violence
The issue of gun control and violence, both in Canada and the United States, is one that simply will not go away. If history is tobe any guide, no matter what the resolution to the gun control debate is, it is probable that the arguments pro and con will be much the same as they always have been. In 1977, legislation was passed by the Canadian Parliament regulating long guns for the first time, restructuring the availability of firearms, and increasing a variety of penalties . Canadian firearms law is primarily federal, and"therfore national in scope, while the bulk of the firearms regulation in the United States is at the state level; attempts to introduce stricter legislation at the federal level are often defeated".The importance of this issue is that not all North Americans are necessarily supportive of strict gun control as being a feasible alternative to controlling urban violence. There are concerns with the opponents of gun control, that the professional criminal who wants a gun can obtain one, and leaves the average law-abiding citizenhelpless in defending themselves against the perils of urban life. Is it our right to bear arms as north Americans? Or is it privileged? And what are t
From the study conducted by Sproule and Kennett the rate of violent crimes was five times greater in the U. Mauser of the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, he places special emphasis on the attitudes towards firearms displayed by both Canadians and Americans. criminals to obtain firearms more readily than their counterparts in countries like Japan. Despite the similarities, there are apparent differences between the general publics in the two countries. The only positive effect , Mundt, found in the study was the decrease in the use of firearms in robbery with comparison to trends in the United States . In Sherrill's book, The Saturday Night Special , a major topic of concern is the status structure of the street gang in which "success in defense of the turf brings deference and reputation. Moreover, Canadians appear to be less supportive of home owners using firearms to defend themselves than are Americans" (Mauser:587). According to Mauser, large majorities of the general public in bothcountries "support gun control legislation while simultaneously believing that they have the right to own firearms" (Mauser 1990:573). A factor to be considered, though, is our national heritageor culture which holds traditions of passiveness and peace unlike the American Frontier heritage. Mauser states that the cause for this is "the differences in political elites and institutions rather than in public opinion"(1990:587). Harris also suggests that America has "developed a unique permanent racial underclass" which provide conditions for both the motive and opportunity for violent criminal behavior (123). Both Canada and the United States were originallyEnglish colonies, and both have historically had similar patterns of immigration.
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Acceptance Essays
