Relationship Between Gun Control Within a Disadvantaged Community, Giving Community Members More Resources to Elevate and Educate Themselves, and Crime Rate

Relationship Between Gun Control Within a Disadvantaged Community, Giving Community Members More Resources to Elevate and Educate Themselves, and Crime Rate

Introduction

The role of gun control laws in reducing the crime rate remains uncertain hence creating a heated debate, especially among policymakers. Gun control opponents argue that gun control laws could escalate crime rates by eliminating the deterrent effect that gun possession among victims may have on criminals. They add that this could occur even with laws focusing on disarming the people at high risk of committing crimes because these groups are also at an increased risk of being victims. There is, therefore, a need to consider the fact that all gun control laws in the United States are not intended to reduce gun ownership levels among the public but are envisioned to reduce violence either by reducing the number of guns among high-risk populations or preventing the unlicensed use of guns in crime and carrying them in public places (Siegel et al.,2019). Therefore, laws regulating gun use and ownership do not have an impact on violence by decreasing gun ownership, but it is improbable that it would be politically practical to enact gun control laws that reduce gun ownership among noncriminals. Gun ownership rates also do not reconcile the connection between crime and gun laws (Schell et al.,2020). Therefore, it is important to supplement gun control laws with other approaches aimed at eliminating the factors contributing to crime, such as poverty, due to the fact that enhanced resources and gun control within disadvantaged communities decrease the crime rate. If gun control is regulated‚ and disadvantaged communities are given more resources to educate and elevate themselves, then there will be less crime and fewer guns in the communities. Do you need any help for completing your assignment ? Contact us at eminencepapers.com. We endeavor to provide you with excellent service.

Relationship between gun control within a disadvantaged community, giving community members more resources to elevate and educate themselves, and crime rate

Gun-related crimes are prevalent in the United States, thus making it a significant concern for policymakers and the government. A survey conducted in 2017 in the United States indicated that more people die from gun-related injuries compared to car crashes. There were also 14,400 homicides connected to gun violence in 2019. The rise in gun violence is attributed to the fact the United States has the highest rate of deaths arising from guns among developed countries despite a reduced rate of violent crime. The country also experiences mass shootings that account for a fraction of gun-related deaths, while gun-related suicides account for more than two-thirds of the deaths among people of all ages (America’s gun culture in charts, 2021). There is widespread agreement that gun control should be designed to reduce gun-related deaths, but there is a lack of agreement about the specific gun laws that will help achieve the desired result. The national policy discussion on approaches that can be used to reduce gun violence emphasizes either improving current laws or enacting new ones that could prevent gun-related violent crimes such as assaults, homicides, and other types of gun violence. These policies include banning assault weapons, universal background checks, waiting periods, laws to carry concealed weapons, child access prevention, and permitting and licensing requirements. Thirty-five economists argue that some people believe that laws allowing the carrying of concealed firearms would reduce murder rates, while others believe that putting more restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons would reduce gun-related deaths. There is, therefore, a need to consider other approaches such as education to supplement the use of gun control laws to reduce the crime rate.

The use of education for effective gun control can take two forms. The first form is creating awareness on the dangers of guns and how to prevent gun-related crimes, while the second form is equipping people with the knowledge and skills they can use to earn money so that they do not turn to crime to make a living. Educating the public on the dangers connected to the possession and use of firearms and the need for firearms safety can be achieved through developing firearm safety education, social norms campaigns, health communication, and school curricula to reduce the likelihood for children, young adults, and adolescents to be killed or injured in gunfire (Society for Public Health Education, 2016). Education should also focus on equipping caregivers and parents with knowledge on the increased risk of injury arising from having a gun at home the problem of children’s easy access to guns, and the importance of ensuring that guns are stored away from children. Education should also target healthcare professionals and their staff on gun violence reduction issues and the public health issues associated with guns, such as suicide, homicide, assault, robbery, and accidental and unintentional shootings. Educating people to equip them with the knowledge they can use to start a business or get a job can significantly reduce poverty, which is among the factors contributing to gun-related crimes, especially among disadvantaged groups. Research conducted by Hlavinka (2020) indicated that deaths among young adults and children were common in the poorest neighborhoods in the United States. The relationship between youth firearms deaths and poverty was also high for unintentional deaths followed by homicide and suicides. Gun violence is additionally connected to economic instability. During the current Covid-19 pandemic, the sale of guns has increased. Education can therefore play a significant role in reducing gun-related crimes by eliminating poverty and creating awareness of the dangers of gun ownership.

Education should focus on disadvantaged groups to eliminate economic and social inequalities. A study conducted by The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (2020) indicated that economic and social inequalities are the leading cause of gun violence in the community. The inequalities arise from racist policies such as exclusionary zoning and redlining laws targeting communities of color and creating underinvested and segregated neighborhoods. Communities experiencing high rates of gun violence also face various economic challenges, including a shortage of affordable housing, lack of access to healthy food, limited opportunities, few jobs, and inadequate education. Educational opportunities are limited because schools are highly underfunded. Schools with most Hispanic, Black, and American Indian learners receive less local and state funding than wealthy school districts with a high population of White students. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (2020) argues that school districts with a high population of Hispanic, Black, and American Indian students receive 13% less per student in local and state funding compared to districts with a small number of students of color. Schools serving disadvantaged communities also have under-qualified teachers, dilapidated facilities, and outdated curricula that affect students’ development and well-being (The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, 2020). These structural disadvantages, alongside easy access to guns, create the conditions that increase gun violence. Education would therefore be effective in ensuring that economic and social inequalities are eliminated, thus reducing crime rate and boosting the effectiveness of gun control laws.

Conclusion

Gun control is a multifaceted issue that needs the involvement of the state and communities. It is therefore important for policymakers and the government to focus on education and providing resources that can be used to eliminate poverty hence reducing the rate of crime and gun violence. Education should focus on equipping people with knowledge and skills they can use to earn a living and creating awareness of the dangers of gun possession and the measures that people can take to prevent gun violence.

References

America’s gun culture in charts. (2021, April 8). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081

Schell, T. L., Cefalu, M., Griffin, B. A., Smart, R., & Morral, A. R. (2020). Changes in firearm mortality following the implementation of state laws regulating firearm access and use. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(26), 14906-14910. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921965117

Siegel, M., Pahn, M., Xuan, Z., Fleegler, E., & Hemenway, D. (2019). The impact of state firearm laws on homicide and suicide deaths in the USA, 1991–2016: A panel study. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(10), 2021-2028. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-04922-x

Society for Public Health Education. (2016). The Role of Health Education in Preventing Gun Violence. Global Leadership for Health Education & Health Promotion. https://www.sophe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/prevent-gun-violence-resolution-passed.pdf

The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. (2020, October 26). Community gun violence. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. https://efsgv.org/learn/type-of-gun-violence/community-gun-violence/

Hlavinka, E. (2020, October 5). Gun deaths in young people: A poverty thing? Medical News | MedPage Today. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aap/88957

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I added the Unit 6 assignment that I already submitted and came back graded as a reference because the Unit 8 assignment is supposed to build from the Unit 6 assignment. The community The thesis Statement reference is Chicago.

Relationship Between Gun Control Within a Disadvantaged Community, Giving Community Members More Resources to Elevate and Educate Themselves, and Crime Rate

The academic essay assignment in this unit will be a written, cohesive argument for the change in your community that you have been writing about throughout the course ( Which is Chicago). The assignment should take the form of a persuasive academic essay, in which you will provide evidence from at least four credible sources to support the argument for change that you are advocating. You will also need to address rival hypotheses or misconceptions about your topic within the essay, as the ability to do so is a key component of a strong argument. Essentially, the essay will reflect what you have learned about writing effectively, using research, and creating a logical argument to influence an audience. Your persuasive essay will need to meet the following criteria:

APA formatting for the document, including an appropriately formatted title page and references page
A thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph
An introduction paragraph that establishes the issue
Well-developed paragraphs that include evidence from sources to support your argument for a specific change in your community
Effective transitions between and within paragraphs
A conclusion paragraph that brings the essay to an effective close
Four credible sources appropriate for academic writing should be cited within the text of the essay; at least one of the cited sources should be either a book/ebook or a periodical article, preferably from the Purdue Global Library
All cited sources need to have full citations on a references page (except for any interviews you conduct, which only require in-text citations)
Standard English and a formal tone throughout the writing (e.g., stay in third-person voice, avoid slang, etc.)
A strong and well-supported argument will be at least 3–4 pages, not including the title page and references page