I have listened to various politicians and activists push arguments
such as “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”, “We don’t need new gun
laws; we just need to enforce the existing ones” and “It’s not a gun problem;
it’s a mental health problem”. But these
are not really arguments at all; they are just rhetoric used to deflect the
focus off guns. They are nice sound
bites, but do not address the problem and offer no solutions.
“It’s not a gun problem; it’s a mental health problem” OF COURSE it’s a mental health problem. Sane
people don’t walk into schools and start shooting kids. But that does not mean that we don’t also have
a gun control problem. The two issues
are not mutually exclusive.
“Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”. What a
stupid thing to say! When we say we
have a Gun Problem, most people with more than two working brain cells realize
we mean that we have a Gun CONTROL Problem.
“We don’t need new gun laws; we just need to enforce the
existing ones”. For the most part, I
agree. We already have laws prohibiting
felons and the mentally ill from possessing guns. But these laws are not properly enforced. Universal Background Checks are simply a
tool to enforce the existing laws. They
will not prohibit anyone from possessing a gun who is not already prohibited
from owning one.
SECOND AMENDMENT
Like all of our rights, our right to bear arms comes with
responsibilities as well.
The Second Amendment is not absolute. We already prohibit felons and the mentally
ill from possessing firearms, even though the Second Amendment does not state
that “the rights of the people shall not be infringed, unless they are felons
or mentally ill”.
When the founding fathers adopted the Second Amendment, the
musket was the height of technology. You
fired once, then had to take 30 seconds to reload before you could fire
again. It was not possible to use one to
rapidly kill multiple people.
School shootings are not something new. That has been at least one school shooting
almost every year for the past 150 years.
But the carnage inflicted by these shootings has increased as weapons
technology has improved.
UNDERLYING CAUSES OF GUN VIOLENCE
Before we can even attempt to solve the gun control problem,
we need to look at the causes. Most gun
deaths can be classified in one of four ways:
Criminals using guns to commit crimes. If we want to get serious about preventing
criminals from getting access to guns, background checks have to be
universal. There can be no
exceptions. All it takes is one
loophole. If criminals can buy guns
easily at gun shows, that’s just what they will do. Why even try to buy at a store when they have
a ready alternative? It’s even easier to
buy a gun from someone they know who does not have a criminal record.
Crimes of passion; domestic violence; suicide. These account for the majority of all gun
deaths, and most of these are committed by people with no criminal
history. Criminal Background checks
alone would not be effective. This is
where waiting periods come in. A 30-day
waiting period would give a person time to calm down or would give those close
to him or her time to recognize the crisis and to intervene before it’s too late.
Mass Shootings. While
this is the one that gains the most attention, it is also the one that will be
hardest to prevent. Most of these mass
shooters plan their crimes well in advance, often months or even years. Most have no criminal backgrounds. Waiting
periods and background checks may prevent a few, such as the church shooting in
Texas, but that was an exception more than the rule. The only way to prevent these types of
incidents is for people to pay attention for warning signs and intervene and/or
alert authorities.
Accidents. These are easily
the most preventable deaths. If one
wishes to own a firearm, they have the responsibility to learn how to properly
use and store their firearms. Yet there
are no requirements for even the most basic training or education before one is
allowed to buy such a deadly weapon.
This illustrates that there will not be one simple solution. The ultimate solutions will involve addressing
each of the underlying causes, and there will not be one-size-fits-all solution
that addresses all of the causes.
Ultimately, we will need to come up with a solution that
provides:
- A way
to ensure that felons and the mentally ill do not have access to guns by
any means. This will include mandatory reporting of all criminal
convictions to a central registry.
This registry would also include those deemed mentally ill. It would also include those who are
under protective orders.
- A
process that allows one to appeal his or her placement on this list to
ensure mistakes are not made.
- A
requirement that one who does purchase a gun understands their responsibilities
to properly use and store their weapons.
- A
waiting period to ensure that violent reactive emotions do not factor into
the equation.
Back in November, after the church shooting in Texas, I posted
my own ideas on a comprehensive solution.
Read about them here: http://scottmcmurrain.blogspot.com/2017/11/use-common-sense-people-demand.html
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