Introduction
The possession of guns in the United States has recently been rising and this can be attributed to the rising crime rates in the country. The government has been trying to come up with reasonable laws about the gun control but it has been facing opposition from many quarters. One of the controversies surrounding this issue is the law makers are seeing this as good avenue of reducing the crimes rates in the country. However, some lobbyists are arguing that the gun control laws are being enacted so that they counter the rising crime rates. Many people who are against the laws are arguing that the laws are not favoring the honest people who only want to protect themselves from the rising crime rates (Moorhouse, 103).
Empirical findings
Research has shown that gun control does not reduce the crime rates and this is evidenced by the fact that lax gun laws in various states does not necessarily mean that the crimes rates in the states have increased. Using statistics in various states in the United States, there was no evidence that even after a number of years after the enactment of the gun laws, the crime rates remained the same. Hence, gun laws did not deter violent crime rates which were committed by firearms. These crimes included violent robberies, rapes, murders and other forms of crimes (Moorhouse, 103).
Research has also shown that escalating crime rate are the ones that are responsible for precipitating gun laws in the United States. This can be evidenced by the fact that many states have enacted gun laws as a response to the rising cases of crime induced by the fact that many people have access to guns. Apart from that many residents who are educated are favoring gun laws because of the rising crime rates and hence the research found that many people are favoring the gun laws because of the increased crime rates (Moorhouse, 103).
Individualism and collectivism influence on gun laws
Research that has been conducted in an effort to try and figure out how individualism and collectivism affect the gun laws in the United States of America. Researchers studied collectivism, individualism and utilitarian and how this affected the gun ownership in the country and how they would affect the gun laws in the country. This is because these factors play a very important role in determining who owns the guns and who do not. It also plays a very important part in determining who the laws gives consent of legally owning a gun. It also plays a very important role in peoples and politicians attitude towards the enactment of the gun laws in various states in the country (Katarzyna, 244).
Individualism plays the most important part in the attitude towards gun laws in the country and also the household ownership of hand guns. Individualistic values have played a very important role in the gun laws because many people have different views on the gun laws and this creates a basis for discussion on the gun laws. While many people feel guns laws should be enhanced to reduce the escalating crime rates in the country, there are people who still feels that these laws are not worth it (Katarzyna, 245).
Conclusion
Gun laws are influenced by various factors. There have been debates as to whether the guns laws are precipitated by the rising crime rates or whether they are being enhanced to reduce the crime rates in the United States of America. Individualism and collectivism have also been cited as contributing factors to the debates concerning the gun laws in the United States of America.
Works Cited
Katarzyna C,. Individualism and Collectivism in America: The Case of Gun Ownership and Attitudes Toward Gun Control. Rutgers University (2008)100-103.
Moorhouse, J.C., Wanner B. Does Gun Control Reduce Crime or does Crime Increase Gun Control? Cato Journal, (2006) 244.