ÿWPC´ U.) %W ] 0Bc#¥ ïû!p  ){ /"{®S ÿHÀëåTÁ0UBÐ2q#|sJþÿ"=DKRVceÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿË}ý}ß_|ð 3ˆ ð./ÿÿÿÿÿÿ)·ÿÿ€@€^ó¶¸<È2RP@@NH <Ô6X9`+Courierš p‰?xxxhhXxÕ þÿþÿþÿþÿþÿþÿþÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ<þ6X9`(CourierXÿÿH;(Ro$¡¡ÔUKUSÔÓ  ÓPanasonic KX-P1123KXP1123.PRS ÿHÀëåTÁ0Ý ƒRo!ÝÔUKUSÔÓ  ÓÝ W ÝÓÓ€€€€€€€€€Ì€€€€This€essay€is€to€be€used€for€study€purposes€and€cannot€be€€€€€Ï€€€submitted€by€a€student€for€marks.€Ì€€€òòPart€I:IntroductionÌóó€€€The€issue€of€gun€control€and€violence,€both€in€Canada€and€theÏUnited€States,€is€one€that€simply€will€not€go€away.€If€history€isÏto€be€any€guide,€no€matter€what€the€resolution€to€the€gun€controlÏdebate€is,€it€is€probable€that€the€arguments€pro€and€con€will€beÏmuch€the€same€as€they€always€have€been.€In€1977,€legislation€wasÏpassed€by€the€Canadian€Parliament€regulating€long€guns€for€theÏfirst€time,€restructuring€the€availability€of€firearms,€andÏincreasing€a€variety€of€penalties€.€Canadian€firearms€law€isÏprimarily€federal,€and€"therfore€national€in€scope,€while€the€bulkÏof€the€firearms€regulation€in€the€United€States€is€at€the€stateÏlevel;€attempts€to€introduce€stricter€leglislation€at€the€federalÏlevel€are€often€defeated".Ì€€€The€importance€of€this€issue€is€that€not€all€North€Americans€areÏnecessarily€supportive€of€strict€gun€control€as€being€a€feasibleÏalternative€to€controlling€urban€violence.€There€are€concerns€withÏthe€opponents€of€gun€control,€that€the€professional€criminal€whoÏwants€a€gun€can€obtain€one,€and€leaves€the€average€law„abidingÏcitizen€helpless€in€defending€themselves€against€the€perils€ofÏurban€life€.€Is€it€our€right€to€bear€arms€as€North€Americans€?€OrÏis€it€privilege?€And€what€are€the€benefits€of€having€strict€gunÏcontrol€laws?€Through€the€analysis€of€the€writings€and€reports€ofÏacademics€and€experts€of€gun€control€and€urban€violence,€it€will€beÏpossible€to€examine€the€issues€and€theories€of€the€social€impact€ofÐ P- (4 Ðthis€issue.€€€Ìñ>ñÌÌÌñ>ñòòPart€II:€Review€of€the€Literature€A)€SummaryÌóó€€In€a€paper€which€looked€at€gun€control€and€firearms€violence€inÏNorth€America,€Robert€J.€Mundt,€of€the€University€of€NorthÏCarolina,€points€out€that€"Crime€in€America€is€popularly€perceived€Ï[in€Canada]€as€something€to€be€expected€in€a€society€which€has€lessÏrespect€for€the€rule€of€law€than€does€Canadian€society..."€Ì.€In€1977,€the€Canadian€government€took€the€initiative€to€legislateÏstricter€gun€control.€Among€the€provisions€legislated€by€theÏCanadian€government€was€a€"Firearms€Acquisition€Certificate"€forÏthe€purchase€of€any€firearm,€and€strengthened€the€"registrationÏrequirements€for€handguns€and€other€restricted€weapons..."€.€Ì€€€€The€purpose€of€the€1977€leglislation€was€to€reduce€theÏavailability€of€firearms,€on€the€assumption€that€there€is€aÏ"positive€relationship€between€availability€and€use".€In€Robert€J.ÏMundt's€study,€when€compared€with€the€United€States,€trends€inÏCanada€over€the€past€ten€years€in€various€types€of€violent€crime,Ïsuicide,€and€accidental€death€show€no€dramatic€results,€"and€fewÏsuggestions€of€perceptible€effects€of€the€1977€Canadian€gun€controlÏlegislation".€The€only€positive€effectÌ,€Mundt,€found€in€the€study€was€the€decrease€in€the€use€of€firearmsÏin€robbery€with€comparion€to€trends€in€the€United€States€.ÌInformed€law€enforcement€officers€in€Canada,€as€in€the€UnitedÏStates,€view€the€"impact€of€restricting€the€availability€ofÏfirearms€is€more€likely€to€impact€on€those€violent€incidents€that€Ìñ@ñÌñ@ñwould€not€have€happened€had€a€weapon€been€at€hand"(152).Ì€€€In€an€article€by€Gary€A.€Mauser€of€the€Simon€Fraser€University€ñAñÐ P- (4 ЇÌñAñin€British€Columbia,€he€places€special€emphasis€on€the€attitudesÏtowards€firearms€displayed€by€both€Canadians€and€Americans.ÏAccording€to€Mauser,€large€majorities€of€the€general€public€in€bothÏcountries€"support€gun€control€legislation€while€simultaneouslyÏbelieving€that€they€have€the€right€to€own€firearms"€(MauserÏ1990:573).€Despite€the€similarities,€there€are€apparent€differencesÌbetween€the€general€publics€in€the€two€countries.€As€Mauser€statesÏthat€"Canadians€are€more€deferent€to€authority€and€do€not€supportÏthe€use€of€handguns€in€self€defence€to€the€same€extent€asÏAmericans"ñBñ€(574)ñBñ.Ì€€€As€Mauser€points€out€that€"it€has€been€argued€that€culturalÏdifferences€account€for€why€Canada€has€stricter€gun€controlÏlegislation€than€the€United€States"(575).€Surprisingly€enough,Ïnationwide€surveys€in€both€Canada€and€the€United€States€"showÏremarkable€similarity€in€the€public€attitude€towards€firearms€andÏgun€control"(586).€Both€Canada€and€the€United€States€wereÏoriginally€English€colonies,€and€both€have€historically€had€similarÏpatterns€of€immigration.€Moreover,€Canadians€are€exposed€toÏAmerican€television€(both€entertainment€and€news€programming)€and,ÏCanadians€and€Americans€read€many€of€the€same€books€and€magazines.ÏAs€a€result€of€this,€the€Canadian€public€has€adopted€"much€of€theÏAmerican€culture"€.€ÌÌÌÌÐ P- (4 Ѐ€€In€an€article€by€Catherine€F.€Sproule€and€Deborah€J.€Kennett€ofÏTrent€University,€they€looked€at€the€use€of€firearms€in€CanadianÏhomicides€between€the€years€of€1972„1982.€There€findings€firmlyÏsupport€the€conclusion€that€gun€control€is€beneficial.€According€toÏSproule€and€Kennett,€gun€control€"may€be€influencing€some€suspectsÏto€kill€by€other€methods,€but€it€is€less€likely€for€these€suspectsÏto€kill€multiple€victims".€From€the€study€conducted€by€Sproule€andÏKennett€the€rate€of€violent€crimes€was€five€times€greater€in€theÏU.S€than€Canada,€and€"almost€double€the€rate€of€firearm€use€inÏAmerican€than€Canadian€homicides"€(32„33).€In€short,€the€use€ofÏfirearms€"in€Canadian€homicides€has€declined€since€the€legislativeÏchanges€in€gun€control€in€1977".Ì€€€As€mentioned€in€lectures,€Canadian€cities€have€beenÏtraditionally€safer,€and€less€vulnerable€to€'Crime€Waves'€than€ourÏAmerican€neighbours€due€to€our€extensive€police€force€and€gunÏcontrol€laws€.€A€factor€to€be€considered,€though,€is€our€nationalÏheritage€or€culture€which€holds€traditions€of€passiveness€and€peaceÏunlike€the€American€Frontier€heritage.€From€our€textbook,€òòWhyÏNothing€Worksóó€,€Marvin€Harris€points€out€that€the€"AmericanÏConstitution€guarantees€citizens€the€right€to€bear€arms,€and€thisÏhas€made€it€possible€for€U.S.€criminals€to€obtain€firearms€moreÏreadily€than€their€counterparts€in€countries€like€Japan...".€MarvinÏHarris€indicates€that€"the€high€rate€of€homicide€in€the€UnitedÏStates€undoubtedly€reflects,€to€some€extent,€the€estimated€50Ïmillion€handguns€and€rifles€legally€and€illegally€owned€by€theÏAmerican€ÌÐ P- (4 Їpeople"€(122).€As€demonstrated€in€the€film:€òòCops,€Guns,€and€Drugsóó,Ïthe€problem€with€controlling€urban€violence€in€the€United€States€isÏthat€it€is€out€of€proportion€in€contrast€to€the€available€policeÏforce.Ì€€€In€his€book,€òòThe€Saturday€Night€Specialóó€,€Robert€SherrillÏexplains€the€cheap,€usually€illegal,€easily€concealed€handgun€thatÏplays€a€part€in€so€many€crimes€in€the€United€States.€He€reviews€theÏrole€of€guns€in€American€life€‚„from€the€shoot„outs€of€the€Old€WestÏto€the€street€violence€of€today.€According€to€Sherrill,€"mostÏmurders€occur€in€shabby€neighbourhoods;€of€the€690€murders€inÏDetroit€in€1971,€for€example,€575€occurred€in€the€black€slumsÏmostly€by€handguns".€As€a€Detroit€sociologist€added€to€thisÏalarming€figure:"Living€in€a€frustrating€stress„inducingÏenvironment€like€the€United€States€every€day€of€your€life€makesÏmany€people€walking€powder€kegs"€(38).€In€agreement€with€thisÏstatement,€Sherrill€suggests€that€the€hardest€hit€of€all€AmericanÏurban€centres€is€the€inter„cities€of€Los€Angeles,€New€York,ÏDetroit,€and€Washington.€These€cities€largely€consist€of€visibleÏminorities€who€are€frustrated€with€the€hand€dealt€to€them,€andÏsimply€resort€to€"drugs,€guns,€and€violence"€as€a€way€of€life€ñCñ(24„¼27)ñCñ.€AsÏdiscussed€in€lecture,€and€viewed€in€the€film:€òòCops,€Guns,€andÏDrugsóó,€many€of€the€youth€in€the€underclass€who€become€involved€inÏthis€way€of€life€,"are€considered€to€be€old€if€they€live€past€theÏage€of€20"€.ÌñFñ€€€€ñFñIn€another€paper€by€Catherine€F.€Sproule€and€Deborah€J.ÏKennett,€they€compared€the€incidence€of€killings€by€handguns,Ïfirearms€other€than€handguns,€and€nonshooting€methods€between€the€ñGñÐ P- (4 ЇÌñGñUnited€States€and€Canada€for€the€years€1977€to€1983.€In€their€studyÏthey€found€that€"in€Canada€there€were€443€handgun€killings€perÏ100,000€people€compared€to€4108€in€the€U.S.€over€the€period€ofÏ1977„1983"€.€They€also€noted€that€the€"American€murder€rates€forÏhandguns€are€higher€than€the€total€Canadian€homicide€rate"(249).€ÏAccording€to€Sproule€and€Kennett,€"Canada's€favourable€situationÏregarding€murder€relative€to€the€United€States€is€to€a€largeÏmeasure€the€result€of€Canadian€gun€control,€and€Canadians€must€beÏvigilant€against€any€erosion€of€our€gun€control€provisions"€(250).ÌòòB:Comparison:óóÌ€€€The€works€cited€above€are€based€on€research€done€by€experts€andÏscholars€in€the€field€of€gun€control€and€violence.€Examining€theÏabove€materials€can€identify€similarities€and€differences€found€inÏthe€various€cited€sources,€such€arguments€for€and€against€gunÏcontrol€policy€in€North€America.€It€is€clearly€evident€to€see€thatÏopponents€of€strict€gun€control€will€have€similar€arguments.ÏFirstly,€they€are€usually€defending€each€other€against€theirÏopponents€of€the€issue,€and€they€see€the€benefits€as€far€moreÏgreater€than€the€setbacks.€The€introduction€of€the€1977€legislationÏby€the€Canadian€government€strongly€suggests€that€the€country€willÏbenefit€by€having€a€safer€society,€and€reduction€in€crime.ÏAccording€to€Robert€J.€Mundt,€a€benefit€reaped€Ìby€this€legislation€has€been€a€"trend€away€from€the€use€of€firearmsÏin€robberies€has€been€noticeable€ever€since€the€passage€of€the€gunÏcontrol€provisions€of€the€1977€Bill€C„51€(Criminal€Law€AmendmentÏAct)".€Mauser€mentions€that€Canadians€are€"more€supportive€of€Ð P- (4 ЇñIññJñÔ% € ÔñJññIñstricter€controls€on€handguns€than€are€Americans...Moreover,ÏCanadians€appear€to€be€less€supportive€of€home€owners€usingÏfirearms€to€defend€themselves€than€are€Americans"€(Mauser:587).ÏThis€evaluation€by€Mauser€suggests€that€Canadians€do€haveÏconfidence€in€gun€control,€and€law€enforcement€in€controlling€theÏsafety€of€their€well„being.Ì€€€Similarities€can€also€be€cited€in€the€works€of€Harris€andÏSherrill€which€discuss€the€effects€of€having€'the€right€to€bearÏarms'€in€the€United€States.€According€to€Marvin€Harris,€òòWhy€NothingÏWorksóó€,€there€"has€been€a€steady€increase€in€the€availability€ofÏfirearms€since€1945,€this€may€account€for€much€of€the€increase€inÏthe€homicide€rate"€in€the€United€States.€Harris€also€suggests€thatÏAmerica€has€"developed€a€unique€permanent€racial€underclass"€whichÏprovide€conditions€for€both€the€motive€and€opportunity€for€violentÏcriminal€behaviour€(123).€In€Sherrill's€book,€òòThe€Saturday€NightÏSpecialóó€,€a€major€topic€of€concern€is€the€status€structure€of€theÏstreet€gang€in€which€"success€in€defense€of€the€turf€bringsÏdeference€and€reputation...Here€the€successful€exercise€of€violenceÏis€a€road€to€achievement".€ÌAs€Sherrill€mentions,€this€violence€is€exercised€by€the€means€of€aÏgun€that€can€be€easily€obtained€in€the€United€States€due€to€theÏeasy€accessibility€of€guns.€Ì€€€€There€are€also€some€worthwhile€differences€found€in€theÏliterature€cited€above.€For€one,€Sproule€and€Kennett€,€indicateÏthat€gun€ownership€in€the€United€States€is€"inversely€related€to€ÌÌÐ P- (4 Ðindividuals€lack€of€confidence€in€collective€institutions€toÏprotect€their€security€of€person€and€property...".€Robert€SherrillÏbelieves€that€the€vast€majority€of€people€who€own€guns€,€"simplyÏown€them€because€it€is€a€part€of€their€American€heritage,€and€theÏconstitution€gives€them€'the€right€to€bear€arms'"(1973:225).€HeÏsuggests€that€Americans€choose€to€practice€their€civil€liberties€toÏits€entirety.Ì€€€Other€notable€differences€in€the€literature€is€Mauser's€view€forÏthe€differences€in€the€gun„control€legislation€between€the€twoÏcountries.€Mauser€states€that€the€cause€for€this€is€"theÏdifferences€in€political€elites€and€institutions€rather€than€inÏpublic€opinion"€(1990:587).€Due€to€Canada's€political€structure,€itÏis€a€lot€easier€to€make€and€approve€laws€in€comparison€with€theÏUnited€States€Congress€structure.ÌòòPart€III:€Thesis€StatementóóÌ€€After€researching€all€the€data€collected€from€the€library€and€theÏuse€of€course„related€materials,€I€have€formulated€my€own€theory€onÏthe€social€impact€of€gun€control€and€violence€in€North€America.ÏGoing€back€to€the€introduction,€I€have€asked€the€reader€twoÏquestions€:(1)€Is€it€our€right€to€bear€arms€as€North€Americans?€OrÏis€it€a€privilege?,€and€(2)€What€are€the€benefits€of€having€strictÏgun€control€laws?€It€appears€to€me€that€much€of€the€literatureÏcited€above€looks€at€gun€control€as€being€a€feasible€alternative€inÌreducing€homicides€and€armed€robbery.€From€the€authors€cited€above,Ïthere€findings€undermine€the€apparent€claim€of€gun€controlÏopponents€in€their€slogan€`people€kill,€guns€don't€'.€The€Ð P- (4 ЇÌintroduction€of€gun€control€in€Canada€significantly€shows€thatÏCanadian€gun€control,€especially€the€provisions€pertaining€toÏhandguns,€does€have€the€beneficial€effect€of€reducing€violentÏcrime,€and€saving€lives.ÌòòPart€IV:€Analysis€And€ConclusionsóóÌ€€€When€looking€at€the€1977€Canadian€Legislation€of€gun€control,€itÏis€easy€to€see€that€there€is€some€bias€and€assumptions€present.€ForÏone,€it€assumes€that€left€to€its€own€devices€the€legislation€willÏmake€it€virtually€impossible€for€a€criminal€to€obtain€a€handgun.ÏSecondly,€there€is€an€assumption€that€if€a€person€doesn't€have€aÏcriminal€record€(it€doesn't€neccessarily€mean€that€they€are€law„¼abiding)€then€they€are€eligible€to€obtain€a€firearm€with€an€FACÏ(firearms€Acquisition€Certificate).€With€the€implementation€of€BillÏC„51,€a€`Black€Market'€for€illegal€handguns€has€emerged€from€theÏUnited€States€into€Canada,€making€it€extremely€easy€for€theÏprofessional€criminal€to€obtain€a€firearm.Ì€€€It€can€be€agreed€that€since€the€implementation€of€Bill€C„51€inÏ1977,€Canada€has€remained€relatively€safe€in€incidents€involvingÏfirearms€in€comparison€to€the€United€States.€The€assumption€of€many€ÏAmericans,€is€that€having€the€right€to€bear€arms€increases€theirÏsecurity€is€open€to€dispute.€It€is€just€as€reasonable€to€assumeÏthat€restricting€the€`right€to€bear€arms'€will€increase€the€safetyÏand€security€of€a€society.€In€accordance€with€many€sociologists€Ìbeliefs,€is€that€Canada€historically€hasn't€experienced€theÏproblems€of€crime,€that€the€United€States€has,€because€of€it'sÏcentral€police€force.Ð P- (4 Ѐ€€Ì€€€€In€addition,€Sproule€and€Kennett€view€the€significant€effect€ofÏgun€control€is€the€method€of€killing.€Although€"gun€control€may€beÏinfluencing€some€suspects€to€kill€by€other€methods,€it€is€lessÏlikely€for€these€suspects€to€kill€multiple€victims"ññ(1988:36)ññ.€As€witnessedÏby€the€American€media,€mass€murder€in€public€is€much€more€a€commonÏoccurrence€in€the€U.S.€than€Canada.€It€is€safe€to€say€that€gunÏcontrol€has€saved€the€lives€of€potential€innocent€victims€of€crime.Ì€€€Furthermore,€as€was€mentioned€in€class€discussion€and€lectures,Ïthe€strength€or€influences€of€the€mass€media€to€glorify€violenceÏhas€had€detrimental€effects€on€North€American€society.€In€someÏways,€the€act€of€violence€has€been€desensitised€and€glorifiedÏrather€than€being€displayed€as€an€unacceptable€form€of€behaviour.€ÌThis€portrayal€by€the€media,€has€made€handguns€and€other€firearmsÏseem€fashionable€in€the€eyes€of€our€youth€and€general€population€inÏNorth€America.€This€unquestionably€places€our€law€enforcementÏagencies€at€a€considerable€disadvantage,€simply€because€it€erodesÏthe€confidence€and€trust€displayed€in€them€by€the€general€public.Ì€€€Presently,€Canada€does€have€the€advantage€of€gun€control€unlikeÏthe€U.S.€situation.€We€are€now€living€in€an€environment€that€hasÏseen€dramatic€increase€in€violent€crime,€over€a€short€period€ofÏtime.€Whether€the€United€States€adopts€a€gun€control€policy€similarÏto€Canada's,€remains€to€be€seen.€As€for€Canadians,€we€must€maintainÏconfidence€€in€the€police€and€justice€system€to€protect€ourÏcollective€security€as€an€important€means€by€which€to€deter€gunÏacquisition.€ÌÐ P- (4 Ї̀€€€€€ÌÌ€€€€€€€€€€€"Society€must€place€limits€on€culture's€appetites"Ì€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€„€Durkheim€„ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌ€€€€ÌÌÌÌÌÐ P- (4 ЇÌÌ€€€ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌññ