Today, Tuesday November 30, 2021, America faced a tragedy with another school shooting. The shooting took place at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan. The gunman was a 15-year old student who shot and killed three people and an additional 8 were left injured. The three people who passed away were sadly students ranging from 14 years old to 17. All young teens with such bright futures ahead of them. School shootings are considered to be every parent and student’s worst nightmare, according to the news article from CNN. Parents were seen frantically escorting their children off campus. Tears and hysteria were clearly painted on everyone’s faces.
In 2021 alone, there have been over 130 school shooting incidents. This number is completely unacceptable in my opinion. There should be close to zero school shootings in the US. Other countries have significantly less. For example, Germany has only experienced 8 school shootings since 1913, over 100 years ago. If other countries can have such low numbers, where is America going wrong one might ask. Currently, in the state of California, semi-automatic firearms and other assault weapons are to not be sold. However, one may obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun. California’s gun laws tend to be on the strict side, unlike other states such as Montana and Wyoming. While these states are significantly less populated, it does not mean carrying around a semi-automatic weapon should be common, arguably even allowed in the first place.
School shootings are among the most tragic events to happen in America. Such young people were killed. People with bright futures and surely the rest of America feels deeply saddened every time an event like this happens. To prevent tragedy from happening, America needs to seriously rethink gun laws.
Questions:
What do you think about the current gun laws in the US? Too strict? Too lenient?
It’s shocking that other countries have much fewer school shootings than the US. Why do you think this is happening?
Besides change gun laws, is there anything else the government or we should be doing to prevent more shooting from happening?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-incident/index.html
25 comments:
I agree with Anusha, there was never a time in my life that I ever felt the need or want to hold a firearm even if it was for my protection. Gun laws have been a very controversial and debated topic, however, I agree with Anusha that gun laws should be much stricter than they are as of now. In Elysa’s post she talks about how Germany has had 8 school shootings since 1913, after some research I can understand why their rate is much lower than the United States'. In order to get a firearm in Germany, one must get a firearms ownership license (must be 18 years or older). While I think that no 18 year old should own a weapon, their procedure of who gets to hold a gun is much better than America’s. Candidates are judged on trustworthiness, and must not have a past of aggression or known violence. Mental health and disorders are also something that could prevent someone from receiving their permit. According to the website I read (linked below), you can’t even get or handle ammunition if you get this license. America however, in some states (like Texas) does not require a permit, registration, or license to carry rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Clearly, we see a huge difference in the restrictions placed on guns and can clearly see how it has affected each country. I agree with Anusha that it will be difficult to implement certain laws as many are against the idea of having that right taken away. It can also get complicated with illegally buying guns off of the black market, like Anusha said. All in all, I think America needs to rethink their gun policies and see how the current ones are affecting its citizens.
https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/germany-gun-control-laws-a4366996.html
Until now, I've never had an urge to hold a gun so I can't really empathize with the part of America that feels so strongly about their right to own a gun. But what I do know is that no 15 year old should ever have access to a gun, especially if they're at risk of mental health issues or harming themselves or others in any way. It's a tricky situation because in this case the gun is thought to be the suspect's fathers. However, I don't see a need for citizens in general to have access to semiautomatic guns. Gun regulations definitely need to be tighter to prevent individuals from obtaining weapons that have such large potential to kill others. Guns are guns. If no citizen has a semiautomatic gun, then no other citizen will need one for "self-defense". If people claim a need for self-defense or their right to guns, then a pistol or lower impact gun should do. The Constitution does not specify to what extent we should be allowed to carry weapons and if we're seeing innocent children dying so often due to the misuse of these semiautomatic weapons, then their time has gone. Furthermore, I definitely see a need in strengthening background checks and ensuring that guns aren't placed in the wrong hands. Even though that wasn't the issue in this case, we've seen it time and time again. The only concern I have with such policies is that it could increase the black market selling of guns and weapons, further incentivizing someone to get dangerous weapons illegally. If we remove the government's control over weapons by making laws too extreme, then we risk our gun violence getting out of hand even more. At the end of the day, it's a balance with a number of factors that we have to consider. One thing I know for sure is that the NRA has far too much power in the government and we need to take steps to prioritize the safety of our kids and population over corrupt politics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/us/michigan-school-shooting-gun-suspects-father.html
It was shocking and gut-wrenching to hear about this story yesterday. School shootings are truly horrifying, and the fact that so many have occurred in the past year is scary. There needs to be more attention brought to gun regulations and laws throughout the nation, as events such as the one occurring at Oxford High School should never happen. I think that there should not be any ownership of semi-automatic weapons, as there is no practical need for them and they can be misused to cause immense harm. At the recent school shootings, semi-automatic weapons have been used, leading to multiple deaths of students and teachers as well. Although background checks are in place with the goal of ensuring that people looking to purchase firearms would be responsible owners, the ease with which guns can spread or be sold illegally is problematic. Seeing a 15 year old obtain this destructive weapon should raise a lot of flags, and action should be taken to restrict the purchase of firearms/increase the monitoring of these weapons. Possibly integrating locator/tracking chips into weapons, and instituting an oversight department to monitor whether any weapons are being brought close to or into schools could be beneficial. Of course there could be ways for gun owners to get around this, but at least it would provide additional surveillance and safety as better solutions continue to be developed. Claims to self defense for the most part I believe do not justify the ownership of a gun, as we are seeing the increased use of the proclaimed "self-defense" weapons in various incidents. One such example was the Insurrection last January where many people brought firearms to the capitol, creating an extremely threatening environment and contributing to chaos and death. I really hope that it doesn't keep taking terrible shootings to bring attention to the problems with gun laws and ownership in the U.S., and that there can be lessons learned and systems modeled ofter foreign nations that are much more strict and safe in this department.
In the wake of the 2018 Stoneman Douglas shooting, proposals floated to stem the rising tide of violence such as strengthening federal background checks for gun purchasers, arming teachers, eliminating bump stocks that allow rapid fire, limiting high-capacity magazines, raising the minimum age to buy semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21, and banning assault rifles like the AR-15 used by gunman Nikolas Cruz, which he bought just three days after his expulsion. With the exception of arming teachers, the powerful National Rifle Association vehemently opposes these reforms.
While there is no doubt about the importance of gun laws, the passage of these laws through the government is unlikely to happen due to increasing polarization and party line loyalties. In the previous administration, Trump’s position on gun control had been a shifting target, but he has been a stalwart defender of the NRA. Trump’s first, successful Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, is a darling of the gun lobby and an ardent supporter of Second Amendment rights.
However, a politically-skittish Congress might start addressing the issue of gun violence by reinstating the remarkably effective 1994 assault weapons ban, which was anathema to the NRA. The ban led to a 66% reduction in assault weapons being linked to crimes nationwide; during the same period, handgun violence decreased 5%. Assault rifles, the firearm of choice in mass shootings, are extraordinarily lethal, producing twice as many casualties — 15.6 victims on average — as other weapons. Lawmakers who represent conservative states, though, are cowed by the NRA and the threat of primary challenges, leaving the gun debate in limbo until it resurfaces briefly after each new shooting.
I think the current gun laws in the United states are too loose, the second amendment was made in the 1700s, americans were expecting the british to invade their land and the amendment was created to protect themselves from that, but now the technology has VASTLY improved and guns are insanely powerful and shown in history with mass shooting kill and hurt a lot of people in a short amount of time, gun laws should be strict background checks, mandatory courses and tests it shouldn't be easy to get a gun you will still be able to obtain one to protect yourself but it will not be easy, yes blackmarket is an issue but this is a start to stop out children from dying. Guns are too easy to access in the united states, there is a background check but as shown it isn't enough, these other countries have stricter gun laws and try to prevent these shooting, I am not too educated on this manner for gun laws in Germany, but i think we should evaluate what they are doing, we can keep the second amendment but it needs to be re written. Children can't keep dying, the second amendment means alot to many people but who needs a semi automatic to protect themselves? Even if handguns are the largest issue in our country it is a start
I agree that it was certainly disturbing to hear about this story, yet disturbingly unsurprising. It is appalling that we seem to have these discussions about gun laws every time there is a school shooting while the shootings never stop. I believe that gun laws in America are way too lenient given the destruction they cause to our nation. It is scary to think how numb we are to gun violence and how resistant we are to change. Despite the prevalence of school shootings, gun laws have not been strengthened nearly enough to prevent more shootings as we see now. I think that gun laws need to be completely reevaluated as I agree with Amitai that obtaining a gun, especially assault rifles, legally or illegally is way too easy right now. However, the precedent set by the Second Amendment and the resistance against stricter gun laws from the NRA makes any significant change unlikely. Unfortunately, I think that a cultural shift in our view on guns needs to change in order to truly solve our gun issues but I don't foresee that happening in the near future. I understand that the concept of self-defense is important but there needs to be a much stricter regulation of weapons to prevent these guns from destroying our schools. I think that everyone needs to realize the horrifying destruction that assault weapons can cause and put the safety of students ahead of the selfish need to own a gun.
Likely every student in America has thought, at least one, what would happen if a school shooter came to their school. The fear of being killed while attending school in supposedly one of the most powerful and wealthiest countries in the world should not happen. Now on to legislature, I agree with previous posters that semi-automatic guns should not be in circulation in civilian hands. Getting this to actually happen is not only very difficult but comprehensive laws on it will be unlikely to pass through congress. While state-by-state laws are a good first step, they are often not very successful as it is too easy to just go to another state to buy such firearms. Not only will such laws not pass, but considering the justices in the Supreme Court right now, any strict restrictions on firearms would also be considered unconstitutional. Furthermore, it is very important to note that there are more guns in the U.S. in circulation than people: over 390 million guns. Point blank, any laws being placed on already existing guns that people own are going to be pretty much impossible to implement unless some authoritarian-style restrictions are placed. Now that is not to say that we shouldn't do anything. We should put more restrictions on firearms, and implement buy-back programs. There should also be punishments on buying/selling/using illegal guns, and we should close the private sale loophole. There is so so so much work to be done on firearm legislation, but the saddest part is that it seems that very little is really being done.
It’s startling that a 15 year old can get hands on a gun and bring it into the school for violence. In my opinion, the parents of this 15 year old should also be punished if they purchased the gun and left it unsupervised. If the 15 year old got the gun itself, it clearly shows how America’s gun laws are way too lenient. It’s too easy for people that shouldn’t have guns to get guns. As Elyssa said, other countries have significantly less school shootings than the US which really reflects how flawed the US gun system is and how there is a solution to our problem. However, this solution of creating stricter gun laws is going to be really tough considering the Second Amendment as Alex mentioned and powerful interest groups like the NRA. I also have the feeling that the increased polarization at our capital will make gun reform harder to pass as there will be lots of opposition to such a law.
I believe other countries have better gun laws so that guns don’t fall into the wrong hands. They also enforce these laws much better. According to a TIME article, a recent familicide in Australia marked the first significant mass shooting in 22 years and that is because they have well thought of firearm legislation and a gun buyback program. Guns are permissible in Australia but they are heavily licensed with many guns needing to be locked up and ammunition stored separately. Australia’s example and results show clear evidence that harsher, less lenient gun laws are necessary in the US but I find it hard for any significant reform to pass without a president really pushing for it like Obama did for the health care reform.
Time article: https://time.com/5282620/santa-fe-mass-school-shooting-australia-gun-control/
I think that current gun laws in the US are too lenient. However, it is very tough to implement stricter gun laws. First, there are Americans who feel extremely strong against any possibility of freedoms being taken away. Example: “These rights protect my life, liberty, and property,” said Representative Burgess Owens, Republican of Utah. “They were granted to me by God; they cannot be taken away from me by D.C. bureaucrats.”
Second, significant differences in party affiliation require some people in government (specifically Senators) to vote against their party beliefs, which isn't very easy to get. As we talked about in class, many of the government officials are focused on getting reelected, so they likely wouldn't vote against their party, chancing failure of reelection.
However, having over 130 school shooting incidents in 2021 alone is completely unacceptable, I agree. Many of them haven't gotten much major news coverage unfortunately. I fear that people are becoming numb to it.
Good news I found is that the House approved a pair of bills in March earlier this year to strengthen background checks for gun buyers. There are still loopholes and more regulation that should be enacted, but it at least is good news that progress is being made.
I believe that the current gun laws in the US are too lenient. With the Gun Control Act of 1968, a person must be at LEAST 18 years of age to carry a firearm (with a permit/license). With school shootings in the United States, those who carried the firearm on the scene were younger than the legal age. How/Where are these children getting their firearms? I agree with Brian that parents should be punished. There have been too many instances where children have taken their family weapons and has led to serious outcomes. If other countries have less school shootings than the United States, action needs to be made and voices need to be heard. Since 2018, there have been a total of 87 school shootings in the United States. There is so much work to be done in order to make a difference, but what does it take for change to be made?
Gun violence is an obvious problem in America that has only increased in severity over the recent years. As of 2017, American gun homicide rates were 25.2 times higher than in other high-income countries (CNN). It is not news that America has a concerningly high gun violence rate. I do believe that our current gun laws need to be tightened because 15-year-olds should not have access to semiautomatic guns especially when they are at risk for harming themselves and others. The Center for American Progress writes, “far too many gun sales are allowed to proceed without background checks, and gun owners face minimal legal requirements to ensure that guns are handled and stored safely.” These holes in the U.S. gun policy make it easy for people to use guns for worse than just “self-defense,” threatening the safety of our communities. Any number of school shootings is far too many, but 130 is extremely disheartening. I hope that this statistic is alarming to policymakers so that they begin to take action to make gun laws more restrictive. This doesn't mean completely banning guns, but just strengthening background checks and restricting automatic/semiautomatic guns.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/americas/us-gun-statistics/index.html
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/guns-crime/reports/2020/07/08/486292/dangerous-gaps-gun-laws-exposed-coronavirus-gun-sale-surge/
When discussing gun violence in this country, it's important to take note of the iron pipeline. Essentially, firearms are purchased in Southern states with lenient laws, then trafficked to the coasts and the North where it's harder to get guns. In order to make a significant, sweeping change, we need to make comprehensive laws addressing all parts of the country. The problem isn't about who can have guns or who can carry them, it's that we have guns in this country at all, because once they're in they can be moved wherever. Opponents can argue that "what about sports like hunting? what about a firing range?" - those hunting rifles can be turned on innocent people, same with guns at hunting ranges. We've seen it with Sandy Hook, Columbine, and now this - if we want to end gun violence in this country it comes with ending guns. Yes this is drastic, and it's probably possible to have some guns in this country and still end gun violence, but regulating state lines is too cumbersome to ever stop an iron pipeline through border checks. Imagine a cross country truck driver having to empty his entire load to show he wasn't holding guns, or agents searching all of the thousands of cars driving from New Jersey to New York every morning to make sure they're not harboring firearms. It just won't work, if we can't remove the "pipeline" from the iron pipeline, we have to remove the "iron".
https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/19/news/iron-pipeline-gun-control/index.html
I think that the current gun laws in the US are too lenient. There is no reason for regular citizens to have access to high powered semi-automatic assault weapons capable of the atrocities that we see happening on a regular basis on national news. I think that one of the reason why other countries have much fewer school shootings than the US is because of the mass coverage of these events on US national news. Every time I watch the news and see immense coverage on one of these school shootings, questions always arise in my mind: what if all this coverage is encouraging school shooters? What if they crave such national attention? It is horrible to think about, but I think that the hypothesis contains some truth. Here is a research study that tested this hypothesis: https://ftp.iza.org/dp11900.pdf
The study found a strong correlation between media coverage of mass shootings and subsequent mass shootings following the intense amount of media coverage. I think that it's an interesting point to discuss in the press, as obviously things like this need to be made public to the nation, but I think there might be a point where too much coverage may provide a sort of sick incentive to possible mass shooters. I am especially wary of coverage that shows the shooter's name and photo; I fear that this wide publicization of the individual, even in the negative light, may be exactly what some people desire. Obviously, this public (negative) attention probably isn't enough reason alone for someone to commit a mass shooting, but I think that factors can stack up, and media coverage and publicization of mass shooters can definitely serve as one.
If high schoolers are capable of obtaining a firearm, I would say that the current gun laws need to be more strict to prevent tragic events such as this shooting. It is not very surprising to me that the U.S. has way more school shootings than countries even with high crime rates. A lot of things get imported to the U.S. such as drugs and weapons. It does not surprise me that people, even younger people are capable of getting their hands on drugs and firearms despite the laws in place to prevent these things. Other countries in Europe besides Germany have had a very low number of school shootings dating all the way back to the 20th century (World Population Review). The government should consider providing some sort of training or instruction when it comes to dealing with school shootings. It is hard to prevent school shootings from happening if a person is just able to walk in, which may be something to consider. Obviously, more in-depth background checks have been asked for by the public against guns. A reevaluation of some sort, similar to how people have to renew their license every 5 years. The main problem is who is able to get a hold of a firearm and the way that they are being used. People may argue that they have a firearm for their own safety, but at the end of the day, guns kill and need to be more heavily restricted.
I definitely agree with what most people say that guns are too easy to get in the US. With easier accessibility, it can allow for people to get guns relatively simply and then can lead to horrific consequences. I feel one of the important issues is that lots of different states all have different kinds of rules on how someone can get a gun which means that people could easily buy and obtain a gun in one state and with little trouble bring it into another state. Legislation should be created to work for the entire country and not just letting states choose what kind of system they can use. Another solution could be to work on reaching out to help kids with mental health issues and working on expanding its influence. Spreading awareness that getting help about what you are feeling should be heavily encouraged and may help to lower risks without even changing gun regulations which will likely be complex and not easy.
I agree with the sentiment that gun laws are currently too lenient in the U.S. As stated in the blog post, many states have lenient gun laws compared to California where it is still relatively simple to get a gun compared to in other countries. The fact that incidents like this happen so often go to show how things need to change. I also agree with Liam's idea that acquiring a gun out of state and bringing it somewhere else is a large problem. This could easily be solved by stricter gun control laws on the federal level rather than state by state. Legislation does not need to be the only solution however, as programs to keep students from reaching such extremes could help as well. The drastically lower amount of school shootings in other nations is not surprising either due to how much stricter gun laws are outside of the U.S. More than anything I am appalled at the lack of change that has come in regards to gun control laws despite tragedies like this and the many others that happen every year.
America’s gun laws are too lenient. Minors can easily access firearms either through illegal dealers or their families. In the case of the Michigan school shooter, the parents bought the shooter a gun the day after Thanksgiving, and when he was caught searching for ammo on a school computer his mother texted him “LOL I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.” I think part of the issue stems from the shooter’s family, who encouraged criminal activity and also had a criminal record of minor offenses. I also read that the Columbine shooters had a history of smaller crimes such as robbery or assault, which were either brushed aside or are covered up by their own parents, and the shooter's upbringing and environment play a role in escalating their acts of violence and crime. I think other countries have lower rates of school shootings because it is more difficult to get access to firearms that could possibly harm people, and like Liam said the lack of federal regulation and weak state laws can make it easy for unqualified people to obtain guns.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 40,000 people died of gun-related injuries in the U.S. in 2017 (RAND Corporation). America's extremely high rates of deaths due to gun violence compared to other countries can definitely be attributed to its leniency around gun ownership and other countries' stringency around gun ownership. Data reveals that enforcing stricter gun laws results in significantly fewer gun-related deaths. For example, while it is possible to legally own a gun in Singapore, doing so is very difficult (Live and Invest Overseas). In order to own a gun, one must be a member of a gun club and store their gun there. Owners must complete extensive paperwork, and permits only last a year before they have to be refilled for continued ownership. People who unlawfully possess guns face jail time of five years. In Japan, those looking to own a gun must attend a gun safety class in preparation for a written exam, then take a test at a shooting range and pass with over 95% accuracy. If the potential owner passes the test, they are then subject to a mental health evaluation, a drugs test, a background check, and the possibility of the police consulting their close ones and colleagues to determine if they are fit to own a firearm. While some might view these countries’ rules regarding gun ownership to be excessive, their impact is reflected in their low rates of gun deaths: Singapore sees less than four gun deaths annually amongst its near six million inhabitants, and Japan seldom suffers more than ten gun deaths per year with its population of over 127 million (Business Insider).
In contrast, Americans enjoy an exceedingly easy process that allows them to obtain guns. Many regularly obtain guns through their family members or friends. Only in-store purchases require background checks, which entail completing a simple form on a person’s background, questions to which the responder may lie about. The store will then run a quick check on the individual through the NICS index. According to CNN, denials for gun ownership are extremely rare, “occurring less than 1% of the time.” In comparison to Singapore’s and Japan’s low rates of gun deaths, the U.S. sees nearly a whopping 40,000 gun deaths per year.
There are similar discrepancies in gun deaths amongst different U.S. states, each of which feature varying levels of gun control. California, the state with the most stringent gun laws, has a gun death rate of 7.45 per 100,000 people (World Population Review). New York, with the fourth strictest gun laws, and Hawaii, with the fifth, both have a gun death rate of just 4.03 per 100,000 people. However, Alabama, which is ranked 38 out of 50 states for its strictness in gun laws, sees 21.7 gun deaths per 100,000 people. Other southern states with outrageously lenient gun laws, such as Alaska and Mississippi, have similarly startling values of gun death rates, at 20.74 and 22.81 respectively.
I agree with Darshan's point that the issue also lies heavily in the fact that lenient gun laws in any part of the nation enable guns to be transported to other parts of the nation, regardless of what the other state's laws surrounding guns may be. Thus, to address the issue, comprehensive reform is needed.
It is clear that there are many people who agree that the gun laws in America need critical reinforcement. The availability that people have to firearms is way too convenient. It wouldn't be surprising if other countries had much stricter gun laws, which would prevent incidents like these. A possible solutions is to ensure students mental health, and to really make an effort to help kids who don't feel mentally stable. Over the past couple of years, there have been too many school shootings and it just leaves me with so many questions. When a school shooting occurs, what does it say about that school district it happened in? How are the students supposed to feel knowing that there is always danger lurking in the midst of their community? I can only imagine the traumatizing feelings these students have witnessed and hope that my community is secure enough to keep everyone safe. Firearm incidents with teenagers have also been occurring as well outside of the school shooting scene. The Kyle Rittenhouse trial and outcome were unbelievable to me. For someone to kill two people and injure another and to be proved not guilty just makes it obvious how weak the enforcement is.
It is clear that there are many people who agree that the gun laws in America need critical reinforcement. The availability that people have to firearms is way too convenient. It wouldn't be surprising if other countries had much stricter gun laws, which would prevent incidents like these. A possible solution is to ensure students’ mental health and to really make an effort to help kids who don't feel mentally stable. Over the past couple of years, there have been too many school shootings and it just leaves me with so many questions. When a school shooting occurs, what does it say about that school district it happened in? How are the students supposed to feel knowing that there is always danger lurking in the midst of their community? I can only imagine the traumatizing feelings these students have witnessed and hope that my community is secure enough to keep everyone safe. Firearm incidents with teenagers have also been occurring as well outside of the school shooting scene. The Kyle Rittenhouse trial and outcome were unbelievable to me. For someone to kill two people and injure another and to be proved not guilty just makes it obvious how weak the enforcement is.
Almost all of us can agree that gun laws in America are too lenient but unfortunately not all Americans think this. Because of this I thought that school shootings would be higher and more common in republican states but on a list I found that ranks the states with the most school shootings in 2021 actually shows a range of both democratic and republican states. The first state is California. Our state has one of the strictest gun laws in the country and the fact that we were at home for distance learning for most of this year because of Covid, it’s concerning to see the amount of shootings in not only our state but the country as a whole. I think something that plays a big role in this is our second amendment. If having the right to carry a firearm is right next to our right to freedom of speech, I can see why some may believe it's vital to carry a gun as a citizen. I’ll never understand why people truly would want to carry weapons outside of law enforcement or the military but some people brought up good points about access to guns. Parents. A lot of teens have access to their parent’s guns. I don’t understand how a grown adult is able to keep a weapon in a house with children, especially without hiding it and keeping it aways and protected from their kids. I do think parents should be punished for the crimes their children commit with their weapons but I don’t think that should take away from the actual shooter themselves. Because of this I think the government should almost force some kind of system to store guns better. Having harder access to guns at home would probably drastically reduce gun violence by teens.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/school-shootings-by-state
I agree that the current gun laws in the US are too lenient, which contributes to the increasing gun violence in the country. While efforts continue to be made to restrict gun use, most legislation does not pass and faces hefty backlash from gun lobbyists. Only recently has the House approved legislation to terminate the “Charleston loophole”—which allows commercial firearms transactions to be completed by the Federal Firearms License (FLL)’s discretion if the background check is not completed within 3 business days. The loophole has had deadly results in the past, such as the Charleston murder of nine people in 2015. There is even legislation that protects gun owner’s rights, such as the Protection Lawful Commerce in Acts Clause, which protects gun distributes from civil lawsuits due to unlawful use of a firearm, and others that have been prevented from passing such as HEART. A 1999 study by Franklin Zimring and Gordon Hawkings from the University of California, Berkeley found that the United States does not have higher crime rates than other developed countries, but it has more lethal crime which correlates to gun ownership. In addition to passing legislation that further strengthens current gun laws, the government should also raise public awareness by conducting analysis and building profiles for those who have participated in mass shootings(factors include, school, home life, gun access). The government should also make punishment harsher for anyone who has broken gun laws and engaged in such a deadly act of violence, in addition to repealing liability protection to gun makers.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/world/americas/mass-shootings-us-international.html
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/gun-violence-prevention
Gun laws are definitely have the very "pat on the back" type feeling. Many purchase guns for different reasons, but once it lands in the hands of someone with a deranged mind like this recent incident, something must be done. Legislative action must be taken, but then again we live in a divided country, those in gun interest groups will find any way to combat criticism, especially once standing behind the second amendment. Many might say that these are just rare occurrences, and not every gun owner is planning a mass shooting. But that shouldn't be an excuse, one of these "bad apples" take the lives on innocent people and it's not just a one time event.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/politics/biden-sandy-hook/index.html
According to this CNN article, Democrats have been pushing for tougher guns laws but they keep on failing when in congress. The senate is divided when it comes to enforcing stricter gun laws. I ultimately believe that it needs to be done, and that's for the sake of students' lives and for those to come in the future. Our generations is certainly good at activism, the young are the voice of the world, and we should keep it that way and advocate for what is right, fight and enforce. Schools should be a safe place, not a place for a massacre.
Gun laws in the US are horrifically lenient. It is a shame that the idea of 2nd amendment rights have such a hold on the American populace, and that organizations such as the NRA have fiercely lobbied for gun rights for so long.
The NRA was chartered in 1871, and has since argued that more guns would make the US safer. In fact, Wayne laPierre, the organization's leader, has even argued that an armed guard at Sandy Hook would have prevented the 2012 massacre (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394). The NRA has widespread grassroots support, and to this day has significant power over our government. I think that this grassroots influence is the main reason that the NRA remain so powerful in today's politics; Republican lawmakers are afraid of facing town halls full of angry NRA members and general public disapproval if they show an inclination towards supporting gun control policies. The NRA probably participates in some intense astroturfing as well.
All in all, it's clear that the influence of lobbying groups such as the NRA must be curbed. The gun control movement is gaining momentum in the US, and tragedies such as this Michigan shooting will definitely contribute to it. I believe that gun control legislation must be passed, and I hope that this president and the slim majority Democrats have in Congress will be able to make it happen.
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