Reflection on My Research

Before researching gun laws in depth, I learned a number of things unbeknownst to me in the past. Even as a responsible gun owner and advocate for gun safety, I found myself unaware of certain rules and regulations that could have landed me with a misdemeanor due to pure ignorance of firearm legislature. I also came to the realization that proper knowledge of firearm laws would most likely mitigate the arguments between people who clearly have no idea what they are talking about. From what I researched, I also came up with a logical system for increasing gun safety among the U.S. population.

Here's my proposal: 
I propose that a basic "Laws and Penalties" course shall be a graduation requirement in inner city schools where poverty and criminal activity is high. It would be taught by an educated police officer (which are already a necessary full time position in many U.S. public schools) The course would include but would not be limited to:

- The most common criminal offenses and the cost of committing them
- Firearm safety and laws for legal and proper use
- Penalties for committing violent crimes and the real-life affects after a felony offense
- Income and career opportunity differences between felons and law-abiding citizens
- An inside look at the life of a prisoner
- The influence of substance abuse and the correlation to criminal activity

Backing up my reasoning:
According to a study conducted by Regis University, as well as a number of other studies show that over 70% of all crimes committed are traced back to people who grew up in poverty and broken families who struggled to provide proper living conditions to children. It is also known that over 20% of people who are raised in poverty and rough areas will commit a felony offense by the age of 24. An even higher percentage will commit a misdemeanor by the age of 24. Why is this?
This can be traced back to inner city public schooling systems that provide poor education to the impoverished and the minorities, who happen to be the main perpetrators of violent crimes in America today. The amount of tax money that is required to keep these criminals behind bars and constant supervision is unreal, a whopping 55 Billion Dollars annually.
So, obviously there will never be a perfect society in which there are no criminals but there are ways to mitigate the problem. What if the public schools in areas where delinquents are common, required a passing grade in a basic "laws and penalties" course in order to graduate high school? Although I am not entirely sure how many crimes are committed out of sheer ignorance of the law, I believe that the correlation between criminal activity and the uneducated youth is astoundingly positive. If a basic laws and penalties course was required to graduate, the amount of delinquents who commit felony offenses would decrease and result in a safer society, a smarter society, and a society in which opportunities flourish.

Sources: 

Expert Staff, CBPP. “Policy Basics: Where Do Our State Tax Dollars Go?” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 10 Oct. 2017, www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/policy-basics-where-do-our-state-tax-dollars-go.

Staff, Regis University. “What Causes Someone to Exhibit Criminal Behavior?” Regis Criminology Programs, The Higher Learning Comission, 17 Mar. 2016, criminology.regis.edu/criminology-programs/resources/crim-articles/what-causes-someone-to-exhibit-criminal-behavior.