the semiautomatic pistol is fired, the spent cartridge that contained the bullet and propellant is ejected, the firing mechanism is cocked, and a new cartridge is chambered. 

 

Derringer  A small single- or multiple-shot handgun other than a revolver or semiautomatic pistol. 

 

Rifle  A weapon intended to be fired from the shoulder that uses the energy of the explosive in a fixed metallic cartridge to fire only a single projectile through a rifled bore for each single pull of the trigger.  

 

Shotgun  A weapon intended to be fired from the shoulder that uses the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.

 

The rate of gun ownership in the US is much higher than most comparable countries, with approximately 42.8% of American household owning firearms, including 17.6% owning handguns in 2012.  The developed country with the next highest ownership rate was Finland, where 37.9% of the population owning firearms, though only 6.3% owned handguns. Switzerland was the country with the second highest handgun ownership, at 10.3%, with an overall rate of 28.6% for all firearms. In Canada, 15.5% of households own firearms, with 2.9% owning handguns.

 

Where there are more guns, more deaths usually follow.  The death rate by firearms in the United States was 10.2 per 100,000 people in 2012, for a total of 31,347 deaths. This is nearly as many as in car accidents, where 34,485 Americans died that same year. The American rate of death by firearms is nearly twice as high as the nearest other developed country, again Finland, with a rate of 4.47 in 2011. In Canada, the rate was 2.5 in 2012, while the UK had only 0.25 in 2012

Some studies have examined the link between gun ownership rates and firearm death rates, with one comparing rates in Canada, the US, England and Australia. It concluded that 92 percent of the variance in death rates was explained by differences in access to firearms. 

 

 

Gun laws in the United States regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition. State laws vary, and are independent of existing federal firearms laws, although they are sometimes broader or more limited in scope than the federal laws. For instance, some US states have created assault weapon bans that are similar to the expired federal assault weapons ban.

State level laws vary significantly in their form, content, and level of restriction. Forty-four states have a provision in their state constitutions similar to the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The exceptions are California, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York. In New York, however, the statutory civil rights laws contain a provision virtually identical to the Second Amendment

 

Firearm owners are subject to the firearm laws of the state they are in, and not exclusively their state of residence. Reciprocity between states exists in certain situations, such as with regard to concealed carry permits. These are recognized on a state-by-state basis. For example, Idaho recognizes an Oregon permit, but Oregon does not recognize an Idaho permit. Florida issues a license to carry both concealed weapons and firearms, but others license only the concealed carry of firearms. Some states do not recognize out-of-state permits to carry a firearm at all, so it is important to understand the laws of each state when traveling with a handgun.

 

 

 

 

Individual rights

 

The 'right of the people to keep and bear arms' was written into the US Bill of Rights and is protected under the American Constitution. Since then, different laws have restricted the conditions under which guns can be bought, sold and used. There are presently more than 20,000 gun laws and regulations at the federal, state, and local level. These limit the original 'right to bear arms'.  
 
Those in favour of gun control believe that the mention of 'the people' in the Constitution refers to states, not individuals. They argue that those who drafted the Constitution intended to ensure the official agencies of the states could be legally armed, not every individual citizen. This is the subject of an ongoing debate but there is little chance of the Supreme Court being asked to rule on the question.

 
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state , the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."  
 
Second Amendment to the Constitution. 1791 

9 Facts About Guns

1. In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police.

Approximately 20 percent of gun owners own 65 percent of the guns.

2. ​The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms reports that about 5.5 million new firearms were manufactured in America in 2012. 95 percent of it was for the U.S. market.
3. Close to 33,000 Americans were victims of gun-related deaths in 2012
4. Buyers that purchase firearms through private sales in the U.S. don't have to pass a background check before obtaining possession of the weapon.
• This includes sales to criminals, felons, and people with a history of severe mental illness.
5. In the first 11 months of 2012, the federal government performed 16.8 million background checks on legal gun purchases, which was a record high since the system was founded back in 1998.
6. The Brady Campaign to prevent gun violence reports that an average of 268 people are shot every day in America. That's 97,820 per year.
7. Trigger locks are used to make a firearm more difficult to discharge and act as a safety precaution in carrying and owning guns. However, only 9 states in America (NY, NJ, CA, OH, MI, RI, MD, PA, MA) have trigger lock laws that enforce this precautionary measure.
8. Since 1950, every public mass shooting (with the exception of just one) in the U.S. has occurred in a place where civilians are banned from carrying firearms.
9. 51 gun shows banned attendees from bringing loaded guns to events in January 2013, to promote a safe, recreational environment.
10. In January 2013, President Obama presented his comprehensive plan to prevent gun violence in the U.S. His plan includes:
• improving the background check system 
• banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines of ammunition
• creating and enforcing stricter trafficking laws 
• increasing our study and knowledge of the gun violence epidemic

 

A survey conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in January 2013 found that:

• 74% of NRA members support requiring a background check system for all gun sales
• NRA members broadly oppose new restrictions on gun ownership.

A poll conducted by the NRA of 1000 of its members between January 13 and January 14 2013 found:

• 92% of NRA members oppose gun confiscation via mandatory buy-back laws.
• 89% oppose banning semi-automatic firearms, often mistakenly called "assault rifles."
• 93% oppose a law requiring gun owners to register with the federal government.
• 92% oppose a federal law banning the sale of firearms between private citizens.
• 82.3% of members are in favor of a program that would place armed security professionals in every school.