Goodbye Nuclear Arms! Hello Gun Control! (Also Some Federalism)

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find enough substantial information on nuclear arms and power plants to make informed analyses. Also, I am bored of this topic, as I explored it a bit last year in a different class. Therefore, I will switch my topic to gun control, which all of my succeeding posts will cover. Now.

Federalism, or a system where two or more levels of government have jurisdiction over the same area and people, can sometimes incite political issues involving both state and national governments, a prime example of which is gun control, as seen here in this article. The idea that gun ownership and purchase need to have some forms of restriction stands common for the country as a whole. However, according to the previously referred-to article, entitled "Guns, Violence and Federalism", some people argue that " 'local conditions, customs and traditions should be taken into account' ". They say that national and state regulations of gun ownership can muddle the process of passing water-tight gun control laws, swiftly. People on the other side of the argument contest devolution, or giving more power to state and local governments and shrinking the scope of the national government. These others claim that leaving such decisions up to the states creates tatters in the web of gun control. While some states (specifically New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) have effective gun control legislation, guns and other weapons still flow in from other less responsible states. Here is chart that I found on the internet to provide some food for thought and viewing pleasure:










Even though this graph pushes the exact oppsite point, that violence results from stricter gun restrictions, that is beside the point. My point is that states seem to have forgotten all about the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, that the national government inherently holds priority over state and local governments, and that is because of a lesson that the founders learned from the Articles of Confederation: that state governments need a rallying point, an overall entity to bring each separate government in under one roof. We need to find a similar rallying point over gun control laws today, or else problems with crime will continue to escalate and continually bash specific areas of the country. This country needs to come together and find some common ground, which I know is easier said than done.