US onAir Network

This post on Gun Rights is 1 of 3 issues that US onAir curators are focusing on in the Human Rights  category.

Gun politics is defined in the United States by two primary opposing ideologies concerning the private ownership of firearms. Those who advocate for gun control support increasingly restrictive regulation of gun ownership; those who advocate for gun rights oppose increased restriction, or support the liberalization of gun ownership.

These groups typically disagree on the interpretation of the text, history and tradition of the laws and judicial opinions concerning gun ownership in the United States and the meaning of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. American gun politics involves these groups’ further disagreement concerning the role of firearms in public safety, the studied effects of ownership of firearms on public health and safety, and the role of guns in national and state crime.

For more information and discussion on the the government agencies, legislative committees, and leading Senate and House chair persons addressing the Gun Rights issue, go to this Gun Rights slideshow in the US onAir hub.