d by criminals. Gun control laws can be used more effectively if implemented to better protect the innocent people that live in this country.
             To start making our nation safer from criminals we must work at a better gun control plan. One step towards gun control would be much more careful who we allow to purchase handguns. "..There is not one of the fifty states or the District of Columbia that does not have gun laws."(William Weir, pg.206). Some might argue that criminals do not go through gun dealers to purchase their handguns. Sarah Brady however states,"...a 1985 Department of Justice study entitled "The Armed Criminal in America" found that over 20 percent of criminals obtain their handguns through gun dealers."(Sarah Brady, pg. 207). Although background checks are conducted and waiting periods are followed, we need to do something more. Not every one who purchases a handgun intends on using it right away. Most states require a seven-day cooling off period however, some have adopted a fifteen-day waiting period that has shown to be more efficient. "...According to a police official in Memphis, Tennessee, the states fifteen day waiting period screens out about fifty applicants a month, most of whom have criminal records."(Sarah Brady. 207). Something more is needed than background screenings. People who plan on using a gun in their first criminal act can pass a background check and be approved to buy a handgun to use in a crime. Furthermore, people have fo
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