Evidently, everyone who follows the law in America wants to live in a community that is safe and secure. However, this has not always been the case, and there have been horrifying criminal incidents over the years that have led many people to ponder what the best means of crime control are. Such incidents have sparked contentious discussions about various crime prevention strategies, with the war on drugs and gun regulation receiving the most media attention. (Vito & Maahs 17). This essay compares and contrasts the policies of gun control and the war on drugs for reducing crime, and it explains why the author believes that ending the war on drugs is a preferable course of action. Gun control and war on drugs attracting the biggest coverage (Vito & Maahs 17). This paper seeks to discuss gun control and war on drugs as crime control policies and why the author thinks that ending the war on drugs is a better policy for controlling crime.
Gun control and war on drugs have been fronted as two possible policies that can assist in controlling crime. Both policies have received a lot of support and opposition in equal measure. The proponents of gun control argue that the government must limit gun availability as a way of reducing violence (Vito & Maahs 27). Thus, this group wants the government to clamp down on manufacturers of guns, sellers as well as owners to a degree where ordinary citizens do not carry guns. The argument in this case wants to entirely restrict gun availability which is actually a reduction on supply (Vito & Maahs 27). Secondly, proponents of gun control argue that owning a gun raises the likelihood or probability of an individual's risk of getting killed. This again is based on the argument that the more guns in the hands of people out there, the higher the risk of getting one killed. The third point for gun control argues that keeping away from criminals assists in preventing violent crime. This is based on the belief that criminals tend to commit violent crimes and denying them the chance/opportunity to have guns will drastically minimize violent crime (Vito & Maahs 27).
On the other hand, those opposing gun control-the National Rifle Association (NRA) argues that the absolute right to bear guns is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment and thus any attempt to control bearing of guns is unconstitutional and a gross violation of the 2nd Amendment. Opponents of gun control further claim that no one is killed by guns-its only people who kill. Thus the more people carry guns to offer protection to themselves, the more violent crime will reduce (Lott 11). The opponents propose mandatory sentences for individuals who use firearms in committing crimes as an alternative to gun control. A proposal such as that will led to crime reduction and needs less sacrifice by gun owners when compared to gun-control laws (Lott 12).
War on drugs is another possible policy that has been proposed. Supporters of this policy believe that drug barons and users are most of the time associated with violent crime and increased violent activities. Thus, the war on drugs as a policy will essentially assist in the reduction of general crime rates and by extension mass killings if effectively implemented. For instance, President Ronald Reagan's war on drugs led to reduction of crime in an unexpected manner (Gregory 1).
On the other hand, opponents of this policy argue that in almost every research on war drugs, wading through tones of statistics, the war on drugs has proved to be an utter failure. In deed the war on drugs has overstretched the private prison system, incarcerated numerous non-violent offenders and bankrupted the country for the ill-conceived notion of reducing the liberty of the American citizens to enjoy their individual choices. Numerous studies have concluded that war on drugs does not even reduce use of drugs, leaving one wondering how it can even reduce violence in a system that is legally regulated (Vito & Maahs 37).
Whereas the gun control debates rages on, the most sensible strategy of all is putting to an end the war on drugs. Normally, tragic mass killings receive all the attention from the mainstream media and appear to gather the most emotional calls for increased gun control regulations. Nonetheless, gun violence associated with war on drugs claims many more lives (Bates 1). Therefore, if proponents of gun control really desire to curb more homicides, it's the high time they realized that conducting background checks will not end violence, decriminalizing drugs will. The precise size of violent crime due to criminalization of drugs is not known, however, we can have a sensible arguing point by reviewing the data for gang-linked crime (Bates 2). The fundamental driver of gang violence activities is illegal drug proceeds which basically are the livelihood of gang behavior as well as competition over control of market "turf". According to government estimates, over 2000 homicides every year are linked to gangs. This translates to two orders of magnitude more than mass shootings, that on average claim about 30-40 lives nationally per year (Bates 2).
In conclusion, gun control laws can do nothing much to curb violent crime. On the other hand, putting an end to the war on drugs, would take over the more than $100 billion illegal drug industry that presently is dependent on criminal violence and divert it into the mainstream economy peacefully. Policymakers anxious about increased violence in the American society must cease pushing for a gun less world and begin developing policies that we are sure are going to bring significant reductions in killings and several other kinds of violent crimes. In a nutshell, they should give up on illogical, unworkable gun control regulations and strike the criminal gangland where it hurts most: End the war on drugs!
Works Cited
Bates, Adam. "End drug war, cut gun violence." CNN (2015): P1-3.
Gregory, Anthony. "Gun Control and the War on Drugs." Laissez Faire (2013): p1-3.
Lott, John R. More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013. Internet resource.
Vito, Gennaro F, and Jeffrey R. Maahs. Criminology: Theory, Research, and Policy. , 2017. Print.
