Gun Control in the United States
One of the most divisive topics in the US is gun control, with opposing parties adamant in their positions. The debate is sparked by the reality that American homicide rates are significantly higher than the average for developed countries. The numerous isolated mass murders that have occurred in the US have not persuaded legislators to enact new gun control measures. As a result, when it comes to the query of whether stricter gun ownership regulations would lessen gun-related fatalities in the United States, Americans are. While supporters of the notion argue that stricter laws would potentially save lives, anti-gun control proponents are of the opinion that the behavior of criminals cannot be changed by instituting tougher gun control rules. Gun control is an effective way of reducing gun-control crimes as has been evidenced by the case in most European countries in contrast to the worrying trend when it comes to gun-related crimes in the United State.
The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting
On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and killed 26 people. Among the victims were 20 pupils aged between 6 and 7. The twenty innocent kids lost their lives in a rampage by an individual who had earlier killed his mother with her own weapons. Adam Lanza was armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 Bushmaster assault rifle, a Glock pistol, and a Sig Sauer pistol (Cnn.com). The 26 people who lost their lives went to school that day ready for a day like any other but it turned out to be the last day of their lives. The semi-automatic rifle was used by Adam Lanza to commit most of the murders. If only there had been gun control laws banning the sale of some semi-automatic rifles to the individual, then we could have averted a disaster that shook the whole world. The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting is just one of the many incidents of mass murder in the United States that have put the spotlight on the country's lax gun control laws. Other similar incidents include the Columbine High School massacre, the Aurora shooting in 2012, the San Bernardino attack in 2015, the Isla Vista Massacre in 2014, and the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.
The Number of Firearms in the United States
According to the ATF, the number of firearms in the United States amounted to approximately 294 million with 106 million being handguns, 105 million being rifles, and 83 million being shotguns. Within a period of two years through 2009, the estimated total number of firearms in the United States was 310 million with 114 million handguns, 110 million rifles, and 86 million shotguns (ATF 15). "Per Capita, the civilian gun stock has roughly doubled since 1968, from one gun per every two persons to one gun per one person" (Krouse 9). In the year 2011, there were an estimated 14,612 murder victims at a rate of 4.7 per 100,000 of the population. The number of estimated firearms-related murder victims over the same time period was 9,903 which translates to a rate of 3.2 per 100,000 population (Krouse 10). According to the National Center for Health Statistics, firearms-related deaths for the year 2009 can be broken down as follows: homicides- 11,493; legal interventions- 333; suicides- 18,753; accidents- 554; and unknown causes at 232 (Krouse 11).
International Perspective on Gun Control
According to a 2010 study, homicide rates in the United States were 7 times higher than in other high-income nations. The gun homicide rate in the United States was 25.2 times higher than in other high-income OECD countries (Grinshteyn and Hemenway 270). This is an indication of the significant differences approach towards gun control between the United States and its peers. Countries with stringent gun control laws such as the United Kingdom are characterized by very few firearms-related deaths. The gun control laws in the United Kingdom are based on the Firearms Amendment Act of 1997 which effectively banned all cartridge ammunition handguns, with the exception of .22 caliber single-shot firearms. The law was further tightened leading to the ban of all .22 cartridge handguns. This determination got rid of target shooting as a sport in the United Kingdom. Possession of an illegal firearm in the United States is usually accompanied by heavy fines or prison terms exceeding ten years. The strict gun control laws in the United Kingdom were influenced by the mass murder of 16 pre-school children on March 13, 1996, at Dunblane primary school by Thomas Hamilton. Firearms-related deaths in the United Kingdom are usually in the tens unlike in the United States where similar deaths are in the tens of thousands.
The Second Amendment and Its Implications
In the United States, the Second Amendment to the Constitution states that "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" (Chemerinsky 26). As such, many view gun ownership as a birthright. However, the implications of this constitutional provision are adverse. Despite the United States being home to less than 5 percent of the population of the world, it has approximately 35-50 percent of civilian-owned guns in the world (Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva 40). When the amendment was passed, the Union was still young and the people were still getting used to the concept of the federal government. As such, an armed citizen militia was necessary at the time. However, in the modern world, the idea of such a militia is outdated and unnecessary.
The Effectiveness of Gun Background Checks
There is evidence even in the United States that gun background checks are effective in significantly curbing gun violence. A Connecticut gun control law passed in 1994 required buyers to get permits which required background checks, banned the sale of second-handguns and increased the minimum age for the purchase of guns to 21. Over a ten-year period, the law led to a 40 percent decrease in the number of gun-related homicides in addition to leading to a 15 percent drop in the number of suicides. The State of Missouri did the opposite in 2007 by passing a law that repealed the requirement that every buyer of firearms had to undergo rigorous background checks. This lead to a 23 percent increase in gun-related homicides and a 16 percent increase in the number of suicides in Missouri.
The Balance Between Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom is the basis of the Constitution of the United States with the concept of a self-determining individual being key. It is on this basis that proponents of gun rights argue that it is not possible to partially restrict fundamental rights. The emphasis is that law-abiding citizens cannot be forced to relinquish their freedom because there is a possibility of others taking advantage of it. However, it is important to realize that the United States is a nation that values life. As such, we have a responsibility to protect innocent lives at all times. In light of the high rates of gun-related homicide, firearms are a real threat to the general welfare of the citizens of the United States. The correlation between per capita gun ownership and violent crime is evident. It is, therefore, necessary to restrict gun ownership in order to reduce the unjustified killing of innocent citizens.
Guns and Suicide Rates
As earlier mentioned, most gun-related fatalities in the United States are actually homicides. The Connecticut vs. Missouri case study shows the effect gun control has on suicide rates in the society. Suicide is obviously influenced by a variety of factors which are unique to the individual in question. However, stressed out and unhappy individuals are 2 to 10 times more probable to commit suicide than those without such access. While proponents of gun rights argue that a suicidal individual will do so with or without a firearm, it is obvious that access to firearms accelerates and makes it easier to commit suicide.
The Availability of Assault Weapons
The issue of the availability of assault weapons to individual citizens is one that requires regulation. As discussed earlier, Adam Lanza used a Bushmaster assault rifle to commit the heinous murders of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting. Despite the constitutional right to own a firearm, an assault rifle is not necessary for self-defense. In most mass shooting incidents in the United States, there has been the use of assault rifles which were legally bought from gun stores. The banning of individual ownership of assault rifles among others in the United Kingdom has greatly reduced the rate of gun-related homicides.
The Argument against Gun Control - The Black Market
Gun rights proponents argue that stricter gun control will lead to the development of a black market for guns in the United States. This argument is based on the case of the prohibition era. The ban on the production, transport, and sale of alcohol in 1920 led to the growth of bootlegging where organized crime syndicates controlled the importation of alcohol to cities. However, it is important to realize that gun control does not mean that individuals will be effectively banned from purchasing firearms for their own use. Gun control is all about erecting legal barriers that make it harder for people who should not access guns to buy them. Broader background checks, for example, do not ban firearms but instead prevent criminals from buying weapons legally from gun stores and effectively using them to commit a crime and possibly kill innocent individuals. This argument is extended by the argument that regulating gun ownership will not stop criminals/potential criminals from getting firearms. This is because firearms can be easily acquired through illegal means in the United States. This is actually true but we have the responsibility to do as much as possible to ensure that the process is more difficult for wrongdoers. Most mass shootings in the United States, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, are perpetrated using weapons that are acquired by legal means.
The Argument for Gun Control - Self-Defense and Deterrence
Gun rights proponents also argue that guns level the playing field, especially in the case of a small-framed individual being robbed by a larger, more physically-abled individual. A firearm could also scare off a potential criminal. In the real world, however, a very small proportion of crimes are prevented because the victim was in possession of a firearm. There are very few incidents of citizens with guns stopping crimes from happening.
The Need for Gun Control and Policy Suggestions
Gun control is necessary if the number of gun-related deaths is to decrease in the United States. According to George Callaco, a former member of the local Sheriff Department for 35 years, gun control is necessary. The term gun control is often demonized by opponents who suggest that it means a complete ban on the individual ownership of firearms. The suggestion is that gun control should start at the gun stores themselves. Most gun shops do not have a gun-selling license, which greatly violates their very essence in the society. The suggestion of George Callaco is that personal gun-ownership licenses should be renewed every year rather than the usual renewal after a four-year period. This policy change would ensure renewed background checks to ensure that the gun owner has no criminal records. Gun control has proved to be effective in the reduction of gun-related fatalities. The fact that the United States has the highest gun-related incidents and the highest per capita gun ownership is a testament to the undeniable correlation. As such, gun ownership should be restricted by necessary legal measures to ensure that firearms don't get into the hands of criminals.
Works Cited
Chemerinsky, Erwin. “Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies.” 2006.
Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. “Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.” 2007.
Grinshteyn, Erin and Hemenway, David. “Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High- income OECD Countries, 2010.” The American Journal of Medicine 129.3 (2016): 266- 273.
Krouse, William J. “Gun Control Legislation.” Congressional Research Service. 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Annual Firearm Manufacturing and Export Reports for 2002 through 2007.”
"Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting: What Happened?" CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
