Girls and Their Gangs

Gun Control

Fifth of July and me and my boyfriend are just sitting around watching T.V. when the

phone rings.  I answer the phone and here my best friend Laurie trying to tell me

something through her tears.  I knew it was more thana family problem because she

wouldn't call me at my boyfriends if it wasn't serious.  I tried to get her to calm down so

I could half way understand her.  I could here her say something about our good friend

Jerry.

I took her a few minutes but I finally understood her.  Jerry had been shot earlier that day

by two juviniles with handguns in search of drugs and money.

Contention 1.  Juvinile Crime with guns has gone up.

A.  Juviniles homocide with guns is tripling

Congressional Record 96' ( July 24, Senate Resolution 282)

"Juvinile homosides involving firearms trippled from 1980 to 1994.   Ask any police

chief of any major cities in this country and they will tell you the problem in violence is

that how the weapons are more powerful and they are used more frequently."

B.  Number of other teen murders by other means has remained the same

Montgomery, 96'  (Knight-Ridder, July 8)

"Noting that the number of gang murders by juviniles has tripled since 1980 while the

number of teen murders by all other means has stayed the same."

C.  Black Market is a great sorce of gun trading

Munsey, 96' (Christopher, March 31)

"Firearms stolen from residents and gun stores are the number one outlet for for

criminals.  'They are traded on the street in the brisk black-market whirl that includes

drugs &   cash.' state police said.

D. Guns kill  more teens than all diseases conbined.

Neergaad, 96'(AP, July 13)

"Guns kill more teen-agers than all other diseases combined. Gun related homicides &

suicides are rising.  Firearms send almost 40,000 americans to thier graves each year.

Contention 2.  Availability of guns to juvililes has gone up.

A. Guns are easy to steal

Munsey,'96 (Christopher, March 31)

"Criminals like stolen handguns because if they are somehow recovered after a crime,

they will turn up in the records only as stolen."

B. Handguns are sold frequently

Johnson,96' (Febuary 21, Columbia Dispatch)

"People can buy handguns at gunshows, flea markets, and on the black market without a

Brady Check.  Criminals with half a brain will advoid the gunstores and going through

the system."

C.  The Brady Law

Johnson, 96' (Febuary 21, Columbis Dispatch)

"The Brady Law which took effect Febuary 28, 1994, requires a background check during

the five day waitng period before the sale of a handgun. 

D. Police are inadequate

Jeffery Synder (The Pblic Interest, 1993)

"Crime is increasing because citizen resistence & law inforcement is inadequate."

Plan

Plan Plank 1.  The plan will be administed by the Department of Justice and all oher

necessary agencies in the U.S.

Plan Plank 2.  Mandates

A.  The possession of a handgun by a juvinile will be classified as a Class 2

Misdemeanor

B.  Local police will be given the authority to search any juvinile suspected of carring a

handgun. 

C.  A tip reward for a gun reporting, like the Charleston "Operation Gun Stoppers"

program, will be implemented nationwide.

D.  Any handguns possessed by juviniles will be confiscated and turned over to local

police.

E.  Block grants will be given to the states and localities in order to hire and necessary

law inforcement personnel required for plan implementaion

Plan Plank 3.   The proposal shall be funded by a simplification of the tax code, which

will raise $250 billion over the next 5 years.

Plan Plank 4.  Enforcement will be through normal means

Plan Plank 5.  The Aff.  claims legislative intent

Contention 3.  Gun Stoppers program will reduce juvinile crime.

A.  The "Gun Stoppers" progam will improve classification efforts

Rueben Greenburg(Police Chief, Charleston S.C. )  The status quo Researcher , March

15, 1996 p. 229

"Under the program, if a tip leads to the confiscation of an illegal gun, the tipster gets

$100 within an hour.   'We changed the situation from kids showing off their guns to one

where they are afraid for anyone to even know to have the gun.'  Greenburg says."

  In conclusion, juvinile crimes with handguns are inreasing rapidly.  If we do not try to

take control of this problem now, then it will most likely only get worse. The juviniles

are the future of the U.S. ;  let's not give them a weopon that determain the life of

another.  Thank You.