Regulation of guns is a necessary action that needs to be taken in order to save lives. A good definition of gun control is needed to understand the sides and issues. Gun control is an effort to stop the rise in violent crime by strengthening laws on the ownership of firearms. Persons in the group against gun control believe that gun control is wrong, and that it is a violation of constitutional rights. .
Those in favor of gun control believe that gun control is good, that the Second Amendment does not apply to regular citizens, and that guns should be taken out of the hands of criminals. There are several major anti-gun control groups. These groups include the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the Gun Owners of America (GOA) . The NRA is a national group dedicated to the upholding of the Second amendment of the Constitution (See Appendix). In their magazines, American Hunter and American Rifleman, they say "The NRA, . . . believes that every law-abiding citizen is entitled to the ownership and legal use of firearms, . . . " The NRA does many things to help display their beliefs and persuade others to their beliefs. This association also has a strong pull on legislation, because it has many lobbyists and supporters in government. This group has many members in Congress, and former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan are NRA members. The NRA lobbies for several types of legislation. For example, the NRA is currently tryingto repeal the ban on assault weapons. A lot of money is spent each year on legislation (See Appendix for figures). .
The Gun Owners of America is another group that is against gun control. The GOA preserves and defends the rights of gun owners through legislation. They publish books, articles, and videos on gun issues and how those issues affect people. They also conduct seminars for the press and Congress about issues on the Second Amendment, and gun issues. The GOA opposes bans on semiautomatic weapons, armor piercing ammunition, and handguns.