President Bush's Crime Control Agenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

President Bush's Crime Control Agenda - Essay Example In the Des Moines IA GOP Debate in 1999, George Bush states his position on gun control: "I'm in favor of keeping guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them like felons & juveniles. I'm for enforcing the laws on the books.... We need to send a signal to people, don't be illegally selling guns and don't be illegally using guns. The best accountability for somebody who breaks the law with a gun is called jail, certain jail" (Who is George Bush 2007). In this statement it becomes notable that even though the president supports gun ownership, he sets specific rules and restrictions on how firearms should be handled. The gun control of Bush allows gun to be primarily used solely for hunting and self-protection. Believing in the right of a citizen and his family to be protected against threats of crimes, he stresses that "law-abiding citizens ought to be able to own a gun" (St. Louis Debate 2000) yet "we ought to get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them" (St. Louis Debate 2000). Rigorous background checks are put in place in order to ascertain whether a person is allowed to own a gun. However, if gun laws are broken, people are held accountable for the consequences.