The Right Way to Reform Gun Control

By: Walker Jacklin

Gun Control has been an important debate across America for a number of reasons. The United States is the most controversial place in the world regarding gun control. In the United States, the right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment, however many mass shootings and violent incidents are committed with firearms. The United States also has the highest firearm-related homicide rates compared to every other developed country around the world.

Some far-left members of the Democratic Party have proposed the abolishment of the Second Amendment as a remedy to these issues, wouldn’t have been the correct answer at a Missouri Walmart on August 8, 2019, where a mass shooting could have occurred. A male intending to cause harm walked into the establishment with an AR-15 rifle. An off-duty fireman with a concealed carry permit held the suspect in a citizen’s arrest until police arrived. This example proves in situations such as what occurred at the Missouri Walmart, taking away the Second Amendment would take away the safety of many Americans that intend to protect others.

Many people have theories about how to fix the issue of firearms in the United States. For example, former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke proposed a buyback policy from those who own firearms. A policy to take firearms away from the American people was something new, but would be insufficient. The amount of money to buy back the firearms would be around 100-200 million dollars, and it wouldn’t make a difference. This same program has been implemented in Australia, but never in the United States. Nothing would stop people from building assault weapons and creating a major network to resell it to the government to earn a profit. Firearms would still be on the street and would result in fewer firearms to protect those who need them for their safety.

Another major question occurring in America is whether or not a ban on assault weapons would make a significant difference. The fact that weapons would continue to be circulated in the black market even with a ban conflicts the argument. The Black Market would expand and the ban would be less significant instantly. The problem is not assaulted weapons, it’s that people aren't properly checked when obtaining a firearm. The Parkland school shooter purchased his military-style assault weapon legally. The man who shot more than 400 people in Las Vegas in October of 2017 also purchased his weapon legally. The man who gunned down 49 people at Orlando's Pulse nightclub in 2016 also purchased his gun legally. The man who gunned down 26 worshipers at a church in Texas in November of 2017 obtained the gun legally. Clearly, this is where we have a problem. 85% of the firearms used in mass shootings were bought legally. 17 of the firearms used in mass shootings in the last 36 years were obtained legally. Roughly 15% were obtained in unlawful other ways. In eight cases shooters took their guns from family members. In four cases they were purchased illegally. In three cases they were stolen. In one case the shooter illegally kept his gun after losing his state firearms license, which required him to surrender his firearm. And, one case the shooter illegally built their own firearm. The process of checking those purchasing firearms in America has failed. Ultimately, whoever is willing to break the law is able to get a gun in any possible way.

We can fix the gun control problem in the United States through an organized and superior system than the rest of the world. First, we need to advance background checks. Fake-IDs allow criminals to easily bypass background checks. To fix the problem we need to confirm citizenship and correctly identify exactly who the person is and the history of a person. We can identify people through social security numbers, ID, Passport, and Birth Certificate. A police officer from Utah said the following about psychological training before owning a gun: “I think it's a good idea to make sure that purchasers of a gun are sane and that they are capable mentally to handle firearms, and if there are any signs of issues that they can go ahead and take care of that before issuing a firearm.” I believe the police officer is correct because it can only lead to positive results. Increasing the depth of vetting in addition to thorough training would ensure the identity of gun buyers and reduce violent crime. Precautions such as extensive background checks and psychological training can increase the safety of America.

Limiting rounds in magazines can lead to saving lives in mass shootings. Gun safety experts argue that higher capacity magazines can result in greater deaths or injuries during shootings. The limitation of rounds in magazines can save lives by spending more time between reloads. High-capacity magazines have been involved in at least 45 mass shootings since 1994. According to a new Columbia University study, more bullets mean more fatalities. That, in a nutshell, is the conclusion of a study that posits that banning large-capacity magazines (LCMs) could substantially lower the death toll in mass shootings.

Gun control can be fixed and reformed through Extensive background checks with psychological training as well as checking to confirm the user is well aware of the effects of a firearm. Prioritizing that the user of a firearm will use it responsibly can reform and correct the broken system of enforcement. The limitation of rounds in magazines for a gun would make a significant difference. Between Democrats and Republicans, common ground can be found without having a buyback policy or an assault weapons ban, but simply by reforming the process of buying a firearm, creating a better and safer world in the process.