Guns are used by criminals in violent acts such as murder, armed robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. Guns are also used in acts of rage by ordinary citizens caught up in the heat of arguments, fights and other kinds of domestic violence. Accidental deaths and injuries also occur by guns. Further more, guns are used in most successful suicides. On the average, one man, woman, or child is killed or wounded by a gun every two and a half minutes in the United States alone. These instances where guns play a negative role can be drastically reduced if the United States tightens its grip on firearms by enforcing harsher gun laws and emphasizing gun safety. Gang activity is on the rise where disputes, which have been previously handled with fists, are now being solved with guns. In 1989, Oakland police recorded 148 murders directly related to firearms and this number doubled in 1990. Theft accounts for the vast majority of these illegal weapons. Requiring gun manufactures to include gun trigger locks with every gun purchased can stop most gun thefts. With a gun trigger lock on every legitimate gun, theft will severely decline and reduce the number of violent crimes involving stolen guns. Gun trigger locks add safety to guns, which will reduce the chance of an accidental discharge Children will be less likely to accidentally discharge a firearm with a trigger lock engaged. With a trigger lock properly installed on every household gun, the number of children that are accidentally killed each year by guns will be greatly reduced. Gun trigger locks cannot solve the entire gun problem, but with stricter gun laws, guns will stay in the hands of individuals who are qualified and sensible enough to have them. Tightening gun laws will keep guns in the hands of proper individuals by making it harder for unqualified people to obtain them. The Schumer-Bradley Bill is a prime example of proposed laws that will reduce the number of illegal firearms on the street.
