by Aimee Farquharson
Gun control should be much stricter in America, possibly to the point of no civilian gun ownership except for those with occupations who use guns. Because this is a very extreme view, I would propose a more realistic gun control law that would call for more mental health checks and better access to patient records when people apply for a gun license.
With a strong military and armed police everywhere, civilians should not need to carry their own handguns for self defense. The Center for Injury Control at Rollins School of Public Health conducted a study to determine how often guns in the home are used to injure or kill in self-defense. The study concluded that for every time a gun in the home is used for self-defense or a legally justifiable shooting, there were four unintentional shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, and eleven attempted or completed suicides.
Guns should be prohibited in America because they often lead to fatalities. According to the National Institute of Justice in 2006, firearms were used in 68 percent of murders, 42 percent of robbery offences and 22 percent of aggravated assaults nationwide.
The Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm and to use that weapon for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. This amendment was enacted in 1779 when Americans felt the need to protect themselves from another war after the separation from England. Our country is established now with strong military and strong police forces. Civilians do not need to use guns to protect themselves. Guns would only need to be used for hunting to provide food, and for the police and military forces to protect against attacks on the country.
Many state legislatures have weak gun control laws in place, and they need to revise them to be tougher on gun owners. On Tuesday, January 15, a gun control bill passed in the New York legislature. It expands the current ban on assault weapons to include a semi-automatic weapon with a detachable magazine. It limits the magazine clips to 7 rounds of ammunition instead of the current 10. Gun licenses must be renewed every five years. Background checks will be required at all gun sales, and there will be a new electronic database for gun permits and a new registry for ammunition sales. How does a gun control bill that limits magazine clips to 7 now instead of 10 make a difference? That is still 7 bullets that could be in the wrong person’s hands killing 7 people.
Another provision asks health care professionals to report to local health care officials when they have reason to believe that the patient could harm themselves or others. After crosschecking against a database of gun owners, this could eventually authorize police to confiscate firearms owned by a dangerous patient. Many states are looking to connect mental health records to gun control provisions.
Congress and state governments are discussing how to change our gun laws after recent mass shootings, such as the Sandy Hook tragedy. Eight bills intended to address gun control and mental health were introduced in the Colorado state capitol during a press conference on Tuesday, February 5. The bills would put into effect universal background checks and new requirements for mental health professionals to inform authorities about patients who shouldn’t have guns. The bills did not call for an outright ban on assault weapons, but a controversial measure would make sellers and even manufacturers liable for damage inflicted by those firearms. This sort of liability will stop some people from continuing to sell, or just carelessly sell, but this will not stop people from killing because it does not affect the shooter. The person who pulls the trigger should face harsher punishment through gun control laws.
The mental health provision keeps people who are not safe away from guns. A polling last month found that 55 percent of Colorado voters said they’d favor stricter gun control and 95 percent of voters agreed that those with serious mental health problems ought to be kept from buying a gun. And this may help in the case of gun violence trials. Less people will be pleading mentally insane, and more will just be guilty and go to jail.
Typically Democrats want more gun control, and Republicans want no restrictions on their Second Amendment right. Despite that, House Republicans signal openness to some gun control measures. The second ranking House Republican said Tuesday that he supports improving the federal background check system for gun buyers. President Obama took four separate executive actions designed to improve the information in the existing background check system. The administration is also asking Congress to provide 50 million in incentives for states to share their criminal history and mental health information with the federal database.
Although both parties feel so differently about gun laws, there is a good chance that the first bipartisan gun control bill that was introduced on Tuesday in the House will pass because both parties agree. This bill would make gun trafficking a federal crime and impose new penalties against gun straw purchasers who knowingly buy firearms for convicted criminals who are barred from buying their own weapons. The one part that is lacking in this federal level gun control bill is to include background and mental health checks, unlike most state level bills being revised to include this.
Civilians do not need guns. A gun is more likely used to inflict harm on one’s self or to commit a homicide or murder. A more realistic set of gun control laws for Congress would be to get to the root of the problem, which would be the person pulling the trigger. It does not matter what kind of gun or how many bullets and how easy it is to fire if the person pulling the trigger is mentally insane. Our gun registration and licenses have to be attached to medical records of all citizens.
