s. According to James N. Thurman, the murder rate in the U.S. dropped 7% in the past year. Most of this drop is due to a decrease of murders involving firearms. Also, fewer guns were used in robberies, which were down 10%. In 1994, the federal government passed the Brady Bill. This bill restricts gun purchases and requires a background check for all potential gun buyers. Since it took effect, as many as 300,000 gun sales have been denied. (4) The fact that these laws have had a positive effect shows that the government is on the right track by enacting gun control laws. Another thing that the government has started to is to restrict children's access to firearms. They have started to punish parents who dont keep their guns away from thier kids. One perfect example of this is the six year old who shot one of his classmates a couple weeks ago. The kid was too young to charge with a crime so they charged the parents instead. I think that this is a good thing. It will send a message to other parents. There is no reason why a six year old should have had access to a gun anyway. If his parents would have just been a little more careful with thier guns, that little girl would still be alive today. Decreasing children's exposure to guns would obviously have a positive effect on the safety of schools. Parents should be required to keep their guns locked up at all times so their kids can't use them. Also, the government should hand down harsh penalties to anyone who supplies guns to a minor. The government has also started to crack down on gun dealers. Many dealers simply don't obey the regulations placed on them by the federal government. According to the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, most guns used in crimes come from dealers. (Business Week, 128) There is a simple solution to this problem. Dealers who don't obey the rules should be shut down. According to Kristin Rand, the director of federal policy at the...
