Violence In Society Essay Research Paper Nothing — страница 2

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becoming a victim of a crime. Our children cannot reach for their dreams if they are ducking for cover. We cannot restore a sense of community and decency if people are afraid to walk in any neighborhood, if they feel they have lost the public spaces that are rightfully theirs. A parent struggles to pass on the right values in a culture that practically screams out that chaos and cruelty are cool. A good parent is undermined in trying to teach the great, simple lessons of right and wrong, of the rule of law and responsibility, when a burdened justice system lets criminals off too easy. The liberals have fought for ages to instill a sense of security and safety to our nation. They are in favor of enforcing tougher penalties against drug and sex offenders. Liberals are pushing hard

to create more gun laws that are written for families, not for gun lobbyists and their apologists. They are working on raising the age for handgun possession from 18 to 21 and to pass strict background checks for those who buy guns at gun shows. Liberals are in favor of enacting stiff, new penalties for adults who sell guns to minors and to require child-safety locks on guns. Liberals believe we need tougher penalties for gun trafficking and all crimes committed with guns. The Brady Law is one of many laws that the democrats have passed. Since the Brady waiting period law was passed, gun crimes have dropped by 38 percent. The liberals feel that the Brady Law has stopped nearly a quarter of a million felons and fugitives from buying guns and saved countless lives.

(www.algore.com/guncontrol) The liberals have endorsed a constitutional amendment to expand the rights of crime victims. The amendment would grant victims & their families the right to reasonable notice of court proceedings involving their cases, the right to have a voice in those proceedings, and the right to notice of an offender’s release from prison. Conservatives assert that those rights can be ensured without an amendment, and that the measure would violate the civil rights of the accused (New York Times A18). The Liberals and Conservatives have many different views regarding guns. However, both parties do agree on some gun issues. They are both in favor of supporting the current ban on assault weapons, prohibiting juveniles from possessing assault weapons and banning

imports of high capacity ammunition clips. Both parties are also in favor of raising the minimum age for possessing a handgun from age eighteen to twenty one. (Los Angeles Times C2) The Conservatives are strongly opposed to government mandated registration of guns owned by people who do not break the laws. Conservatives feel their safety and power to protect their families are in jeopardy if the government enforces gun prohibition. They strongly support the Second Amendment, the right of “the people” to keep and bare arms. They feel that the Liberals and their federal agencies have declared a civil war on law abiding firearm owners. They declare that what the Democrats label as the “Gun Culture” only targets peaceable gun owners. It is a naked attempt to strip the next

generation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (American Hunter 10) To conservatives “Gun Culture” means our history, our heritage, our future and our freedom. Marion Hammer, 1998 President of the NRA made the following statement about the Liberals definition of gun culture. “It is just another contrived, divisive, polarizing term. It is an attempt to cast law abiding gun owners in a negative light. They want to portray guns and gun ownership as sinister and evil.” (American Hunter 11) The conservatives defend their gun rights and often argue that gun prohibition will not eliminate violent crime. The war against guns was sparked by the terrible murders of school children in Jonesboro, Arkansas and the Columbine High School Shooting. Conservatives conclude

that nothing the government could ever propose would have prevented these twisted youths from obtaining the firearms, stealing a vehicle, stealing ammunition and stealing the lives and futures from their classmates and families. Every action they took violated an existing law. No man made law could have prevented this awful violent crime. Conservatives do support many laws that can decrease violent crimes. They have voted for increased penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders and those who violate protective orders. The support victim rights by requiring law enforcement officials to notify victims of violence upon the offender’s release from custody. The want more police officer protection. They support legislation in making it a felony to assault police officers and