Gun control is a complex issue within the United States. The right of self-protection and preservation is one of our most sacred rights. Our earliest colonists and founding fathers bore arms to win our independence from Britain. Since then, the common man has enjoyed hunting sports and gun hobbies that were previously reserved for the British aristocracy. Yet, at the same time, an alarming number of crimes are being perpetrated by gun-toting rogues, as well as a startling number of gun deaths, whether intentional or accidental. One issue in the gun control discussion is whether citizens should be able to have "conceal-and-carry" weapons with them at all times. If a citizen wishes to obtain a concealed carry permit, then he or she must first pass a background check, meet eligibility requirements and complete a handgun safety course. Statistics show that crime actually decreases once right-to-carry laws are enacted. Florida passed the law in 1987, when crime was at an all-time high. In the years to follow, very few incidents involving concealed weapons occurred so the Dade County Police department stopped tracking them. In fact, from 1987 to 1996, the homicide rate dropped 36% (compared to 0.4% nationwide), the firearm homicide rate decreased 37% (compared to a nationwide increase of 15%) and the handgun homicide rate decreased 41% (compared to an increase of 24% nationwide). Another gun control question is: Are automatic weapons included in our Second Amendment right? Since automatic assault weapons weren't developed until World War I, the founding forefathers couldn't have possibly imagined the impact of these guns on society... right? One can only imagine the sort of havoc a gun firing 1,500 rounds per minute could have on the general population. However, U.S. crime statistics show that the vast majority of incidents are not from automatic weapons but from standard handguns. After the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004, the unthinkable happened: crime dropped by 3.6%. Some states kept the ban and saw murder rates drop, on average, 2.4% (although the murder rate actually rose in some states). Of the states that got rid of the ban, murder rates decreased by more than 4% on average. Gun control laws have ranged the gamut from restrictive to lenient over the years. In 2008, the Supreme Court made a landmark decision in the case of D.C. vs Heller. They interpreted the 2nd Amendment as pertaining to an individual right to bear arms, rather than a collective right. They also noted that, in their estimation, handguns were included in "arms" and that it was lawful for a citizen to have a handgun in his home, so long as the proper permits were secured. Never before has the highest court in the land been so bold to define the law. Yet, they also cautioned, there are still necessary restrictions, as outlined in the 1986 gun regulations.
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