Firearms regulation, commonly referred to in the United States as gun control which is all about Gun Control and Gun Rights in Unites States of America , is a set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.
Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with only a few legislations being categorized as permissive. Jurisdictions that regulate access to firearms typically restrict access to only certain categories of firearms and then to restrict the categories of persons who will be granted a firearms license to have access to a firearm.
Usage of the term gun control is sometimes politicized. Some of those in favor of legislation instead prefer to use terms such as “gun-violence prevention”, “gun safety”, “firearms regulation”, “illegal guns”, or “criminal access to guns”.
In 2007, it was estimated that there were, globally, about 875 million small arms in the hands of civilians, law enforcement agencies, and armed forces. Of these firearms 650 million, or 75%, are held by civilians. U.S. civilians account for 270 million of this total. A further 200 million are controlled by state military forces. Law enforcement agencies have some 26 million small arms. Non-state armed group have about 1.4 million firearms. Finally, gang members hold between 2 and 10 million small arms.Together, the small arms arsenals of non-state armed groups and gangs account for, at most, 1.4% of the global total.
In fact, only you can.
Here are 30 actions (plus!) you can take on gun safety in America that can make a difference. Go ahead and try.
Resistbot is a fast and easy tool that allows you to quickly contact your elected officials using Text (SMS) or Facebook Messenger.
Gun reform groups are working hard. They need your help.
SUPGV is an umbrella organization for many state specific organizations doing amazing work. Donate to them directly or find one of their State chapters and donate to the state chapter where you live.
Bonus ! Make sure you sign up for Amazon Smile so that a portion of every purchase you make goes to the GVP organization you support!
After meeting directly with your representative in person, making a phone call is the single most effective thing that you can do today.
Find out who represents you in Congress by clicking here.
Once you call, let them know that you are a constituent, that you vote for candidates that make gun reform a priority and that you expect to see them take strong action on common sense gun reforms like Universal Background Checks.
It is easy. Find your local paper, learn how to send a “letter to the editor”, and then send it.
Here is a good article on how to write a great LTE.
Find your representative on facebook and send them a message. It is easy.
For example: Dear Representative, I am your constituent and I vote. I am horrified about the gun violence epidemic in America and want action now. Specifically I want to see legislation supporting Universal Background Checks on all gun sales.
Find your representative on twitter and send them a tweet. It is easy.
Don’t know how to find their twitter name? Click here.
The NRA has a ton of money and they have spent decades spending that money setting the terms of the discussion and the debate in America. It is not hard, however, to learn the facts about gun violence and gun ownership in America and what you can do to stop it.
The Brady Campaign on background checks.
There are national groups with local chapters and there are state specific groups that you can join. Or you can join both.
Get involved! Meet people like yourself that are interested in this issue.
Don’t want to join a group or donate? Want to get your feet wet and meet people involved? Then find a local event that you feel comfortable participating in.
All the major groups have local chapters, or you can find a state group. See number 7 for links!
For example, if you are in DC area there is a monthly event at the NRA Headquarters. You can find out more here.
When you visit a friend’s home you ask about pool covers and let them know about known allergies, right?
Now, make sure that you ask if there is a gun in the home. If there is, ask if it is locked away from the kids and if the ammo is kept in a separate place.
More on this important and life saving program at the ASK website.
Guess what? Politicians care about two things: 1) votes and 2) money. Make sure you donate to those candidates that support common sense gun reforms and let them know why you are giving them money. Donate at every level. Federal, State and Local.
Any amount can have an impact. Seriously.
After you have figured out who your Federal reps are, take a moment to learn who represents you at the state level. Just like at the Federal level, you will have a state representative and a state senator.
Find out who they are. Use this website to help.
Call them up and let them know you are a constituent, that you expect strong gun reforms to protect American lives, that you vote and that you expect action.
Post to their facebook page.
You better bet that they know every single law that is on the books, better than most law enforcement officers (sometimes).
Just like we stated in #11 above, Gun folks love to know the law and each state has their own very specific gun laws. Depending on the state you live in, it is important to understand the local laws that impact the sale and use of guns.
The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has a great state database as well.
Did you know that more than two million American children live in homes with unsecured guns? It’s a fact that should concern every single parent—especially because, according to a recent report from Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, at least 100 children were killed in unintentional shootings between December 2012 and December 2013. Learn more from Moms Demand Action here.
Join a campaign to encourage corporations to ban the civilian carry of guns in stores. For example, Moms Demand Action is working on getting Kroger to stop allowing guns in their stores.
What did we say politicians really care about ? 1) Votes and 2) Money.
What do only 30 % of Americans do in off year (non presidential election) elections?
Join an organization that works to register voters who care about gun reform.
18 – REGISTER TO VOTE AND THEN VOTE, REALLY VOTE!
The NRA has 5 million members and when the NRA tells them who to vote for guess who the members for vote?
NRA sponsored and NRA rated candidates.
The NRA has the power to go to politicians and give them what they want. 1) Money and 2) votes.
Make sure you register to vote !
Heartfelt and public displays of grief for the victims and their families are important. When the next (and there will be a next) horrific gun murder occurs in your community volunteer to organize or be part of a public vigil.
Don’t go all facebook crazy about gun reform, but do spend some time spreading the new found knowledge that you have now that you KNOW THE FACTS ! Everytown has a great learning center here.
Did you know that 88 people die every day from guns in America?
Did you know that 33,000 people die every year because of guns?
Did know know that 2/3 of those 33,000 are people who kill themselves? And that suicide via a gun is almost 100% effective?
Did you know that the NRA stopped all federal research into gun violence at the CDC?
Block, report, ban — do whatever it takes so that you don’t waste your precious time attempting to “reason” with gun nuts who believe things like the murder of 26 at Sandy Hook was a “false flag” operation by the Obama administration designed to allow the government to confiscate guns from Americans.
Don’t spend a second with them.
Not a big wig with a ton of money?
Volunteer for the candidate(s) that believe what you believe in.
Know what? You can actually get to meet the candidate (over pizza) and talk to them, 1 on 1, about your views on guns.
Offer to speak to your community. Start a conversation.
There are some great shirts you can buy now from some of the organizations listed at the top of the page. I personally love my “Wear Orange” from Everytown.
PS: Don’t forget to take a change of clothes if you are met with hostile crowds of gun nuts.
Got any good ideas? Buy a book, read it, get your book club to discuss it. Take action.
I would suggest any book by Mike Weisser. Click here to find some at Amazon.com !
Check out the Brady website for the latest on this event.
An NRA-backed amendment to the 1993 Brady Bill created a loophole that—over the last five years—has allowed more than 15,000 gun sales to dangerous people because a background check could not be completed within the three-day period required by the law. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently revealed that the Charleston shooter obtained a gun despite an incomplete background check due to this loophole in the law.
Some retailers, like Wal-Mart, have instituted policies to prohibit the sale of a gun to a customer who hasn’t actually passed a completed background check. We are calling on gun retailers–starting with Cabela’s–to put public safety first. More than 100,000 have already called on Cabela’s to adopt a NoCheck, NoSale policy. Make sure Cabela’s gets the message: sign our petition today.
The responsibility of enacting common-sense gun laws in the United States lies with us all.
Most Americans care about the issue of gun violence. We are deeply affected by the coverage of gun-related tragedies we see in the media, and by the tragedies that strike closer to home, affecting acquaintances, friends, and even family.
But how many of us are making the issue of gun reform a priority when we head to the polls to cast votes for candidates for elected office?
How many of us have voted for a candidate who was good on many of the issues that matter to us, but terrible on guns? And yet we gave him/her a free pass.
No more. With 32,000+ Americans dying each and every year from gun violence, there can be no more free passes.
Gun reform is in our hands. View the PSAs below and then sign the pledge on the making it clear you will support only candidates who will fight to reduce gun violence.
At least 1.5 million children in the U.S. are living in homes with unlocked and loaded guns. Every day at least 6 children under 18 are injured in an unintentional shooting and every three days a child dies.
Safe storage laws intended to make firearms less accessible to young children and teenagers prevent unintentional shooting deaths as well as teen suicides. Yet only 28 states have child access prevention laws. Some are so weak they merely prohibit an adult from directly providing a firearm to a minor.
Sign the petition to ask for action on this issue.
About: A national campaign to ensure that college campuses remain a place to learn rather than a place to be shot.
What: Learn more about Amazon smile here and sign up your favorite GVP org !
What: There are a number of new groups that have sprung up in recent years that are more aggressive than traditional GVP organizations. If you are interested in some serious protesting, try some of these groups.
During his first term Obama didn’t call for any major new restriction on guns or gun owners. Instead he urged authorities to enforce the state and federal laws already on the books. In fact, Obama signed only two major laws that address how guns are carried in America, and both actually expand the rights of gun owners.
One of the laws allows gun owners to carry weapons in national parks; that law took effect in February 2012 and replaced President Ronald Reagan’s policy of required guns be locked in glove compartments of trunks of car that enter national parks.
Obama has repeatedly express support for the Second Amendment. “If you’ve got a rifle, you’ve got a shotgun, you’ve got a gun in your house, I’m not taking it away. Alright?” Obama has said.
During the 2008 presidential campaign the NRA Political Victory Fund mailed out tens of thousands of brochures to gun owners and like-minded voters that accused Obama of lying about his position on gun control.
Even though the president didn’t sign a single bill into law limiting the use or purchase of guns the NRA Political Victory Fund continued to warn its members and like-minded voters during the 2012 election that Obama would make weapons a target in a second term.
The NRA Political Victory Fund also falsely claimed that Obama had agreed to give the United Nations authority over the guns owned by Americans. “Obama has already endorsed moving ahead toward a U.N. gun ban treaty and will likely sign it after it’s negotiated,” the group said.
How many school shootings happened in 2018?
Seventeen people were killed and more than 15 injured in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on 14 February 2018, bringing the total number of school shootings in the United States since the beginning of the year to 18 (or roughly three per week), according to the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.