The Clinton Gun Bans

An in-depth analysis of the failures, successes and the respective causative influences on President Clinton's gun control laws.

4,529 words () | 36 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper addresses the political and social climate leading up to the gun bans put into effect during President Clinton's term in office and explains how the intense crime wave from which the nation was suffering led to an emotional appeal for gun control from gun control advocates. The paper explores the background, provisions and constitutional validity of the Brady Bill, the Assault Weapons Ban and Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Tobacco (BATF) regulations. The paper notes the limited measure of success from the Assault Weapons Ban but then shows where and how the Assault Weapons Ban failed. The paper emphasizes how the pro-control polices and legislation of the Clinton Administration were ultimately unsuccessful in achieving their desired results.

Outline:
Section I: Introduction
Section II: National Sentiments Leading to Gun Bans
Section III: Brady Bill
Section IV: Assault Weapons Ban and BATF Regulations
Section V: Where the Bans Achieved Success
Section VI: Where and How the Assault Weapons Ban Failed
Section VII: Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Through the 1980s, the American people suffered through a crime wave that was peppered with headline grabbing mass shootings perpetrated with the assistance of media-dubbed "assault weapons." The American people turned in fear to their government, demanding comprehensive crime control. Groups such as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, formed from Handgun Control Inc., pushed strongly for gun control, launching nationwide campaigns to increase the registration, restriction, and government control of firearms. The results from this push for control were varied pieces of legislation which were passed in multiple states, but the culmination of the efforts for more gun control were manifested in the laws passed during and the policies practiced by the administration of President Clinton."

Sample of Sources Used:

Freud, Sigmund G. A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. New York, NY: Horace Liveright, 1920. 126-27.
"Bill Clinton on Gun Control." On The Issues. 29 Sept. 2008. 15 Nov. 2008 <http://http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/bill_clinton_gun_control.htm>.
Kopel, David. "Gun Foes Should Tell the Whole Story." Cato.org. 30 Mar. 1991.Cato Institute.15 Sept. 2008 <www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8937>.
Aborn, Richard M. "The Battle over the Brady Bill and the Future of Gun Control Advocacy." Fordham Urban Law Journal 22 (1995): 420-25.
Aborn, Richard M. "The Battle over the Brady Bill and the Future of Gun Control Advocacy." Fordham Urban Law Journal 22 (1995): 421.