Gun Control Sociology

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Gun Control
Gun issue is always a topic that people talk about. Some people think people should have freedom on guns, while some people disagree with them. As a result, the argument between gun rights and gun control has never stopped. In some countries, guns are totally banned. For example, in China, individual households are not allowed to possess guns. According to some research, gun control has a great relationship with the crime rate. In my opinion, the best sociology perspective to explain gun control is Conflict theory.
The idea of firearm control was mentioned in 1934, and started shortly after November 22, 1963 because of the assassination of President John F. Kenned. Congress added to the National Firearms Act with another round
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According to Richard Perez-Pena of New York Times, gun control is a restriction on firearms can be sold and bought, who can own and sell guns, and when a sale of gun happens, both the buyer and seller need to report this transaction to the government. Looking at Conflict theory, I think people who have right to possess guns are considered more powerful because they have the power to fight against others, even the government. Conflict theory emphasizes on social order. Social order often depends on power in different areas such as economics and politics. Because of different social order and values, competitions are caused. Mogren,E & Magoon,K state that the gun control law should be implemented to every individual. People who have great power in economics, politics and society shouldn’t be allowed to own guns. I agree with this idea because if the gun law can’t be implemented to every person, some people would think this is unfair because they are not …show more content…
In fact, gun control not only affects crime rate, it also affects suicide rate. This is not because gun owners are more depressed, but because the means of quick and effective suicide is easily at hand. The relationship between gun control and crime is complex. According to Adam Liptak of New York Times, some people believe that operation of gun law does reduce the crime rate. “A 1991 study in The New England Journal of Medicine compared Washington to its suburbs before and after the gun law took effect.It found that the law was linked to a 25 percent drop in homicides involving firearms and a 23 percent drop in such suicides.” (Adam Liptak) However, there are also research and statistics stating no direct relationship between gun control and crime rate. Professor Gary Kleck from Florida State University states that the D.C. handgun ban doesn’t reduce homicide. Thinking about conflict theory, the reason why there are competitions and conflicts in the society is people feel disappointed with the unequal distribution. People who earn less want to earn more, so competitions happen. The ownership of guns is not the main reason causing crimes and homicides. Nevertheless, if we look at conflict theory, we might ask “ how does gun control decrease crime rate?” In my opinion, the restriction of firearms will decrease the number of guns in the society. Guns possessed by legal owner could be stolen and used to