The comparison between National Rifle Association and the American Association of Retired People in regard to power

Abstract The NRA, National Rifle Association, was formed in 1871 by Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate. This followed a poor show of marksmanship by their troops. The main aim of forming the group was to encourage people to practice shooting as a sport or a form of entertainment.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The comparison between National Rifle Association and the American Association of Retired People in regard to power specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More AARP, American Association of Retired Persons, is a membership organization that is comprised of senior citizens who are 50 years and above. It was founded by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus to protect the social life interest of senior citizens ranging from job placement, money management, tax preparation and prescribed drug cost especially so negotiating for an affordable health insurance. Both NRA and AARP are prominent, but I find NRA being mor e powerful than AARP. Between the two organizations AARP, has the larger membership of about 35.7 million as of February 2010 (NRA, 2011) which is almost ten times that of NRA which was estimated at 4.3 million(Opensecrets.Org, 2011). Over the years, changes occur in most interest groups that see their membership rise or fall. Some of these reasons are as a result of members’ frustration due to lack of expected results or while membership surge occurs when the interest groups attains certain goals in such an incredible way. In the year 2005, for example AARP was said to have a membership of about 39 million (Kaiser, 2005), this number has however dwindled over the years to the current 35.7 million. On the other hand, NRA membership has been growing through the years even though not at a very high rate. In many cases, growing numbers indicate growing faith if not trust and power. With such a high number of members comes power, but that is not always automatic. Power is the abi lity to influence policy making in both the political arena and legal framework. Having a high number of members therefore puts an interest group in a better position for negotiation than its counterpart; however, power is sought rather than given on a silver platter.Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While AARP may have the numbers to be able to put so many candidates through to congress their influence on policymaking is minimal as compared to the influence made by the NRA. With its 4 million members, NRA is able to reach out to the congressmen and influence the policies that they make in a way that favors and protects the interest of her members (AARP, 2011). In 1934 for instance, NRA formed legislative affairs division to counter attacks on the second amendment rights. In 1975, NRA realized the importance of having a political defense to the second amendment and formed the Institute for Legislative Action, (Opensecrets.Org, 2011). In fact sometime this year NRA carried out a survey to establish the problems her members were facing in getting initial firearm certificates and even those renewing (Alger, 2011). Basically, NRA opposes any attempt to restrict gun ownership including background check on those wishing to acquire firearms and worse still firearm registration. Unlike NRA members who exude confidence and gratitude, many members of AARP have ended up frustrated by this interest group due to what they consider poor lobbying of their rights. In an article, Frank Kaiser claims that more than 14 million seniors under Medicare plan without drug coverage still struggle to buy medicine among other expenses (Kaiser, 2005). If healthcare was the main objective and idea behind the organization then the organization has failed its members. AARP then lacks the power to have the interest of her members catered for. Over the years, AARP has severally been ac cused of furthering other interests other than those of its members. Frenk (2010) observed that more than 40 million people are still uninsured due to lack of affordable quality services. While AARP is supposed to be a non-profit making organization some of her revenue has been attributed to proceeds that are made from selling insurance and other financial services to the members. In 2005, AARP was involved in a tag of war with the then administration of President Bush who wanted to introduce a scheme where social security would be privatized.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The comparison between National Rifle Association and the American Association of Retired People in regard to power specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This opposition made some people to question the credibility and integrity of the organization. Indeed James K. Glassman an enterprise scholar is reported to have said that the idea sug gested by Bush had fewer risks as compared to AARP’s selling of mutual funds (Gleckman et al, 2005). This was a real show of distrust. AARP’s reputation suffered a major setback in the sense that it was clear to all that the organization put commercial interests before that of the members. Controversy seems to have dogged AARP for a long time. In the year 1979, one of its founders Leonardo Davis was forced out of office in a most embarrassing way on claims of illegal business practices and representing the organization in fraudulent way (Jeanty, 2011). In the year 2007 AARP made 497.6 million dollars from royalties and fees that the organization receives from the companies she endorses (Kaiser, 2007). Reputation is a vital component of power or the route to get there. Once the reputation is dented power is lost. Since both NRA and AARP are interest groups and nonprofit making at that the one sure way of comparing the money they have is looking at the way they spend the money to get their way or to influence policy makers through lobby groups. AARP have an upper hand in that their members are exclusively senior citizens who comprise nearly half of the voting citizens and therefore they can claim to have put most politicians to office. NRA on the other hand is not as lucky. The only way for her to get access to power is through lobby groups. The NRA lobby machinery or group is so powerful that it has grip on both houses of congress. Actually in the year 2001 NRA replaced AARP as Washington’s most powerful lobbying group.Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When it comes to organization, NRA has got it all right. In order to make their lobbying as effective as possible, NRA established Institute of Legislative Action (ILA). This arm of NRA serves also to mobilize and inform the public about various undertakings of the organization. This makes members feel involved and part of the whole process. Apart from visiting universities and giving talks NRA has accounts on the social network such as twitter and facebook. Keeping in touch with her members makes them feel closer and important which is a vital factor in maintaining a good reputation and power. AARP on the other hand seem to have slept on their job. Most of the lobbying and public relations are marketing related and most people feel that their needs are not being addressed or worse still the organization has lost focus of its mandate. Though AARP has attained some heights in the past, there is need to re-focus. According to New York Times, â€Å"AARP has adopted a pragmatic, bipart isan approach over the last decade. Using its well-financed lobbying machine, the group was instrumental in obtaining Medicare prescription drug coverage in 2003, blocking George W. Bush’s efforts to privatize Social Security in 2005 and getting President Obama’s health care plan passed in 2010.† (Lynch, 2011). The damage done to AARPs reputation is immense and their power to influence decision is little. If world ratings are anything to go by then good reputation is power according to my personal perspective. In his article Daniel Drezner shows how the perception of the US has changed across the globe. He has done this by comparing the perception of the US by other countries when President Bush was in power and when President Obama took over. When several people, especially those that you wish to manipulate, think you are a good person, they also tend to believe that your policies are equally good. That may not always be true but even then, you have more support ers and friends in your camp who are at your disposal. They can trust you they can work with you. When President Obama took over in 2008 the only thing that changed immediately is the reputation of the country. America won more friends and without a word gained back its former position in the world (Drezner, 2009). References AARP. (2011). AARP history. RetrievedFrom  http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/info-2009/History.html Alger, L. (2011). Notes from the secretary general. National Rifle Association Journal, XC (2), 2. Drezner, D.W. (23rd July 2009). A hard measure of Obama’s soft power. Foreign Policy. Retrievedfrom http://www.drezner.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/07/23/a_tangible_measure_of_obamas_soft_power Frenk, J. (2010).Globalization of health and health services. The Journal AARP International. Retrieved from http://journal.aarpinternational.org/a/b/2010/05/Globalization-of-Health-and-Health-Services Gleckman, H et al. (March 14, 2005). By raising its voice AARP raise s questions. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_11/b3924050_mz011.htm Jeanty, J. (2011). About the AARP Lobby. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_4564694_the-aarp-lobby.html Kaiser, F. (2005).When will AARP grow some balls. Suddenly Senior. Retrieved from http://www.suddenlysenior.com/aarpgrowballs.html Lynch, F. R. (23rd June 2011). How AARP Can Get Its Groove Back. New York Times: Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/opinion/24lynch.html?_r=1 NRA. (2011). A brief history of the NRA. Retrieved from http://www.nra.org/aboutus.aspx Opensecrets. Org. (2011). National rifle Assn: Responsive politics. Retrieved from http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000082 This research paper on The comparison between National Rifle Association and the American Association of Retired People in regard to power was written and submitted by user Janessa Beasley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The 15 Most Popular Jobs in the US And How Much They Pay

The 15 Most Popular Jobs in the US And How Much They Pay ever wonder what the career landscape of the country looks like? here are the most popular jobs in the us, according to a survey citing employment data from over 1 million businesses as of may 2015–and their average annual salaries. 1. office supervisorthis title covers  first-line supervision of office and admin employees. nearly 1.5 million people have this job in the u.s, and the average pay is $56k per year.2. bookkeeping, accounting, auditingclerks in this field, numbering over 1.5 million, make an average of just under $39k per year.3. truck driverdriving heavy or tractor-trailer trucks is more popular than you might expect, with nearly 1.7 million truckers out there, making an average of $42.5k per year.4. order filler/stock clerknearly 2 million people pay their bills this way. the average pay for this position is $26k per year.5. gm or operations managerjust over 2 million people do this for a living and take home an average of almost $120k per year.6. janitor or in dustrial cleanerprofessional cleaners who don’t work in domestic situations (over 2 million!) make an average of $26k per year.7. secretary or administrative assistantnot including legal, medical, or executive assistants, there are nearly $2.3 million americans doing this, making an average of $35k per year.8. laborer/freight, stock, or material movernearly 2.5 million people in the u.s. are doing this heavy labor and taking home an average of just under $28k per year.9. waitstaff2.5 million people serve in restaurants in our country. the average annual pay is about $23k.10. customer service repthis country employs nearly 2.6 million customer service reps, making an average of $34.5k per year.11. registered nursethere are more than 2.7 million registered nurses in the u.s. making an average salary of $71k per year.12. office clerkover 2.9 million people work as office clerks, making just under $32k per year on average.13. food prep and service workersincluding fast food jobs, we’re talking over 3.2 million workers, making less than $20k per year.14. cashierwith an average annual salary of just under $21k per year, there are almost 3.5 million cashiers out there.15. retail salespersonretail sales is by far the most popular job in the u.s. these days, with over 4.6 million workers. the average annual pay is just over $26k.

The challenge of managing diverse teams Assignment - 1

The challenge of managing diverse teams - Assignment Example In an argument by Robbins et.al (2011) a diverse team creates an advantage in an organization since numerous task can be completed by different team members without the requirement of incurring training costs. For instance, my industry has a massive customer care department which requires interaction with different cultured consumers. Having team members communicating in different languages naturally increases the efficiency of the customer care approaches. Another advantage is that a leader can effectively carry out division of labour and specialization based on the strengths of the employees (Robbins et.al, 2011). In addition, this is done without creating requirements from employees that may be beyond their expertise and skills. A major disadvantage of diverse teams is that the leader would be massively tasked in understanding the specific needs of each team member. Additionally, barriers to effective team management would be not be able to be addressed in a general manner making the leadership position more challenging. Diverse teams also create the requirement to alter an organization culture to suit a wide range of personalities as a human resource appraisal technique (Harvard Business Press, 2013). For instance, people from different cultures in my industry may require different workplace specifications for them to perform tasks as required. Satisfying individual needs is a difficult requirement. The ability to bring together people from different backgrounds, disciplines, cultures, and generations and leverage all they have to offer, therefore, is a must-have for leaders (Ibarra & Hansen 2011). From the argument, it is evident that the ability to manage diverse teams is an important leadership requirement. The same argument is supported by Mullins (2010) who points out that the failure to effectively manage diverse teams is a failure on the part of the leader considering that the impact of the failure directly affects the input of the

Aristotle's Pursuit of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aristotle's Pursuit of Happiness - Essay Example Another example person who looks for the pleasure through eating must find the mean between gluttony and starvation. The Greek word eudaimonia is usually understood as the translation for â€Å"happiness†. The problem is that happiness is usually perceived with a subjective mental state, as when one claims to be happy enjoying a dozen cans of cool beer on a searing day, or is having enjoyment with friends. On the other hand, Aristotle believes that ideal of happiness is the ultimate end that covers the entirety of any human being’s life. Happiness is not something that can be achieved or discarded in the temporariness of time like that found in pleasurable sensations. Happiness is more likened to the importance of an individual’s life as lived up and measuring how well one has lived up to his or her full potential. It is because of this reason that an individual cannot really make any statement regarding whether he or she has achieved a life of happiness until it has ended.   Aristotle thinks that the most significant reason in the endeavor to accomplish happiness is to practice and cultivate good moral character or virtue ethics. It should be noted, however, that being virtuous is not something that is gained passively. ... The achievement of these various endeavors would lead to the perfection of human nature and enrichment of life. This involves any person to make decisions, some of which may be easier said than done. Most of the time, the lesser goods bring the assurance of instant enjoyment and more appealing, while the greater good more tasking and likely demands some degree of patience and perseverance. For example, it is likely to be easier and more enjoyable to spend the night going to the pub and have some booze and fun, but knowing that it will be better off if dealing for a project in which the due date is the next day. Improvement for a good character demands a strong will in doing what is right, even in the most testing challenges and situations. What this means is that the rational part of the soul should control the rational part (Stumpf, 94). It would be understandable then that Aristotle is highly critical of the culture of instant satisfaction which seems to be predominant way of life in the modern world today. To be able to attain the lifestyle of complete virtue, an individual needs to make right decisions by taking to account the future ultimate result as a whole. Happiness will not be achieved simply by indulging the pleasures at the whims of temporariness. Since the passions are capable of a wide range of action, all the way from too little to too much, a person must discover the proper meaning of excess and defect and thereby discover the appropriate mean (94). However, this undertaking is a task most individuals will find hard overcome in themselves. Eventually, the virtue ethics of Aristotle will bring the awareness to the concept of  akrasia, which means the weakness of the will. Most often than not, the irresistible prospect of some great

Hydropower And Wind Potentials In Hong Kong Environmental Sciences Essay

Hydropower And Wind Potentials In Hong Kong Environmental Sciences Essay For decades mankind are in search for new energy resources to deal with the depleting fossil fuel. A lot of renewable energy and associated technologies were developed to assist current energy use to mitigate the imperative energy crisis. The current issues of climate change and global warming accelerated the needs into researches on renewable technologies even more. Hong Kong is a special city with limited energy resources in a densely populated space. Current energy source in Hong Kong mostly rely on imported fossil fuels. The intention of replacing fossil fuel with other alternatives have become clear in both Government and non- Government Organisations. The Energy Efficiency Office (EEO); Electrical, Mechanical Service Department (EMSD), HKSARG has performed a study on feasibilities of various kinds of renewable energy in Hong Kong in 2001 (EMSD, 2001), the study gave an overview on feasibility of Solar, Wind, Fuel cells, Energy-from-Waste, and some other alternative energy. Every technologies was analysed, giving a conclusion that solar will be the most viable renewable energy source. The study of Tidal, and Hydroelectricity, however, was loosely studied due to the belief that they are relatively new technologies. However, although they are not being researched until very recent years, they have been used by human long beyond history. Mills that uses tidal energy has been found in the 12th century (Wallechinsky), whereas the hydro-energy was used even further back to Ancient Greek and Roman, where they use hydro-power for grinding mills (The U.S. Department of Energy). BagcÄ ± carried out a research in 2008 targeted to study the potential of developing a zero energy region in outer Island. Peng Chau was analyzed with different implementations of renewable energy and it is shown that a combination of solar, wind and hydro energy were a possible solution towards an Island that is independent from fossil fuel energy supply (BagcÄ ±, 2009). Despite the researches above, there is little research on full scale analysis on the feasibility of Hydro and Tidal energy in Hong Kong. Therefore it is of interest to determine whether the advances of technologies have gain points for Tidal and Hydro energy as potential alternative energy sources in Hong Kong. Tidal Energy Figure 1. Operating principle of Tidal Barrages (Palmer, 2008) Tidal Energy is a result from gravitational force between celestial body such as the earth, moon, sun etc., as the moon is the nearest among other celestial body, it is usually considered as the only contributor to the tidal formation. The moon rotates around the earth every 27.3 days and the earth rotates along its axis every 24hr. The net effect is that tidal fluctuation occures twice each 24 hour 50 mins, same as the earth rotation period with respect to the earth-moon system (World Energy Council, 2004). The amplitude from such fluctuation is called the tidal range, and is the energy that can be captured through a turbo-generator in tide barrage to produce electricity (Figure 1). It is suggested that Tidal energy can provides 5 % of the electricity generated worldwide (Palmer, 2008). According to the meteorological data provided by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), Hong Kong displays a gradual change in tidal characteristics, both in tidal range and tidal occurance of high and low tides travelling from southeast to the northwest across the territory. Within a tidal cycle, Waglan Island is the first to experience high tide and low tide whereas Tsim Bei Tsui is the last. Tsim Bei Tsui however, possess the largest mean tidal range of 1.4m, where Waglan Island and Victoria Habour generally possess a tidal range within 1m. (CEDD, 2002; HKO, 2009) Hydro energy Hydro energy shares the same energy carrier with Tidal energy, in which energy from water flow is captured with a marine turbine to generate electricity. It can be install anywhere as soon as water flow exists. Scales of Hydropower generator can be as large as constructions of dam to micro scales, usually found in small villages. Large scale generators were not considered to be implemented as no suitable sites were avaliable. In the report by EMSD, Hydro-energy were briefly analysed, and it is shown that potential of hydro-power in Hong Kong is relatively low compared to wind and solar energy (EMSD, 2001). Despite the feasilbility of Hydroelectricity dam in Hong Kong, there is a debate on the emission of greenhouse gas via this technology. A few studies had suggested that hydroelectric dam will generate three times more than fossil fuel plant to generate the same amount of electricity, in which plants died underneath an operating dam possess anaerobic digestion, generating a significant amount of GHG, especially in south America tropical (e.g. Brazil, Argentina) where hydroelectricity dam is the main source of renewable energy supply. Therefore the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cleannessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  of Hydropower is back in a debate (Graham-Rowe, 2005). Wind energy Wind energy is so well known and well developed that it is seen as the major potential renewable energy source that are viable in Hong Kong. Turbine were driven by wind to produce energy, scale of wind turbine are ranging from 198m high turbine generating 6 MW of electricity to some 2kW in micro size wind turbine. EMSD also analysed the potential sites for the installation of wind turbine, which a wind map was introduced for references by the public (Figure 2). Local applications include the famous 800kW wind turbine installed in Lamma Island, as well as the proposed wind farm in South-eastern Waters (EPD, 2006). Project Description This Project was targeted to review and anaylse the potential of Tidal and Hydro energy, and to compare them to the well developed Wind energy in Hong Kong. Since such energy sources are largely depend on meteorology, it is necessary to analyse as well as meteorological condition to determine which energy source are most suitable in Hong Kong. Moreover it is useful to review on current development of mentioned technologies to provide example for the implementation in Hong Kong. Objectives This project aims to: Give an overview of current energy consumption patterns in Hong Kong Provide an update on researches on Tidal, Hydro and Wind energy, these include Technologies involved and their latest development Overseas examples of application Potential strategy of implementation in Hong Kong Compare each of energy source to analyse their potential in Hong Kong, these include Meteorological assessment and potential energy gain Environmental Impact Assessment Cost Effectiveness / Costing Figure 2. Wind Power Density over the Region of Hong Kong (EMSD, 2001) Scope of Work To determine whether the technologies are competent in mitigation energy crisis in Hong Kong, it is always easier to understand how the locals use their energy, as well as the energy consumption in Hong Kong. Therefore it is reasonable to give a brief overview on energy flow pattern in Hong Kong. Energy source distribution, energy usage by different users can be obtained from the EEO, EMSD. Since Wind energy was well researched and there are a lot of applications in Hong Kong, wind energy will be used as a base for comparison with other technologies encountered in this project. Local and overseas examples will be discussed, as it provides a real life example into the application of such technologies. As mentioned before this project requires a significant amount of meteorological data, therefore meteorological observations from the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) will be analysed to review the possibilities of implementing tidal, hydro and wind energy. Despite the HKO, observations from the Environmental Central Facilities can also available to the public for detail analysis of wind and tidal observations. (Environmental Central Facility) Lastly, if viable, a cost analysis on some of the technologies can be carry out to demonstrate the economy of such renewable technologies and thus cost effectiveness can be use as an indicator to compare the aforementioned technologies. Time Management This project is mostly a Literature Research Project with some analysis on meteorological observations. Major milestone includes: 31 January, 2010; submission of inception report 30 September, 2010; submission of preliminary findings 21 April, 2011; submission of project title and draft dissertation (tentative), and expression of intention to complete project 30 June, 2011; Oral Presentation (tentative) 8 August, 2011; submission of final dissertation (tentative) Appendix A shows a Gantt chart showing tentative schedule of the project, stating the milestones as well as phases of the project.

Dark Chocolate Essay

Chemistry Central Journal brings even more good news for chocolate lovers, stating that dark chocolate contains more flavanols and polyphenols than fruit juice. â€Å"Cacao seeds are a ‘Super Fruit’ providing nutritive value beyond that of their macronutrient composition,† said Dr Debra Miller. Chocolate and Blood Pressure The important thing is that the antioxidants in dark chocolate can significantly reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension. According to researchers from the University of Adelaide, flavanols promote vasodilation, which may consequently lower blood pressure. â€Å"There have, however, been conflicting results as to the real-life effects of eating chocolate. We’ve found that consumption can significantly, albeit modestly, reduce blood pressure for people with high blood pressure but not for people with normal blood pressure.† added Dr Karin Ried, who is program manager and research fellow of the PHCRED (Primary Health Care Research Evaluation & Development) program at The University of Adelaide. The analysis concluded that the pressure reduction caused by chocolate consumption was comparable to the effects of 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Chocolate and Cirrhosis There are also potential benefits for liver disease patients. Spanish scientists found that eating dark chocolate lowers blood pressure in the liver and reduces damage to the blood vessels of patients with cirrhosis. A study which was presented at the International Liver Congress 2010 divided 21 cirrhotic patients with end stage liver disease into two groups. The first group received liquid meal containing dark chocolate, while the participants in the second group were getting liquid meal with white chocolate devoid of anti-oxidant properties. As a result, the patients receiving dark chocolate experienced a noticeable reduction of post-prandial increase in blood pressure in the liver. one Square Is Enough However, it is not necessary to eat huge quantities of chocolate in order to experience all the health benefits. In fact, just one small square a day may be enough to experience the health benefits chocolate is offering. A study performed in Germany that compared 19 357 individuals found that those who ate the most amount of chocolate (an average of 7.5 grams a day) were at a 39% lower risk of developing a heart attack than people with the lowest (1.7 grams) chocolate intakes. To put things into perspective, the six grams of difference are the equivalent of one small square of a typical 100g chocolate bar. â€Å"Our hypothesis was that because chocolate appears to have a pronounced effect on blood pressure, therefore chocolate consumption would lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks,† explains Dr Brian Buijsse from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, who led the research. â€Å"Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food, such as snacks, in order to keep body weight stable.†

In Defense of Gun Control Laws Essay

Guns have always been associated with crimes. The use of guns may either work in the positive or the negative way. On the positive side, it could help in deterring the proliferation of crimes. The mere use or presence of it is sufficient for other criminals to stop their criminal intents. However, this is just one way of looking at gun use and ownership. If guns could be used for combating crimes and criminals, it could also be used to the proliferation of criminal acts. Many evil minded people would utilize firearms in order to compel people to do as they desire—including unlawful acts. The mere presence of a gun is sufficient to threaten an individual and to put one’s life in danger. Any wrong move in using a loaded gun might be the end for another’s life. It is due to this reason that the ownership, possession and use thereof are strictly regulated by the state. For anti-gun control advocates, they feel the need for less strict regulations on gun control and ownership. They are advocating that the laws be relaxed and for the law makers that gun ownership is essential in fighting criminals and crimes. It serves as the ordinary man’s protection against abusive individuals. In this day and age, there so many crimes that are being committed and a great number of criminals causing chaos to society, thus, the need for greater protection against them. Such advocates also invoke that it is their constitutional to own guns. However, in a case decided last June 2008 by the United States Supreme Court, it was upheld that reasonable efforts under of controlling the proliferation of firearms on the hands of private individuals is allowed. The law enforcers and makers however should be guided that there should be no outright ban on handguns (Newsbatch, 2008). This ruling of the Supreme Court would indicate that ownership of guns is not only limited to the military but it also extends to ordinary individuals so long as there is proper regulation. Indeed there is nothing wrong in the ownership and possession of guns as long as there is proper regulation thereof of the enactment and recognition of gun control laws. Blackstone, a former US District Court Judge also shares the view that the public should not be prohibited of their right to bear arms. They should be accorded this right especially in a country where there is a vast militia power. The bearing of firearms is the security of the people against abuse and their mode of defending themselves. However, this should be done in moderation and should be properly regulated (Guncite, 2007). In opposition to the claim that the ownership and possession of guns help deter criminality in the country, this cannot hold to be always true. As previously indicates, the use of guns may work positively or negatively. Instead of stopping crimes, it could even be the means of committing thereof. According to the article of Deborah White (n. d. ), the United States has the highest number of private people owning guns. There are about 80 million Americans of 50 percent of the total homes which own 223 million of guns. Attached with this figure is the fact that more than 30, 000 men and women in the United States die each year due to gun shoot wounds, this is the highest homicide rate from guns around the world. Moreover, it should be noted that among the 30, 000 deaths indicated above, only 1, 500 of which are caused by accidental killings. This is a very alarming figure since it would imply that the high percentage gun ownership and gun shot related incidents have a positive relation. The more guns there are in the streets, the greater is the number of people dying with a bullet on their bodies. Policy Almanac (n. d. ) also reported that there has been a 173 percent increase from 1985 to 1993 and 126 percent from 1993 to 1999 in the number of homicides which are annually committed with the use of a firearm by persons who are between the ages 14 to 24. The figures should serve as a wake up call for law enforcers and remind them the need to properly regulate the ownership of guns and the use thereof. There should be more restrictive laws to be imposed by the state. Stricter measures could lead to lesser crime rate as well as crime related incidents. In order the address the issue on gun control, several laws were enacted federally and locally or by state. On the federal level, the first major mandate was enacted in 1934. Based on this initiative, the sale of machine guns and other fully automatic firearms will be regulated. Four years after such legislation, another law was passed requiring gun sellers to have a license. In addition, the law also prohibits the sale of guns to those who have been convicted of violent crimes. The next law which addressed the issue on gun ownership was passed in 1968. This law is the Gun Control Act of 1968. Based on the said law, imported guns are to be regulated and gun-licensing requirements will be increased. The list of people who should not own and should not be sold with firearms was extended to individuals who have been convicted with any form of non-business related crime, those who are incompetent mentally d those who have been using illegal drugs. After the said legislation, another federal law was again passed in 1986. Such mandate indicated mandatory penalties on the use of a gun to commit federal felonies. Included in the said law is the prohibition on the use of bullets which have the capacity to penetrate bulletproof apparel. Manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons were also banned in 1990 (Newsbatch, 2008). After the said law was promulgated by the Congress, another federal gun regulation was passed in 1994, the Brady Bill. The said bill is considered as the most comprehensive federal effort on gun control. Through this law, a five day waiting period is necessary before purchasers can have their guns. Such period would give the law enforcement agencies to investigate the background of the purchaser. However, this law did not last as it was declared by the Supreme Court to be an infringement on state’s rights. The law was re-drafted and provided that the conducting of background investigation will be accomplished through a national computer system. The provision on the five day waiting period was also removed. In terms of the state or local laws, there has been variance in the enactment of the laws. However, the common provisions include Child Access Prevention law or the prohibition on leaving a loaded weapon which could be easily accessed by a minor. Another is the concealed weapon law or the need to obtain a license which would allow one to carry a concealed weapon. Others include the following: regulation of private sale to minors, regulating all secondary market sales, ban on assault weapons and the one hand gun a month laws, among others. Despite these seemingly comprehensive laws, there is a need to impose stricter measures in order to regulate the ownership, use and possession of guns. Although it is recognized that there is a need for guns in the society, the continued sale thereof to private individuals and the growing number of people who own such should be carefully studied. Guns are very dangerous. It carries with it an authority which no other object could possess. The mere presence thereof is already a cause for alarm. People who have such may use it to protect themselves or to threaten other people. Given the extraordinary authority accorded to firearms, people who are not properly oriented with the use thereof may abuse such authority. Thus, there is a need to regulate the use, possession and ownership thereof to have proper guidance and to eliminate the bad effects thereof to the society. The authority that comes with any firearm carries with it the responsibility to utilize it only to purposes to which it was intended and not to create abuse. Despite the high funding that come from anti-gun control laws, politicians should comply with their basic responsibility to uphold the common good in the society. They should not be easily swayed by the sources of their funds during the last elections.