Photo by Jacob Morch on Unsplash
A few days ago, another mass shooting struck the United States (US). An army reservist, 40-year-old Robert Card was behind the deadliest mass shooting for the year in Lewiston, Maine that left 18 people dead and 13 people injured. Card was reportedly facing mental troubles and had previously been admitted to a mental institution. Yet again, with such a tragic incident, talks of limiting gun control have emerged. Especially in the state of Maine, a state that has had weaker gun laws. As a country, the number of civilian guns in the US outnumbers the amount of people in the country, with 120.5 civilian firearms per 100 people. The territory coming in second, Falkland Islands only had 62 firearms per 100 people. As of September 19, 2023, there had already been 501 mass shootings (shootings that involve the death of 4 or more individuals, excluding the shooter) in the US. Clearly, the US are in a league of their own in terms of a lack of gun control. This essay seeks to first discuss the problems in gun control, before listing out possible solutions to resolve gun violence in the US.
First, the fundamental issue lies in the constitutional law regarding the ownership of arms. In the US Constitution, the second amendment guarantees the right for Americans to own a firearm. With this law, almost everyone is able to purchase and own a firearm. Many Americans believe that such a right should be an entitlement as they believe that it is important for them to have guns to protect themselves from “bad guys”. Moreover, it has been difficult for the law to be repealed because there are already 393 million guns owned by Americans all over the country. The belief by many who refuse to repeal the law is, since there are already malicious individuals who own firearms, the only way to resolve it is to allow “good guys” to purchase firearms. However, such an idea is a very problematic way of thinking. If Americans stick to such a mindset, I do not think the issue of gun violence can ever be resolved. For one, how can a person define who is a “good guy” and a “bad guy”. Sometimes, guns are also not fired by the person purchasing them.
Though, to be fair, there have been good mitigation measures against this law. One such measure is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks. The background checks ensure individuals with a diagnosed mental health condition and those who have felony convictions or domestic abuse restraining orders would not be able to purchase firearms. Albeit loopholes to the system, such as its inability to limit guns sales at private sales, the background check system stopped more than 300,000 illegal gun sales. Following limitations with regards to the background checks, universal background checks were implemented to include the sales of guns at private settings. Yet, not all states have implemented universal background checks, which opens up another loophole for criminals to purchase weapons in other states that do not have these checks. Another limitation is that these background checks occur for legal purchases of firearms. Most criminals would have purchased these guns illegally from the black market so such checks do not apply to them. Hence, in terms of the laws in place regarding the purchase of firearms, there are still plenty of underlying issues that prevent the US from being able to reduce gun violence.
So, how can solutions be crafted to rectify issues created by the second amendment?
A multi-faceted solution that addresses a plethora of issues is necessary. Rome was not built in a day and similar to that, gun violence cannot be eradicated in a day. It certainly is not as simple as just abolishing the second amendment, though something of a smaller scale can be done first. To start, there has to be bans on the sale of assault weapons and large capacity magazines in all states. One of the reasons why gun laws are loose in certain states is because of the prevalence of hunting activities in that state that requires firearms. Yet, hunters do not need assault weapons for hunting, so such a law would not largely implicate hunters. Moreover, if such a law is implemented, it should not only be limited to a few states, because that would just lead to individuals purchasing assault weapons from states who do not implement such laws. Hence, one way to combat gun-violence in the short-term could be a ban on assault weapons.
However, certainly, a wide scale ban will not solve the problem as it could exacerbate the black market issue. Much like other issues that have plagued America, like drugs, a ban on drugs would not be the only measure to resolve the issue. It has to be complemented with other long-term prevention strategies. Some of these long term strategies include creating a culture of gun safety and awareness within Americans of all ages. It is especially important to cultivate this among Americans from a young age. Certainly, education and awareness will be a good complement to strategies on limiting access to guns. Along with that, it is important for proper education and technical training to be given to those who purchase guns and own licences. These trainings should be regular and recurring, where gun-owners have to go through training once every year to renew their licence. Such measures can prevent cases of guns being mishandled.
When it comes to resolving gun violence in familicides (family homicides), that would require more comprehensive state support for families facing issues and also support for aiding these individuals to manage their anger. State governments need to step up to provide adequate support avenues for people to seek help. Occasionally, some of these familicides occur because they do not have an avenue to seek help from and an avenue that allows them to deal with their undiagnosed mental or emotional troubles. Granted, such support might not completely eradicate the use of firearms against family members, or reduce violence due to undiagnosed mental conditions, but it could help prevent such cases from happening, with it being a barrier and one way to help people deal with their emotional troubles.
Additionally, when it comes to cases of shootings caused by children inadvertently playing with a firearm, or when guns are stolen from individuals, technology can also play a role in limiting these incidents from occurring. One such idea is the incorporation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips and other identification purposes to ensure that no unauthorised individuals utilise the guns. Currently, for example, even though the licensed owner of the gun has gone through the relevant background checks and training to have the permits for the gun, once he loses his gun, without any identification mechanisms on the weapon, anyone can use his weapon. With such measures done, it could certainly prevent cases of shootings due to gun thefts or an inadvertent usage of the gun. Recently, this year, a Colorado-based start-up, Biofire introduced this gun, though it is not the first time such a gun was introduced. Previously, such ideas have been met with much disagreement from the National Rifle Association in the late 1990s and 2002. However, with the growing rise in shootings, such an idea might be more accepted.
In conclusion, there are many measures to be implemented that could have a chance at reducing gun violence. Though, at the end of the day, the best measures depend on the main cause of the shooting and gun violence. Each shooting has a different cause, it could be mental health conditions, family troubles, and the US will have to implement a plethora of measures to address the different causes of mass shootings to be able to prevent tragic incidents like this from happening again.
References
https://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-company-introduces-smart-gun-hopes-lower-number/story?id=98538759
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