Crime
Gun Crime: The facts
Terrifying incidents like the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in which 15 students died prompted calls for greater gun control but, for many Americans, owning a gun is as important as casting your vote. The debate has never been more intense.
The case against gun control
The National Rifle Association regards the right to carry arms as a key civil liberty, pointing to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states: "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." The NRA advocates what it calls responsible gun-ownership, which it says does not fuel gun crime. And what the NRA says packs a punch: hundreds of Congress members back the group.
The case for gun control
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is named after Jim Brady, a White House aide seriously wounded in an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981. In 1993, the "Brady Bill" became law, requiring a five-day waiting period and background check on handguns bought at licensed dealers. The body states that, in 1998, dealers sold an estimated 4.4 million firearms, including 1.7 million handguns. The group also estimates that between one and three million guns change hands in the largely unregulated second-hand market.
Sobering statistics
The figures for U.S. gun crime are grim. The FBI estimates that 67 per cent of the 16,204 murders in 2002 were committed with firearms. According to the U.S. Department of Justice: "Homicides of teens and young adults are much more likely to be committed with a gun than homicides of persons of other ages." According to the FBI, 58 police officers were killed by a firearm while responding to a crime in 1998.
Arnie's bill
As the federal assault weapons bill lapsed in Washington, a new gun control law came into being in California. State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill banning the sale of powerful sniper rifles. These .50 calibre weapons are accurate over a mile. They fire armour-piercing, exploding rounds capable of downing an aircraft. Yet, under current federal law, these weapons are as easy to buy as conventional hunting rifles.
Anarchy in the UK?
The gun crime statistics in this country are nothing like those of the United States. Home Office figures for 2002-2003 state that there were 81 homicides involving firearms, down 16 per cent from 97 the previous year. Firearms were reported to have been used in 10,248 recorded crimes, a two per cent increase over 2001-2002. Overall, firearms (excluding air weapons) were used in 0.17 per cent of all recorded crime.
Find out more
The National Rifle Association
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
U.S. Department of Justice Firearms and Crime Statistics
UK Home Office Recorded Crime Statistics
The National Rifle Association regards the right to carry arms as a key civil liberty, pointing to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states: "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." The NRA advocates what it calls responsible gun-ownership, which it says does not fuel gun crime. And what the NRA says packs a punch: hundreds of Congress members back the group.
The case for gun control
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is named after Jim Brady, a White House aide seriously wounded in an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981. In 1993, the "Brady Bill" became law, requiring a five-day waiting period and background check on handguns bought at licensed dealers. The body states that, in 1998, dealers sold an estimated 4.4 million firearms, including 1.7 million handguns. The group also estimates that between one and three million guns change hands in the largely unregulated second-hand market.
Sobering statistics
The figures for U.S. gun crime are grim. The FBI estimates that 67 per cent of the 16,204 murders in 2002 were committed with firearms. According to the U.S. Department of Justice: "Homicides of teens and young adults are much more likely to be committed with a gun than homicides of persons of other ages." According to the FBI, 58 police officers were killed by a firearm while responding to a crime in 1998.
Arnie's bill
As the federal assault weapons bill lapsed in Washington, a new gun control law came into being in California. State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill banning the sale of powerful sniper rifles. These .50 calibre weapons are accurate over a mile. They fire armour-piercing, exploding rounds capable of downing an aircraft. Yet, under current federal law, these weapons are as easy to buy as conventional hunting rifles.
Anarchy in the UK?
The gun crime statistics in this country are nothing like those of the United States. Home Office figures for 2002-2003 state that there were 81 homicides involving firearms, down 16 per cent from 97 the previous year. Firearms were reported to have been used in 10,248 recorded crimes, a two per cent increase over 2001-2002. Overall, firearms (excluding air weapons) were used in 0.17 per cent of all recorded crime.
Find out more
The National Rifle Association
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
U.S. Department of Justice Firearms and Crime Statistics
UK Home Office Recorded Crime Statistics
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