Why has America developed a gun culture unlike any other developed nation? Why are gun homicides, suicides, and mass killings so prevalent in the United States? Is this what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they penned the Second Amendment?
Gun manufacturers have encouraged gun ownership, seeing it as a way to harvest a huge financial windfall. Together with the NRA, which the gun manufacturers help fund, they have lobbied Congress along with state legislatures to expand the gun laws in every way possible. Because of this, many deranged and dangerous individuals have been able to obtain guns without difficulty, leading to individual killings and mass murders. Incredibly, Donald Trump in his campaign raised the question of whether gun owners alone would be able to stop Hillary Clinton and her nominees for the Supreme Court, seeming to suggest the possibility of assassination of his opponent. He subsequently said he was joking though that was unclear at the time he said it.
In Australia in 1996, a mass shooting occurred in the state of Tasmania, where 35 people were killed and 19 wounded with the use of an assault weapon. There was an uproar by Australians over the killings which led opposing political parties to craft and pass comprehensive legislation regulating weapons sales and usage, known as the National Firearms Agreement, or NFA. In the 17 years prior to the NFA, there had been 13 mass shootings (5 or more people). There have been none in the 20 years since the law was put into effect. The law banned semiautomatic weapons and large capacity magazines (LCMs) and arranged for buybacks. There was mandated licensing of all firearms owners and registration of the weapons. A genuine need had to be shown to own a firearm, there had to be no convictions for violent offenses, and the person had to demonstrate good moral character and pass a gun safety test. Also put into place was a 28 day waiting period before a gun could be purchased.
Per capita gun deaths were much lower in Australia than in the United States to begin with, and they have continued to be low since the law was enacted. Suggestive evidence also exists (but not proof) that there was significant overall reductions in homicides and suicides in Australia. Since the United States ban on semi-automatic weapons and large capacity magazines was rescinded in 2004, there has been a surge in the purchase of these guns and magazines. And the number of mass shootings per month with assault weapons or pistols with LCMs has increased more than threefold in the last 12 years. The Australian experience as well as American statistics calls for a permanent ban on assault weapons and LCMs in the United States with money allotted for buyback of those in private hands. For handguns and hunting rifles, smart technology could be employed to prevent these weapons from being used by anyone except the original owner. The technology includes biometric sensors with personal recognition of thumbprints or fingerprints before the weapon can be fired, special safeties with built-in combination locks, and similar mechanisms.
State legislation banning the sale or possession of assault rifles or large capacity magazines has been upheld repeatedly by the Supreme Court, as have taxes on guns and ammunition. Courts have also ruled in favor of state laws that ban the carrying of concealed weapons. These actions reinforce the fact that sensible gun laws do not conflict with Second Amendment rights. Some states have background checks, waiting periods, and so forth before guns can be purchased. However, these state laws mean little when gang members, criminals or terrorists can travel to other states without restrictive laws to freely buy their weapons of choice. These patchwork state laws must be replaced by stringent federal legislation similar to Australia’s to reduce mass killings, homicides, and suicides. Penalties should also be increased when any crime is committed with a gun, and gun manufacturers should be held liable when weapons are sold to the mentally ill, criminals or terrorists.
A Connecticut State Superior Court judge in April 2016 allowed a lawsuit against Bushmaster Firearms, the maker of the weapon used in the Newtown school massacres to go forward. In addition to damages, parents of the Sandy Hook children who were murdered at school would like to see assault weapons which were designed for the military removed from the civilian market. However, given the federal legislation that protected gun manufacturers, this suit will likely be thrown out at a higher court level.
Though crime rates have been falling for several decades (aside from Chicago), urban streets and parks can be made much safer by sensible gun reform. Citizens of all political persuasions want stricter gun laws. Will Congress answer their call or will it remain captive to the NRA and the lobbyists of the gun makers?
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
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Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020