2008 Woodie Awards
A gun for every criminal?
A look into firearm purchases on the black market
Drew Lewis
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Opinion
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In the Michael Moore documentary Bowling for Columbine there was an astounding statistic that is indicative of the culture that we live in. Annually there are over eleven thousand homicides in the United States facilitated with the use of a handgun or other type of firearm. In Canada, there are only around eleven deaths due to firearms every year. There are many out there that truly believe that "gun control" can never work due to the means through which a gun can be purchased. Yet, how does that explain the radical difference in the gun statistics of the US and Canada? In Canada, there is a nationwide gun control policy that even prohibits the carrying of guns by constables in their police force. Yet here, we even pass, in some states, the "Stand Your Ground" law that permits the use of deadly force against a perceived threat. However, in some states, there has been progress to limit the amount of gun deaths every year and more importantly, the means by which a gun can be purchased.
In Maryland for example, there is a law against the "Saturday Night Special," also known as the "junk gun." They are shoddy firearms that have both low accuracy and low precision, and they frequently misfire, possibly injuring the owner instead of the target. Any serious gun owner would more than likely consider these to be worthless, and therefore they do not see great demand among NRA brethren. However, they are perfect for the paroled criminal who cannot yet buy a gun because of his status. These guns are typically smuggled into the country illegally across the US-Mexican border or by boat along the Intracoastal Waterway. Then once they are in the country, they are sold on the black market where the only requirement for purchasing one is the money with which to buy it. So basically, what it does is put guns back into the hands of the criminals and put everyone else at risk. The scariest thing about this is that criminals use these mostly to frighten their victims and take advantage of the upper hand. Usually this is seen in typical robberies or sometimes in cases of rape.
Having these on the market at all is a breech to each person's individual security. The Second Amendment might grant the right to have a gun (and use it if we ever revive the idea of standing militias), but shouldn't every citizen also be guaranteed the right to feel safe walking on our streets and thoroughfares? Shouldn't we have the right to feel safe on our own property and elsewhere? It's high time that for once the party with the upper hand is the law-abiding constituency, rather than deranged criminals delivering what they perceive to be vigilante justice.
In Maryland for example, there is a law against the "Saturday Night Special," also known as the "junk gun." They are shoddy firearms that have both low accuracy and low precision, and they frequently misfire, possibly injuring the owner instead of the target. Any serious gun owner would more than likely consider these to be worthless, and therefore they do not see great demand among NRA brethren. However, they are perfect for the paroled criminal who cannot yet buy a gun because of his status. These guns are typically smuggled into the country illegally across the US-Mexican border or by boat along the Intracoastal Waterway. Then once they are in the country, they are sold on the black market where the only requirement for purchasing one is the money with which to buy it. So basically, what it does is put guns back into the hands of the criminals and put everyone else at risk. The scariest thing about this is that criminals use these mostly to frighten their victims and take advantage of the upper hand. Usually this is seen in typical robberies or sometimes in cases of rape.
Having these on the market at all is a breech to each person's individual security. The Second Amendment might grant the right to have a gun (and use it if we ever revive the idea of standing militias), but shouldn't every citizen also be guaranteed the right to feel safe walking on our streets and thoroughfares? Shouldn't we have the right to feel safe on our own property and elsewhere? It's high time that for once the party with the upper hand is the law-abiding constituency, rather than deranged criminals delivering what they perceive to be vigilante justice.