Gun control must move from hypothesis to rule of order
Despite popular opinion, guns are not necessary for the survival of humanity. We live in a modernized society. We are not in a position where people have to scavenge for food where they would starve without doing so. Hunting has become a sport more so than a necessity. We don't live in a warzone where we might have to shoot someone as an act of self-defense at any minute. So knowing all of this, why does the United States have a record-high number of gun sales?
It is well past time to tighten the reins on gun circulation in this country by implementing stricter laws that are strong enough to keep these deadly weapons from falling into the hands of children, high school students, or mentally unstable adults.
Furthermore, a gun in the hands of a soldier is meant for killing in defense of a country, while a gun in the hands of a hunter is meant for killing animals for sport. A gun in the hands of children, high school students, or mentally unstable adults leads to abuse of exceptionally lethal weapons.
The United States alone has 120.5 guns per every 100 people, which is about a total of 393,347,000 guns. For reference, the population of the United States is 329,500,000, therefore we have amassed more guns than people in our supposedly “safe” country.
The cause of this prevalent problem comes from the misuse of our very own Constitution, the Second Amendment, which states, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
According to Michael Waldman, author of The Second Amendment, “there is not a single word about an individual’s right to a gun for self-defense or recreation in Madison’s notes from the Constitutional Convention.”
The 21st century has brought a rise in gun violence with 126 mass shootings between 2000 and 2014; and, according to the Gun Violence Archive, 693 in just 2021 alone, proving that mass shootings have virtually become a trend.
An alarming portion of the United States allows private firearm sales. Private sales do not require background checks on individuals in many states, allowing for these weapons to get into the hands of the most dangerous people with ease.
The right to own a deadly weapon does not mean freedom from all safety regulations. In order to ensure the appropriate use of firearms, there need to be proper laws that guarantee that guns end up only in the hands of safe people and don’t become a threat to our population.
Every other developed country has successfully addressed the issue of gun violence, Australia being one of them. Australia's National Agreement on Firearms mandated licensing and registration and initiated a gun buyback program that took around 650,000 assault weapons out of public circulation, also tightening their laws on handguns. Australia’s measures proved the effectiveness of these regulations as analysts saw declines in rates of gun deaths.
America is left as one of the only democracies in the world that experiences this level of gun violence; therefore, it is time that U.S. leaders learn from other countries’ successes.
To begin to move the U.S in the right direction, it is important to implement federal laws that require background checks on each and every gun sale. A study by the RAND (Research and Development) Corporation showed that in states that work to prevent children from accessing guns -- by requiring parents to keep guns in safes -- gun-related deaths were reduced by 6%.
Ultimately, gun-related deaths can be reduced if we enact strict child-access laws, eliminate open-carrying without a permit, and get rid of all stand-your-ground laws.
Opponents of stricter gun control believe that adding more restrictions on firearms will not change anything. To those individuals, observation of other countries is extremely beneficial; they must look at the world around them and realize U.S. citizens have been left behind in the fight against this violence.
We are 22 years into the 21st century; 22 years of observing repeated mass shootings and 22 years of watching massacre after massacre and seeing no change. It is heartbreaking to see that little to no progress has been made in our lifetimes. One can only hope that we start to see a decline in this trend -- and sooner rather than later.
by Fareeha Ahmad
Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue IV
January 31st, 2022