Shots Fired: Why is Nothing Being Done?
With all the national outrage about gun violence, very little is being done to make any significant change.
December 2015
Lizzie Stricklin '17
Happy holidays, America. It’s almost the end of 2015, and what great events did we witness this year
That’s right. We witnessed over 300 mass shootings.
According to the online Mass Shooting Tracker, which denotes an attack as a “mass shooting” when there are at least four casualties, the San Bernardino massacre of just three weeks ago is the 353rd mass shooting of 2015.
As government officials on the other side of the country call for more gun regulation, citizens in the San Bernardino area are on a shopping spree for guns. Applications for concealed-weapons permits at gun stores in the area have increased significantly, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Locals report that the shooting was “a little too close to home” and that if another shooting were to occur, they would rather be “sitting on the phone with the cops with a gun in [their] hand than on the phone praying nobody's going to shoot.”
Conservatives want to be safe by getting their own guns. Liberals want to be safe by restricting guns nationwide. Everyone is searching for a way to protect themselves and their loved ones. So why can’t we agree that we are looking at two different ways to solve the same problem, and make some change happen?
Politicians and the media love to paint gun control as a two-sided issue, with no room in the middle to compromise. However, studies show that this issue does not need to be viewed in a “one-way-or-the-other” mindset. In a survey conducted by the PEW Research Center in July 2015, 85% of Americans, including 88% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans, agreed that people should be required to pass a background check before purchasing guns in private sales or at gun shows. Currently, anyone, regardless of their background, can easily purchase guns from private vendors. Requiring background checks for private vendors is just one small change, which the majority of Americans could agree on, that could help keep guns from falling into the wrong hands.
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There are many other loopholes in the existing gun control laws that criminals and other dangerous people use to obtain guns. Even when background checks are used, about 9% of cases, according to U.S. Department of Justice, require further investigation by FBI agents. However, due to the “default proceeds” rule, only three days are allowed for agents to complete this further investigation, and if dealers do not receive a response after those three days, the purchase may proceed regardless of what information is discovered. A poll compiled in January 2013 discovered that 76.3% of Americans, including 67% of gun owners, agree that law enforcement should be given up to five days to complete further investigations.
Other possibilities for keeping guns out of dangerous hands without provoking outrage exist, including creating laws to prevent people with mental illnesses from purchasing guns, which 79% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats approve.
Another solution is simply to educate the nation on the current gun laws and the responsibilities of gun ownership. When operating dangerous machinery in any job, one must be instructed in how to use it correctly. So why can people be handed a weapon without any instruction in the responsibilities of holding it? If prospective buyers of firearms were required to take a test or a class before being handed a gun, it would not only hopefully discourage those who wish to do harm, but also educate responsible people who are prepared to carry a gun. If history has taught us anything, it’s that education doesn’t hurt and will likely benefit everyone involved.
Citizens should also be educated on the extent of current gun control itself. It seems as if many people over- or underestimate the range of existing gun laws. In truth, only nineteen states require any form of universal background checks, and only ten states ban or place regulations on assault weapons.
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One may hold whatever opinion they like on the topic, but it does not seem wise to suddenly push strict regulations onto a nation so committed to maintaining personal liberties. The key to bringing down gun violence and mass shootings is by uniting as a nation and focusing on solving the problem rather than fighting among ourselves. We cannot deny that we face a deadly societal problem and very little is being done to solve it. Regardless of whether it starts out with small legislation or simply education, change needs to happen – so let’s call a verbal ceasefire and get to work.