ver people are robbed, or murdered, chances are that these events occurred with the use of a gun. This brings up the topic of how people with such destructive means obtain these deadly weapons. Just about any US citizen can go buy a gun. "Easy aquisition of firearms leads to a higher rate of guns used in crimes (MacGillis 160). The Brady Bill is one step to limiting the easy access to buying guns. This bill requires a seven day waiting period for potential gun buyers to take their new weapon home. The real problem lies not in the stores that sell shotguns, rifles, handguns, and semi-automatic weapons, the problem lies in the black market. Guns, mostly stolen, are sold and reused on the streets. Police have much difficulty tracing the origin of most guns used in crime due to the fact that the guns have traveled from person to person over an extended period of time. Guns do however, put a psychological spin on crime in some homes. With the current knowledge at hand, criminals are aware that many American homes contain firearms. This knowledge creates a deterrent to most criminals who seek to break into a residence (313). How does American society compare to those societies in which guns are illegal? Take England for example. Guns, mainly shotguns and rifles, are bought and sold in Great Britain primarily for hunting purposes. Other than that, handguns are hard to find in the United Kingdom. Very few police carry guns, though it is believed by most that no English police officers carry guns. The crime statistics of England in relation to the population is significantly lower than that of the United States. Granted, crime still occurs, and a few brave criminals choose to use guns in their crimes in England. But the level of the fear of being shot or involved in some sort of gun related crime is higher in the United States than is in Great Britain.The subject of guns in America and gun control laws is a very controversial one. We as a soci...
