To Carry or Not to Carry part 3

To Carry or not to Carry: Who does Gun Control actually keep Guns From? As stated in article 1, section 6 of the Michigan constitution “Every person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state.” But if this was actually true the law abiding citizens would be free and happy to enjoy their guns without government intervention and the criminals that should not be able to acquire obviously be without them. However through illegal trafficking and sales of guns anyone who should not, by law, have guns are able to buy them.

 Why have laws limiting the access of guns to people if they are not doing what they are intended for? That is the question that reoccurringly popped into my head as I read about the illegal sale and trafficking of weapons. That is how most criminals acquire their guns. However it is in the popular belief that most illegally obtained guns are stolen. This is a grave misconception; only about ten percent of illegally obtained weapons are stolen.(Noyes) This misconception is so prevalent that it influences local and national legislation.

 There are many ways people can illegally obtain weapons. Some people get their illegal guns from crooked licensed dealers. But this only makes up just over one percent of illegally obtained weapons.(NGVAC) So that’s definitely not the problem. Another much greater route is through private sales of guns at a gun show. This great American loophole is part of the once great tradition of private sales of weapons. But now with all the “wackos” out there this cannot continue. However this is still not the problem. So what is?

 The most common way that criminals can acquire guns is called a straw purchase. This is where a legal buyer accompanies a person that cannot legally buy a gun.(Noyes) Most of these occur in a very lowkey, sinister kind of way; the person who cannot legally buy the gun selects the gun he wants and the other person buys it for him. This bypass of the gun laws is very easy and is extremely common with illegally obtained guns. This is just one of not only flaw of gun laws but our society in general- people too often go around laws and the government and that causes problems for the ones who do follow the rules and listen to the government. This flaw in society is a sign that there might be too much government; or an inefficient one that is not approved of by the majority of the population.
Works Cited

 Noyes, Dan. “How Criminals Get Guns”. n.p. n.c. 24 April 2014. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/guns/procon/guns.html Nation Gun Victims Action Council.

“Illegal Gun Trafficking Arms and Youth”. N.p. n.c. 24 April 2014. http://gunvictimsaction.org/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-illegal-gun-trafficking-arms-criminals-and-youth/