Why We Want Gun Control
Ah yes, gun control. One hot button topic that no one can escape and many people don’t understand. To be fully clear, I am in favor of gun control. All the countries who have implemented a gun control policy and created stricter gun laws have seen 1 or less mass shooting since the policy was implemented. This post is simply to explain what us “snowflakes” mean when we say that we want gun control and how conservatives and anti-gun control supporters have it wrong. But also how those of us for gun control can maybe explain ourselves a little better.
Most pro-gun supporters have the idea that when gun control supporters say they want gun control they mean that all guns will go away. Forever. With no exceptions. But legally that isn’t possible and that is not what any gun control supporter wants. That may be a generalization, and I am sure that some people do want all guns gone forever, but all realistic gun control supporters understand this important distinction. Before I get into all of the ways gun control can be successfully implemented, I think it is important to go over why people have been calling for gun control. This may seem like a redundant portion of the post, but I think it is important to remind everyone what has gotten us to this point.
In 2019 alone, the United States has seen 283 mass shootings as of September 1st. September 1st was the 244th day of the year so there have officially been more shootings in 2019 than days in it (CBS). An alarming number have been at schools while the rest have been at places like Walmart and a food festival. Places that people shouldn’t reasonably be shot at right? Aside from mass shootings, gun violence is the primary reason women in America are killed. And not in a mass shooting, robbery, or any other crime like that. Women are killed by guns daily in the US by their partner (Everytown). While it is true that many women killed by gun violence are killed by their domestic abuser, domestic violence is not a factor that goes into disqualifying someone for the purchase of a gun. If that person has ever been convicted of domestic violence, had those charges brought against them, or ever had a restraining order served to them, they can still purchase a gun. In 1968 a law was passed to stop this from happening, but in 1996 the law was amended to say that misdemeanors should not be a reason that a person can’t purchase a gun (Department of Justice). Unfortunately, domestic violence is most often categorized as a misdemeanor since it often occurs without a witness, women are often not believed when they bring it forward, and we live in a society that prioritizes male well being. But that is a separate issue.
The bottom line here is that domestic violence does not count someone out for purchasing a gun. It has been proven time and time again that if a person is willing to commit violence like that towards their partner, they are often going to be violent in other areas of their lives. In 2017, the Las Vegas mass shooting was done by a man who had been convicted of domestic violence and suffered from PTSD from having served in the military. Not only was he allowed to keep all of his firearms he had previously owned, but the above things did not disqualify him from purchasing more guns. Multiple news anchors went and did the process to purchase the same gun the Pulse night club shooter used to kill 49 people. It took 7 minutes. The video I have linked here is about the Parkland shooting, but it gives a good overview of how people legally obtain assault rifles. https://time.com/4367592/orlando-shooting-gun-store-/ It is also worthy to note that school shootings have been on the rise and there is no valid argument against wanting to protect guns over children. There just isn’t.
There a few main solutions that are floating around in the news and social media that I think need to be taken into consideration when looking at this very complex issue. The first and most important one to me personally is yearly background checks and mental health exams. Right now, the law is set that you only have to do this once when you initially make the gun purchase. These aren’t very thorough and do not always happen. Mental health changes throughout a person’s life and so do their ability to adequately and safely handle a firearm. The mass shootings in this country are never perpetrated by a criminal that has illegally acquired a weapon. That is the statement that gets floated around so often by anti-gun control supporters that is simply not true. Every single time I have gotten into an argument about gun control I am always told how gun laws will not help because criminals are the ones causing the problems so they won’t be going through lawful channels anyway. Only 4, yes four, mass shootings since 1982 have been carried out with illegally purchased weapons (KUNC). 8 were carried out using a family members weapon and 12 (again since 1982) were weapons of unknown origin (KUNC). The rest of the shootings have been carried with weapons legally sold to the perpetrators of the mass shootings.
While some of these numbers will be used to show that creating gun laws will not help stop mass shootings, it needs to be said that they will lower them significantly. 85% of all mass shootings since 1982 were used with legally purchased weapons registered to the offender (KUNC). In all other countries where they have implemented gun control laws, such as the ones I am suggesting here and the rest of the country has been suggesting, they have seen 1 or less mass shooting. 1 or less. New Zealand implemented a gun buy-back program where a person could bring in their now illegal gun, or an illegally purchased gun and get money back. No questions asked. Something to this effect could also be implemented so successfully here, and it is baffling to me how the country could be so against these things (KUNC).
There are so many things that will have to change for gun laws to be finally be made a priority in this country. First and for most, we need to change how certain offenses (like rape and domestic violence) are seen. These things should not be allowed to be characterized as a misdemeanor and should always be classified as a felony. When it is seen as a misdemeanor, not only does this country show that survivors of these acts are not important, but it allows the perpetrators to purchase guns and continue to be violent. This country needs to implement a buy-back program so that once these laws go into effect, people can get rid of their unlawful guns safely and without fear of being arrested. Psychiatric evaluations and background checks need to be done once a year, not just at the initial purchase of the gun. Peoples mental health changes over their lifetime and can make them no longer fit to own a gun. It is also time to stop perpetuating the narrative that “its bad guys who are doing this. Bad guys will still find ways to get guns illegally. You’re punishing the law-abiding citizens.” This is simply not true at all. It’s not “bad guys” doing this. It is white men who have obtained the gun legally and then go out and perpetrate these crimes then use a mental health defense. So if mental health is such an issue here, let’s change that.
I know the constitution tells this country that it is their right to own a gun. But we have changed other parts of the constitution to fit the ever-changing world we live in, and it is time to change this one. A persons life is more important than a persons ability to own a gun. Owning a gun should be a privilege, not a right. People are dying every day in mass shootings and domestic violence situations. We are not trying to take away all of the guns. That can’t seem to be said enough, even though it is far from the point. We simply want to make it harder to obtain a gun, no longer have automatic weapons available to the public, and hopefully, with that, we can make it just a little safer. It is way past time to make this change.
Madey