Guns

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• MBO
• Studiejaar 2

Guns

Have you ever handled a gun yourself?
Discuss

Yes

No

Would you like to own a gun?
Discuss

Yes

No

Do you think people should have the legal right to own a gun?
Discuss

Yes

No

Do you think the world would be a better place without any guns?
Discuss

Yes

No

That's the job

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How to buy a gun

It's not that difficult to buy a gun in America.

Hundreds of stores sell guns, from big chains like Walmart (WMT) to family-run shops like Ken's Sporting Goods & Liquor Store in Crescent, Ore. Or you can attend one of the dozens of gun shows that take place almost every weekend nationwide. People also regularly buy guns from neighbours or family members.

A background check is conducted only for in-store purchases. There, gun buyers have to fill out a form from the ATF, or the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Required information includes: name, address, place of birth, race and citizenship. A social security number is only "optional," though it's recommended. The form also asks questions such as:

*Have you ever been convicted of a felony?

*Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanour crime of domestic violence?

*Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any other depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?

*Are you a fugitive from justice?

*Have you ever been committed to a mental institution?

The store then calls the FBI, which runs a background check on the person through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, also known as NICS. The background check can just take minutes.

NICS scans federal databases like the National Crime Information Center and Interstate Identification Index for information. If a purchaser has been convicted of a felony, or misdemeanours with sentences exceeding two years, or has been declared "mentally defective" by a court, then he or she won't pass the background check.

However, denials are rare, occurring less than 1% of the time. "More than 100 million such checks have been made in the last decade, leading to more than 700,000 denials," the FBI says on its website.

But gun buyers don't have to go through a background check when they make a purchase at a gun show.

Most Americans live somewhere near a gun show. The website 

www.gunshows-usa.com lists 29 gun shows scheduled for this coming Father's Day weekend, from Las Vegas and Philadelphia to Hickory, N.C. and Salmon, Idaho.

You won't find them in cities like New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., where gun laws are far more restrictive.

Discussion

Ask each other about this text. 

Did it shock you? Why do you think gun control is a good/bad thing?  

Done? Research the NRA and the second amendment 

Thank you