The topic of gun control legislation is a key component of the criminal justice system. The use of guns by law abiding citizens has positive affects on crime and is perfectly legal if all requirements for registering a gun have been fulfilled. This paper will discuss the topic of gun control legislation in the areas of its history, the public attitude towards gun control and gun control legislation, and how the ownership of guns affects violence and crime rates in the United States.The controversial topic of gun control legislation in America is one that has been around for centuries dating back to the formation of the United States. There have been many acts, bills, laws, and even an amendment passed to try to settle this topic, but still it is up in arms:According to Ferro (2001):Few issues incite Americans more than gun control. The debate over gun ownership has provoked strong emotions for years and shows no sign of abating. Are gun ownership rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, or should guns be banned or restricted because they are used to commit crimes? Some people argue that the individual right to bear arms is not as vital as it was in 1791, nor that it applies to individuals; others argue that it is an individual right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. (pp. 1)Before the United States was an established country and England had control over the colonies, English law on gun control was used by the people of the colonies. The English law on gun control was founded by an English jurist Sir William Blackstone. Blackstone had a book called Commentaries, and in the book was the British law of gun control. It stated that, "The right of having and using arms for self-preservation and defense." (Ferro, 2001, pp. 2) Blackstone's law was actually one of the reasons that the topic of gun control was included in the U.S. Constitution. When the Constitution was actually formed in 1787, thirty-nine men were chosen to sign the document. At the end of the initial creation of the Constitution three people did not sign the Constitution because it contained no Bill of Rights. One of the people who refused to sign the bill said "Without a Bill of Rights, Congress at their pleasure may arm or disarm all or any part of the freemen of the United States." (Ferro, 2001, pp. 2) This lead to James Madison's creation of the Amendments which was later referred to become the Bill of Rights. The second of Madison's amendments was on the topic of gun ownership and gun control. "Overall, four basic beliefs were assimilated into the Second Amendment: the right of the individual to possess arms, the fear of a professional army, the dependence on militias regulated by the individual states, and the control of the military by citizens." (Ferro, 2001, pp. 2) That was the initial debate about gun control in the United States. Since 1787, gun control legislation has changed time and time again but with good reason. The advances in technology, the accessibility of guns,...
