The overall burden of gun violence, injury, and death in the United States is now well understood. Instances of gun violence kills about 90 people every day in the United States and those who view gun violence as a serious problem cite that the high number of deaths and injuries from gunshot wounds and escalating rates of gun-related homicides are directly related to the ease of obtaining firearms from public and private gun dealers. Legislation and policy makers suggest that improving the point of purchase background checks to keep guns from mentally disturbed individuals will help aid in the problem and reduce the likelihood of firearms getting into the hands of those considered mentally impaired. The second amendment of the United States constitution does not prohibit the government from regulating a citizen's right to own a weapon or firearm. Subsequently, advocate groups for gun rights such as the National Rifle Association of America, do not view gun violence as a serious problem social and economic problem arguing that the problem is exaggerated, that guns can and still prevent violence against citizens, that guns should not be blamed for violence, and ultimately that the public's fear of gun-related violent crime is excessive.
Keywords: gun control, background checks, policy reform, firearms, second amendment
Firearms in the Wrong Hands
Instances of gun violence result in tens of thousands of injuries and deaths annually with more than 30,000 people being killed by firearms each year in the United States (Heeding God’s Call). Gun control has always been a polarized hot button issue and while the second Amendment gives US citizens the exclusive “right to bear arms”, because of the recent instances of gun violence, reform is necessary. Why? Because, no other developed nation in the world comes close to the rate of gun violence in the United States. Americans own an estimated 265 million firearms, that is more than one gun for every adult in the US. Data from the Gun Violence Archive reveals that there is a mass shooting, which is defined as four or more people shot in an isolated incident, not including the shooter, on average every nine days out of a ten-day period. Experts in criminal justice widely recognize that America’s unusually high levels of gun violence are a direct result of our gun culture and policy decisions that have made firearms more widely available in America than anywhere else in world. For the average citizen in the United States that means more instances mass shootings as well as more gun violence in general. (Gun Violence Archive, n.d.) Statistics show that 91% of Americans believe there should be at the very least minor restrictions on gun ownership while 57% of Americans believe that there should be major restrictions and possibly even bans restricting significantly gun ownership (On The Issues, n.d.). In order to combat gun violence there must be an implementation stricter gun control policies while embracing a culture of gun control safety.
Firearms are dangerous in the wrong hands; this is a fact that cannot be disputed by the NRA, proponents of gun control, or advocates for gun culture and gun control. The current problem with gun control is frequently referred to as a cultural issue much like gay rights and religious expression. Lack of gun safety education significantly increases the likelihood of unintentional firearm injuries for people of all age groups. Teaching safe and responsible gun ownership has proven to work to protect the lives of gun owners. Simple safety precautions for gun owners such as implementation of continuous mandatory gun safety training and licensing along with secure gun storage can make a significant impact on reducing instances of unintentional/accidental deaths in the United States. According to the United States General Accounting Office an estimated 31% of unintentional deaths that are caused by firearms might be prevented by the addition of two safety devices such as a loading indicator and child-proof safety lock (Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2012). While fifty percent of households in the United States contain firearms and there is always a chance that a child will come into contact with them. Every day in the United States, nearly 30 children are killed or injured because of mishandling of firearms; it is imperative that today’s youth are raised in a culture of gun safety. In most of these homes that contain firearms parents are actively educating and discussing gun safety with their children, some still do not. Furthermore, parents who do not own firearms are even less likely to discuss gun safety with their children. Not teaching gun safety to youth only insurers that they will not understand the potential danger of firearms and increase the likelihood of accidental injury or death due to mishandling of firearms. Supporters and opponents of gun control both agree that gun education and avoidance programs should be taught to youth in public schools from kindergarten through high school. According to John Bronikowski, the Recreational Safety Warden with the Wisconsin DNR's Southeast Region-South, “Guns are very much a part of our society and for parents to not address children's natural curiosity about guns is a mistake” (Roberts, 2011).
Opponents of gun control argue that limits on gun ownership are unconstitutional because they violate the Second Amendment, which includes the phrase “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Arguments of pro-gun advocates revolve around the ideal that “Guns don't kill people; people uneducated on gun safety kill people”. Many citizens in the United States own guns for the sole purpose of protecting themselves and their families. If irresponsible gun owner does not know how to handle a gun, then there is more danger that exists than protection being offered by the firearm. If a robber breaks in to a house with no weapon, and the only intention is to steal or commit a burglary; and someone who is not educated on how to handle a gun decides to confront the robber they are now putting everyone in the situation in danger including the people that were being protected in the first place. The robber could easily get ahold of the gun and turn a robbery in to a murder scene. Another situation that could easily be caused by an uneducated gun owner would be a miss-fire due to improper handling. If someone is going to clean their firearm, or doesn’t know how to properly clear bullets from the chamber this could cause an accidental discharge and possibly injure or kill themselves or someone in close proximity. Many gun violence experts also believe that it's time to bring back bans on assault weapons. Easy-to-obtain assault weapons such as AR-15’a are the common threads that connected to some of the most deadliest shootings that have occurred in the past few years. A federal restriction on high capacity magazines would limit the number of rounds a mass shooter could fire uninterrupted, meaning they’d have to reload more often, and not be able to shoot as many people in between. More reloading would result in a higher probability of a malfunction or mistake, giving law enforcement more time to respond and bystanders more opportunity to flee or fight back. The right to bear arms is an important freedom there should still be sensible gun laws that banning high capacity magazines and expand background check to make it universal and more extensive.
Universal and stricter background checks can potentially reduce gun related violence and possibly save countless lives. Background checks were constructed to aid in identifying individuals that are deemed ineligible to purchase firearms under federal, state or local law, and to prevent and/or restrict access to these firearms through purchase. Implementing other measures such as gun license renewals every five years with full background checks and supplemental mental health screenings as well as adding a checkbox to a licensed gun owners’ driver’s licenses are additional security measures that would be essential to protecting the public from being victim of mass gun violence. A driver’s license can tell if I am an organ donor; it could very easily also indicate whether or not the driver is a gun owner or authorized to carry concealed firearms. Private firearm sales cause the biggest concern when it comes to universal background checks as unlicensed, private sellers are not required to conduct federal background checks. Subsequently, convicted felons and other ineligible people are able to easily buy guns in most states nationwide approximately thousands every year with about 55,887 firearms sold to convicted felons and mentally ill consumers between 1998 and 2014 (HO, 2015). Gun ownership has been on the rise while mental health services across the country have diminished. Statistics show that approximately 40% of gun sales are made within the United States are done so without any background check potentially giving dangerously mentally ill individuals and convicted felons unchecked access to firearms (Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2012). Requiring a criminal and mental health background check for all gun sales is one of the most effective tools to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.
After each mass shooting and many accidental shootings, the gun debate resumes with no clear resolution in sight. In my opinion additional gun control laws are the next logical step in reducing instances of gun violence and I am a strong believer that gun control laws desperately need reformation. Times have changed and culture has evolved so much so that current lawmakers should actively be reforming laws to make them more relevant to the lives of citizens in current culture that we live in. For example, during the ratification and implementation of the second amendment lawmakers had minimum to no understanding of stability and mental health. Because medical knowledge was so primitive during this time, psychology and mental health studies were not a well versed field at the time causing lawmakers to not consider the future ramifications of possibly providing access to firearms to mentally unstable individuals. The goal of reforming gun control laws is to protect and educate current gun owners, protect private citizens, and to ensure mentally unstable people and criminals do not gain access to firearms.
The United States is the most armed nation in the world, with approximately 270-310 million gun owners, that is almost one gun for every man, woman, and child (Desilver, 2013). Currently it is harder to obtain a mortgage or purchase a new vehicle than it is to legally purchase a gun. With countless guns in the hands of US citizens in our society, it is imperative that we implement a combination of procedures, laws, social standard, and education to decrease further risks and possible causes of future unintentional shootings, mass shooting and accidental deaths.