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MEMORANDUMTO: President Obama cc: Senate Judiciary Committee cc: Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary CommitteeFROM: Tenzing LamaRE: Gun Control LegislationDATE: 09 / 14 / 2015The second amendment of the United States Constitution 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” giving people the right to bear arms. This right has had terrible effect on everyday citizens. Today, in the United States, gun violence is a leading cause of fatalities and continues to cause and affect us on a daily bases resulting in “more than 30 people are shot and murdered each day.” That means, “One in three people in the U.S. know someone who has been shot.” Not only are people dying on a daily bases from gun violence such as gang related but also from mass shooting, which has griped this country. As a leading producer of guns and one of the countries with highest guns per capita, it makes it more heartbreaking to know that the United States has more deaths from mass shooting than any nation at an average of 143 mass shootings with 992 victims. From Columbine to the Charleston, these horrendous shootings have been carried out due to our negligence to protect the vulnerable. These are not just numbers but people, who are dying on a daily bases due to gun violence. They represent the young boys and girls, mother and father, Republican and Democrat, all killed due to guns. legislation has always been a contentious issue that has divided people into two sides. Guns have been part of our history as baseball has been America’s national past time. From the revolutionary heroes to the frontiersmen, guns were protection against foreign armies and Native American. Since the early 19th century, there have been no enemies or foreigners as to speak of, that people have needed defending against. Government has been slow on this critical issue. Through the years, the government has introduced legislation but only small steps due to various political factors. One of the earliest legislation was the National Firearms Act of 1934, “imposed a tax on the making and transfer of firearms defined by the Act, as well as a special (occupational) tax on persons and entities engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing, and dealing in NFA firearms.” Congress recognized they posed a problem due to their use in significant number of crimes. This was in many ways recognizing the problem and finding a solution to fix the problem that affected everyone regardless of party affiliations. However, there have been setback to how much can be done to prevent gun ownership. District of Colombia vs. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court upheld an individuals right to bear arms while striking down provisions of the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 as unconstitutional. Implementation by other StatesGun control has been implemented in many countries including Australia, where it has lead to a decrease in the number of mass shooting. Australia is a prime example of how gun control can be implemented and work and statistics shows that it has worked. “Firearm suicides have dropped from 2.2 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 0.8 per 100,000 in 2006. Firearm homicides have dropped from 0.37 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 0.15 per 100,000 people in 2006. These are drops of 65% and 59%, respectively, and among a population of 20 million individuals, represent a decline in the number of deaths by firearm suicide of about 300 and in the number of deaths by firearm homicide of about 40 per year. At the same time, the non-firearm suicide rate has fallen by 27% and the non-firearm homicide rate by 59%.” Another country with stricter gun control in place is Japan, which has a strict policy against gun ownership. In 2008, Japan experienced?only 11 deaths due guns compared while the U.S. had over?12 thousand?firearm-related homicides. Not only does Japan have strict gun ownership but also stricter measures for the purpose of owning a gun. These two countries and many more are examples of gun control being implemented and working to make their respective countries safer. Work Sited Page “Second Amendment."?Second Amendment. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. "USA Gun Violence Statistics."?USA Gun Violence Statistics. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. <;."Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence."?About Gun Violence. Web. 9 Sept. 2015. <;."Is Barack Obama Correct That Mass Killings Don't Happen in Other Countries?"?@politifact. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. <;."Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives."?National Firearms Act. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. <, Andrew. Christine Neill “Do Gun Buybacks Save Lives? Evidence from Panel Data.” Australian National University. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. <;."District Of Columbia V. Heller."?District of Columbia v. Heller. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <, Max. "A Land Without Guns: How Japan Has Virtually Eliminated Shooting Deaths."?The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 23 July 2012. Web. 7 Sept. 2015. ................
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