Gun Control In Texas
Over the past decade, the dramatic increase in gun crimes in the United States of America (USA) has raised the interest of stakeholders in gun control. The purpose of this essay is to examine gun control in Texas.
Gun control is defined as a set of laws that seek to restrict the possession of guns by the general public or a segment of the general public. A survey conducted by the Census Bureau in 2010 revealed that Texas, which had a population of 25,145,561 people, had 22,239,258 guns owned by its residents. This represented a gun ownership rate that was the second highest among the 50 states of USA.
In analysing the gun control laws in Texas, it is crucial to assess these laws from the perspective of laws that encourage the possession of firearms, as well as laws that regulate their use. Currently, Texas is one of the several states of the USA that has adopted the Stand Your Ground Law, which is associated with a significant increase in the number of homicides. On the other hand, some of the Texas laws aimed at regulating the use of guns are the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, the Texas Penal Code, and the Texas Park and Wildlife Code. On the first day of January, 2016, the Texas Open Carry Gun Law took effect. This law allows licensed gun owners to openly carry handguns in public places and in holsters.
Given the current push for gun control at the federal level, it is crucial to note that the Texas Second Amendment Preservation Act invalidates the enforcement of federal gun control laws in the state. It exempts the state from the enforcement of federal laws that infringe on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep guns.
In conclusion, this paper has defined gun control and assessed several gun control laws in Texas. However, it is crucial to note that while the gun control measures in Texas seek to protect law abiding citizens in the state, they fail to rigorously identify and prevent high risk individuals from possessing and using guns. This places the Texas gun control measures at the risk of having a negative effect on gun crimes in Texas.