Of Guns In The United States And Great Essay, Research Paper

Within the United States, every constabulary officer carries and is trained in the use of pieces. Besides, we have much less rigorous regulations about gun use and ownership of guns. Conversely, In Britain, merely particular constabularies squads use guns and gun ownership is purely regulated. This paper will try to compare and contrast gun use in both societies and, hopefully, give a glance of the societal deductions of gun policies in both states.

While in Great Britain, I had the opportunity to tour the West Bar Police Station and see from a first manus perspective how the British jurisprudence enforcement system works otherwise than our ain. Most of the officers I spoke to did non transport pieces and were rather surprised and even amused at the fact that most constabularies officers carry fire weaponries. The general consensus seemed to be that they felt that they merely did non necessitate guns for most state of affairss, that the authorization of the? Bobby? was plenty.

For state of affairss that involved guns, the piece squad was employed. This? squad? consisted of two work forces, who were specially trained to exert pieces.

In order specialize in this field they had to undergo extended physical, psychological, and mental trials to turn out that they were capable to exert these arms. They were really proud of their position as gun bearers in Great Britain, which is highly rare. The South Yorkshire constabularies employs 3,240 constabulary officers and has merely these two persons to exert pieces.

The officers were really knowing about the guns they displayed and the techniques involved in combat state of affairss. They were really friendly and enlightening about the contrasting British system, and patient with the many inquiries pupils had. As we all were used to the American system, we were all rather surprised about how different it was.

However several times they aimed, by chance, the guns at the pupils watching them. Even though all involved in the interchange knew that the guns were non loaded, some American pupils felt really uncomfortable, particularly as two pupils had had negative experiences with guns. The officers laughed affably at this uncomfortableness reminding the pupils about the stairss taken to see firearm safety. Though it could be stated that they were indurate, this would be a gross simplism. It was rather obvious from the officers? demeanours and the pride they took their place to educate and move with unagitated duty, that if they knew that they were genuinely doing people uncomfortable they would hold stopped.

I wonder how much of this was a cultural difference. In the United States, we are inundated with images of guns being used on the telecasting. Besides, it is non that odd for an person to have a gun, in 1993 there was two million lawfully owned guns for usage of defence. Conversely, in Great Britain it instead rare for an person to have a gun. England and Wales gun ownership can account for 4.7 % of families compared to the United States 48 % of family having a gun. It is possible to presume that the officers come from a society in which people are non as nervous about guns and trust those who have authorization to exert them as clear about gun safety. On the other manus, there is a higher per centum of people from the United States who come in contact with guns and may experience and are trained otherwise about gun safety.

Through my stay in Great Britain, I had an chance to discourse the differences in attitudes about gun in the United States and Great Britain. Many people were amazed at the fact that Americans felt that gun ownership was an unalienable right. Though I could non state through my little informal treatments, I interviewed a graded part of British society, it felt as if the general populous did non look comfy with the thought of gun ownership for anything other than runing.

One knowing gentleman that I interviewed was shocked that Americans carry guns and, in his position, accepted the offense effects that came from gun ownership. He half jestingly suggested that havi

ng a gun readily accessible must do a individual more able to perpetrate a violent action in the heat of choler. This point of view does non reflect any existent theory but merely the positions a individual might hold about guns linked to violent offense.

Another contemplation about guns non being a big portion of British society can be seen in a comparing of major newspapers in both states. Thorough my research I looked at the? New York Times? , the British? Guardian? and the British? Independent? . When utilizing the word gun in hunt of the past old ages archives of the New York Times, I received 1423 hits, largely related to gun control issues and offense in the United States. The same hunt of both of the other newspapers gave me 930 hits, with approximately half of the articles associating to gun issues of the United States, coarsely one 4th associating to issues in other states, and about one 4th associating to guns in Great Britain.

The United States employs 74,493 officers endowed wit the duty to transport weaponries and do apprehensions. Each of these must follow strict preparation in piece accomplishment and appropriate use. It is uncommon to an officer, even a university constabulary individual non transporting a piece. This is dissimilar to the British system in which merely a few officers have the rights to transport weaponries, and are purely regulated about when they can utilize them. It is of import to observe that these fluctuations reflect two different states with contrasted values about gun use, and does non reflect a moral differentiation.

Besides, the United States has more homocides than does Great Britain. Harmonizing to the Federal Bureau of Investigations offense study, the United States, in 1997, experienced 6.7 homicides per 100,000 people, 4.61/100,000 were pieces related. Conversely, in the same twelvemonth, Great Britain had 1.41 homicides per 100,000 people, 1.41/100,000 of which were gun related. The United States ranked 10th in a survey of 38 industrialised states while Great Britain ranked 24th.

These statistics show a disagreement in homicides in both states and reflect a difference in each society every bit far as homicides and homicides associating to guns are concerned, and nil more. It would be foolish to reason that the one issue of gun use in each society effects the figure of decease in each society. Rather, I would prefer to reason that homicide rates and gun ownership, and constabularies use in each state reflects different societies and nil more.

Through my research, I have read a spot of stuff about both the United States and Great Britain in relation to this issue. As it is an issue that people feel rather strongly about, one manner or another, it is hard to happen information non tinged by single sentiment. All I have been able to reason is that each state is different, non that one system is better than the other or is even applicable to one another.

While it would be a prevarication non to province that I am enamored by the British system. This is a simply a comparing of two different societies, non an effort to turn out one better than the other. After all each were developed in different ways and both societies deal with and position governments, such as constabulary officers, in its ain manner.

The Britons, with a society that was evolved from feudal system and respect to authorization, lends a system in which a? Bobbie? has the bid of his place. Conversely, the United States is a society founded on rebellion and includes in its fundamental law the right to hold and bare weaponries. Each is different plenty to contrast, but excessively different to pull premises about which is better or worse.

Gary, Kleck and Marc Gertz, & # 8220 ; Armed Resistance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of self-defence with a Gun & # 8221 ; , Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 1995, Vol. 86 No. 1. )

FBI Crime Report 1997 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fbi.gov/ucr.htm

South Yorkshire Police section Website hypertext transfer protocol: //www.southyorks.police.uk/mainframe.html

National Association of Police Organizations, Inc hypertext transfer protocol: //www.napo.org/

National Police Association hypertext transfer protocol: //www.westol.com/npba/member.htm