Restrictions on Gun Ownership

Running Head: RESTRICTIONS ON GUN OWNERSHIP Are there any Legitimate Restrictions on Gun Ownership? Steve PHI103: Informal Logic The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution gives the citizens of America the right of the people to bear arms. This was adopted with the rest of the Bill of Rights. However, with this being said there are people that take this right to heart, and they feel they should be able to have any gun they want. There are guns that are specifically designed for military, some local or state law enforcement and are illegal for the average person to own. There are a lot of Federal and state laws that have to be met prior to anyone purchasing and therefore, owning a gun. There are safety laws that have been put in place to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, children, and the mentally handicapped as well as other irresponsible people that may have the ability to injure or kill another human being. There are also certain criteria a person will have to meet before the purchase of a gun will go through. A gun owner knows what it takes to kill and those individuals know there should be different forms of gun control measures to help prevent accidents from occurring. As the saying goes â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people do. † The prevention of accidents is just one reason for supporting gun control. Another reason to support gun control is to prevent the people already mentioned from having the ability to get a gun that can be used to injure or intimidate people. Better enforcement of the many gun laws we have in place currently should be the priority of the state and local law enforcement agencies. Commandeering someone’s gun or extremely over-the-top gun laws are not the answers to fixing the gun problems we are faced with today. Strictly enforcing current laws, we have in place now is the answer. The U. S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote on Thursday June 26, 2008 declared for the first time that Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution guaranteed the rights of individual Americans to bear and keep arms. They stated that the ownership of a gun is a right of the individual, not intertwined with military service, and that it can be regulated in some ways, (2008, June 26) Furthermore, this ruling came out of Washington D. C; case that had a security guard sued the district for prohibiting him from keeping his handgun at his home. In D. C. , it is a crime to carry an unregistered firearm, and registration of a handgun is prohibited. The rules for handguns are so strict that they regulate handguns out of existence. These rules are put in place to try and curb violence with handguns in the nation’s capital. This ruling furthermore struck down this ban on constitutional grounds, stating it flew in the face of our constitutional right to bear arms, (2008, June 26) The case in D. C. also It was also stated that the two sides in this case viewed the Founding Fathers intentions of the Amendment rights very different. For the most part the majority of the Supreme Court Justices said that this amendment protected the individual’s right to own a gun without connection with the service in a militia and to use this for a lawful purpose such as self-defense in the home. â€Å"Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapons whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose,† Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority. But it did allow for individuals to have guns for lawful purposes, such as hunting and defending themselves, he said. The majority clearly saw the individual right to own a gun, (2008, June 26) This ruling left in place many restrictions at both the federal and state levels, like the bans that were placed on felon’s right to have a gun, and the bans on sawed-off shotguns and assault weapons. Justice John Paul Stevens stated that this ruling would leave it up to future courts to really define the details of the right to bear arms. He also stated that this should be the business of state legislatures, and that the court should stay out of this. Lastly, he stated that the law-abiding citizen will be able to keep a gun at home, but that it doesn’t address how the different states legislatures will want to regulate gun ownership. In another statement by Justice Stephen Breyer he stated that in his view â€Å"there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas, (2008, June 26) This was a topic for debate between the 2008 democratic and republican presidential office runners. Senator McCain stated â€Å"Today's ruling makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans,† he said. He also took a thinly veiled shot at the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama by saying â€Å"Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today's ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right — sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly. Presidential nominee Barack Obama responded to this ruling by stating that â€Å"Today's ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country,† he said, adding that â€Å"what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne,† but the decision reinforced that â€Å"if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe, (2008, June 26) It would only be fair to state that the crime rate has plummeted since the Supreme court made its decision on the Second Amendment. The table below shows just the Chicago data and as you can see there is a decline, (2011, Oct 4). When this was first looked at the thought was that if there were more guns out there that this would cause crime to increase, but this has been proven to be false. This stat bears the question of where there fewer crimes because the citizens are now gun owners, and the criminals are aware of this. Do you think it is because the criminals fear the laws? I do not think it is because they fear the laws. I truly believe that these criminals are thinking in the back of their mind that if they try to commit a crime against someone who could be armed, and they will retaliate by shooting them in self-defense. This may really make a criminal rethink this act before he/she commits the crime. Furthermore, I think the fact that the victim might be so scared and could shoot without thinking and possibly killing the perpetrator truly has the perpetrator thinking of this unknown factor, and that makes them more cautious about committing the crime in the first place. The following is a chart for the crime rates from 2009-2010, (2010, Dec. 20). As you can see that not only did the rates change in Chicago but the one below is for the United States as a whole. It was said that the â€Å"The Supreme Court breathed new life into the amendment when it struck down strict handgun bans in Washington and Chicago and spoke of the â€Å"inherent right of self-defense. † But to the dismay of gun rights advocates, judges in recent months have read those decisions narrowly and rejected claims from those who said they had a constitutional right to carry a loaded gun on their person or in their car. Instead, these judges from California to Maryland have said the â€Å"core right† to a gun is limited to the home. Now, the National Rifle Assn. is asking the high court to take up the issue this fall and â€Å"correct the widespread misapprehension that the 2nd Amendment's scope does not extend beyond the home. † Stephen Halbrook, an NRA lawyer, said â€Å"some judges have buried their heads in the sand and have refused to go one step further† than saying there is a right to have a gun at home. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence hailed the trend and called the high court's rulings a â€Å"hollow victory† for gun enthusiasts. The gun lobby has tried to expand [the 2nd Amendment] into a broad right to carry any type of gun anywhere. And they have been almost unanimously rejected by the courts,† said Jonathan Lowy, director of legal action. He conceded, however, that â€Å"this battle is far from over. † The uncertainty began with the Supr eme Court itself. In 2008, Justice Antonin Scalia said the history of the 2nd Amendment shows it â€Å"guarantees the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation. But other parts of his 5-4 opinion stressed there is no right to â€Å"carry any weapon in any manner,† and that bans on â€Å"carrying concealed weapons were lawful† in the 19th century† (Savage, D, 2011) The following stats provided by the FBI provide ammunition on the Supreme Court’s decision on the second Amendment. It stated that â€Å"Despite a grinding recession, reported crime in the United States continues to fall, the FBI said Monday. Violent crime was down 6 percent in 2010 — the fourth consecutive yearly decline, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. Property crime dropped for the eighth year in a row, down 2. 7 percent in 2010. In Pennsylvania, violent crime fell 3 percent and property crime ticked down 0. 5 percent. New Jersey and Delaware reported small drops in violent crime, but increases in property crime,† (Moran, R. 2011). These stats show that right to bear arms did not have a negative effect on the recession. As I read all the articles and stories while doing my research for this paper, I find that the restrictions imposed on gun ownership appear to infringe on our Second Amendment rights provided to us by the U. S. Constitution. I also feel that there should definitely be some sort of control on guns, but we should not do this at the expense of what the Founding Fathers wrote in the U. S. Constitution. As what has been previously covered in this paper the mentally ill, convicted felons, or people that have been convicted of violent crimes should be the only ones that are exempt from owning a gun, and I truly feel that this is for the safety of our citizens here in the United States. Furthermore, I think that states should not impose such restrictions and deny all of that states people the right to own a gun. This is not only a direct violation of that persons Second Amendment rights but also a violation of a person’s right to due process under the 14th amendment. Lastly, I truly believe that the extreme laws or gun confiscations are illegal under the US Constitution and these do not work to stop crimes. Reference Anonymous,  . The FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Latest Stats Show a Continuing Decline in Crime Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June, 2010 (2010,  December , 20). Retrieved from http://www. bing. com/images/search? q=FBI+Crime+Rate+Reporting;view=detail;id=F22BCC735FB3184B04D1C2B36F350ED63CBD086F;first=0;FORM=IDFRIR Anonymous,  . SUPREME COURT ENDORSES NEW VIEW OF SECOND AMENDMENT Protection. (2008,  September). Criminal Justice Newsletter,3. Retrieved from http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=6;did=1646334181;SrchMode=1;sid=7;Fmt=2;VInst=PROD;VType=PQD;RQT=309;VName=PQD;TS=1322524094;clientId=74379 Lott, J. 2011, Oct 4) Chicago’s Violent Crime Rates Plummet After SCOTUS Removes Handgun Ban. Andrew Breitbart Presents BIG GOVERNMENT. Retrieved from http://biggovernment. com/jlott/2011/10/04/chicagos-violent-crime-rates-plummet-after-scotus-removes-handgun-ban/ Moran, R   (2011, September20). Crime rates continue to fall, FBI reports. McClatchy – Tribune Business News. Retrieved from http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=0;did=2460748471;SrchMode=1;sid=2;Fmt=3;VInst=PROD;VType=PQD;RQT=309;VName=PQD;TS=1324404944;clientId =74379

Phylum Porifera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Critically evaluate the impact of social media on the business world Essay - 1

Critically evaluate the impact of social media on the business world and our life - Essay Example This has made social media have a great impact on the business world and our individual life. Within the corporate world, social media is gaining popularity where it is being used in regular operations of many companies; this is mainly because it provides a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the world of the mouth, where people are connected on a global scale. Corporate messages on social media channels to reach new customers are conveyed, this is done through broadcast of positive feedback regarding the corporate message and its products. With this message, social media ensure that customers are retained hence building a positive customer loyalty. Additionally, dissatisfied customers are also reached directly within their own social media environment where the company embarks on finding better and more innovative ways of improving the product or service that they offer in the market outside (Bakardjieva and Gaden, 2011). Social media are relatively low-cost channels, which a company can use to market and advertise its products to millions of consumers. A good example is using Facebook a company just need to create a page within it where people shall need to like the page and have information which the company intends them to get in their computers, tablets or even phone. This has seen companies have million likes, which means more people are embracing this platform making the company enjoy cheap advertising platform. Social media also acts as a customer relation management too, mainly for companies which are selling products and services. Brand networking has become a way to capitalize on social trends, which is also a rich marketing tool. A company can maximize its return on marketing dollars by reaching out to potential customers via social media than making reliance on the high cost televised advertisement. Social media also allows a company to listen to a competitor message. Alternatively, this makes the listening company have strategies and

Ownership and Control as Important Aspect of the Media Essay Example for Free

Ownership and Control as Important Aspect of the Media Essay Discuss two contrasting theories and relevant studies to explain the extent to which ownership and control is an important aspect of the media. The term mass media is essentially information which is targeted at a large audience. The Mass media is a global industry which has played a major role in shaping society over the 20th century. As technology has developed and created the opportunity to communicate with huge numbers of people, the mass media has developed and with it the media’s impact on society. Over the last fifty years the media has changed its shape yet again to fit in with our increasingly technological society; various forms of new media have appeared: smartphones, laptops, internet and ipods. The general aim of these new mediums is to allow greater flexibility to the user and access media while mobile, also they are not physical forms of media but electronic, which has its own advantages and disadvantages. There have also been major changes in ownership and control of the media; it has become both increasingly concentrated and transnational. An example would be the controversial Mr. Murdoch. His News International group owns over one third of newspapers in Britain, Two other companies, Mirror Group Newspapers and United Newspapers own another 40 per cent between them. This clearly shows that the bulk of the power is held by only a few individuals, this creates very serious political and economical implications. Murdoch’s paper has been partially responsible for getting each government elected over the past fifty years; every party he has supported over the years has won. Two main sociological theories are used to explain ownership and control of the mass media: Pluralist theory and Marxist theory. Each have there own interpretations of the issues and subsequent strengths and weaknesses which I shall now discuss. Pluralist theory is all about power in society. They believe that no one group or elite dominates society. It is essentially a functionalist view. Instead Pluralists believe that there is a range of interest groups who share power. Pluralists argue that the mass media reflect such a range of interests. They argue that the mass media simply reflect what we, the public, want. If it is biased it is because that is the view people want to hear, it simply reflects the publics opinion rather than trying to make people think a particular way. For example the British press is generally conservative; Pluralists argue this is because British society is generally conservative. Pluralists would also say that the mass media provides a wide and diverse choice for the consumer. Therefore there is no single dominant ideology but a genuine choice for the consumer. Minority views are expressed just the same as the dominant views. Because of this Pluralists argue that the mass media has little or no influence on the views of the masses. At most it simply reinforces what people already believe. Pluralism recognizes the ability of the individuals to make up there own mind about key issues. For example, in the general elections of 1997 and 2001 viweing figures dropped sharply during the campaign, suggesting most people had decided who to support before the campaign even started. Furthermore in the 1992 elections the swing to the conservatives was just as great from the neutral Independent as is was from those who read pro-conservative tabloids. Even readers of The Sun, which was strongly against a conservative government, indicated in election polls that they had voted conservative. The Pluralist perspective is criticized for ignoring clear evidence of bias, mainly political bias and the influence it can have on society. For example, the political party supported by Rupert Murdoch’s papers has won every election since 1979. When he decided to switch from Labour to Conservative in 1997, there was a 15 per cent swing to Labour amongst readers of The Sun. This clear evidence of bias due to the views of a single man is ignored by the Pluralist perspective. The impact of the mass media is obviously key to election campaigns and has a massive impact on society as a whole. Arguably Rupert Murdoch alone has been responsible, in part, for getting each government elected since 1979. This clearly is very undemocratic and bad for the country. The Marxist conflict theory views the mass media as a means of not only influencing people, but also controlling them. It is used as a tool by the ruling class to maintain control and power through transmitting a conformist conservative view of the world. Sociologist have created two general views within Marxism, Manipulative Marxism – which places emphasis on the mass media as a form of economic capitalism and Hegemonic Marxism – which emphasises the mass media as a means whereby the ruling class project a culture which reflects their own norms and values, to the exclusion of all others. The concentration of ownership increases such control. Marxists also argue that the ruling class use the media as a filter through which information is passed to the mass of the population. In emphasizing the acceptance of the status quo, the media resists change and therefore works against the interests of the working class. The media therefore will project capitalism positively, creating a false class consciousness to the proletariat to prevent them realizing their exploitation and thus overthrow capitalism. Because of the established media moguls such as Rupert Murdoch it is difficult for small firms and individuals to gain much credit and fame. The Marxist perspective is seen as strong in analyzing the mass media from a conflict perspective. In doing so it helps to explain the mass media as a source of inequality within capitalist society. It also helps to explain the perceived bias within the media. For Marxists this is particularly important in a political and economical context. Marxism identifies and analyses political bias within the media, for example the consumerism culture that the newspapers promote. However, the Marxist theory is criticized for underestimating the ability of individuals to absorb information and make up there own minds about what they agree with or disagree with. Critics argue that people are not like robots who passively accept what they are told, rather they critically judge a variety of issues and make up there own mind using what they have been told and their own individual experience with the issue. James Curran, in Mass Media and Democracy: A reppraisal (1991), argues that the growth of commercial radio and television re-affirms the view that there is a widespread choice with a core public sector combined with an expanding private sector. Thus, the impact of ownership and control is negligible given the real and diverse choice that exists. Currans study supports the Pluralist perspective. Studies such as Curran’s are strong in recognizing the changing nature of British industry and how it applies to the mass media. Such conclusions are supported by the reality of the mass media that, despite a concentration of ownership, is run by a diverse range of individuals from different social backgrounds, through joint stock companies. However, this tends to ignore the fact that the largest proportion of shares in any public liability company is owned by either wealthy individuals or large institutional shareholders. From a Marxist perspective the ruling class is seen as an agent of ideological control in modern society, used by the ruling class to establish and impose its values on the working class. This is a view taking by Miliband in The State in Capitalist Society (1973). Miliband argues that the mass media is an agent of capitalist control, rejecting the pluralist theory that there is genuine choice.