Gun Violence in America
Gun violence is a serious problem and threat to public safety in America. Thousands of citizens die each year in the country of gun violence. The statistics point to a significant social problem that requires a practical solution. However, finding a lasting solution to gun violence has been difficult because of the ideological differences surrounding the debate. The debate on practical policies to control gun violence in America is remarkably contentious and divisive along party lines. Leaders from the Republican Party take a stance against gun control while Democrats advocate strict gun control laws. Despite these differences, there is a consensus among U.S citizens that the problem of gun violence in the country requires a solution. As the debate goes on, the U.S continues to record more cases of mass shooting and deaths related to gun violence. Legal experts and other professionals admit that America's gun laws are defective because no country in the developed world has gun violence data even remotely close to the American case (Lopez, 2018). Fixing America's gun laws can, therefore, lead to the development of effective solutions to curb gun violence. This paper aims to find the answer to gun control and propose solutions that can be applied to curb gun violence in America.
The Gun Control Debate
A succinct analysis of gun violence statistics in America presents an apparent reason to front a debate for a change of gun laws. Each year, about 35,000 deaths occur from gun shootings. Out of these, nearly 13,000 are homicide-related while 21,500 are suicide-related (Cohen, 2018). The latest incidence is in Santa Fe High School, Texas, in with nearly eight fatalities reported (Hanna, Andone & Allen, 2018). The high number of gun-related violence shows that while guns have caused many deaths in the country, the problem is not just related to access alone. Restricting access to guns by ensuring individuals who are not authorized by law do not purchase the weapons would be a viable strategy towards reducing gun violence. The U.K and Australia are perfect case examples of how strict gun control laws can reduce gun violence. A mass shooting in 1996 triggered the solution to gun control in the U.K. The shooting occurred in Dunblane Primary School situated in Scotland. The incident left seventeen, sixteen children and their teacher, dead. Among them were young children and the shooter (Wilkinson, 2013). The U.K government reacted to the incident by creating a ban on all handguns in the country. An amnesty was issued to people in possession of handguns if they returned them willingly. As a result of the amnesty, the government collected nearly 162,000 handguns. Since the ban, only one incident of mass shooting has occurred in Cumbria, northwest England (Jamieson, 2016). The Cumbria mass shooting in 2010 left twelve people dead (Wong, 2018). The Australian case is similar to that of the U.K. After the mass shooting in Tasmania in 1996 in which 35 people died, the Australian government responded almost immediately by banning all automatic and semi-automatic guns. It also extended an amnesty to individuals that owned these weapons. The amnesty saw 57,000 guns returned and the country has never witnessed a mass shooting ever since.
The Impact of Gun Control Laws
The U.K and Australian cases should be used as examples when making logical arguments for gun control measures in America. The countries have recorded fewer cases of gun violence compared to America in the last two decades because they instituted stricter gun control laws. It shows that by implementing gun control measures, the country would be allowing fewer and only deserving individuals to possess guns. Those who argue against gun control measures should provide a counter-argument as to why gun control is not the cause of the low numbers of gun-related violence in Australia and the U.K.
Addressing Gun-Related Suicides
The highest number of gun-related deaths in the U.S, however, occurs through suicide. It is not common for individuals to decide to take their lives. While access to guns makes it easier for individuals seeking to commit suicide to achieve their objectives, deep underlying social problems may be the cause of a high number of suicidal deaths from shooting. Taking away access to guns would not solve the problems that the individuals seeking to take their own lives are dealing with. It would only lead them to find other means to commit suicide. Still, it is possible that reduced access to guns would reduce the number of deaths related to suicide by a gun.
The Challenges of Gun Control in America
The U.K and Australian cannot be easily replicated in America to solve gun violence issues because of the nature of U.S constitution. The U.K and Australian laws do not bestow on citizens the right to own guns. In the U.S, however, individuals are authorized by the constitution to own guns. Taking away this right can, therefore, easily be challenged in a court of law. There are more than 300 million guns owned by private citizens in America (Horsley, 2016). It would, therefore, be challenging to institute a blanket ban on handguns because of the resistance that would emerge the proposal. The NRA also presents additional problems to gun control because of the power that wields over politicians. It is arguably the single most powerful lobby group in America.
The State-Level Approach
From another perspective, the answer to gun control may lie with states. States have the power to enact laws to control access to and the use of guns. It is easier to achieve progress through state-level legislation than legislation enacted by Congress (Cohen, 2018). It is also essential to involve all stakeholders when developing gun control measures. The NRA would offer essential insights on the deficiencies of gun control and suggest more effective measures to reduce gun violence. Mental health professionals can also offer information on why so many people are committing suicide in America each year. This would create an avenue for addressing the cause of the problem as opposed to dealing with the aftermath. By involving all stakeholders, the need to reduce gun violence in the country would cease to be an "us versus them" affair. It would lead to the creation of laws that do not impact negatively on the business of gun owners while still reducing gun violence in the country.
Conclusion
Gun control debate in America is notably controversial cannot be regarded independently. Markedly, various challenges prevent the enactment of gun control laws. The challenges include lobbying power of the NRA, nature of U.S constitution, and mental health issues surrounding gun-related suicides. The paper determines that the answer to gun control may lie with states. States have the power to enact laws to control access to and the use of guns. It is easier to achieve progress through state-level legislation than legislation enacted by Congress. It is also essential to involve all stakeholders when developing gun control measures. This would result in gun control laws that are acceptable across the political divide.
References
Cohen, D. S. (2018). What Will It Take for Sensible Gun Control? Rollingstone.com. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/gun-control-what-will-it-take-w516785
Hanna, J., Androne, D. & Allen, K. (2018). At least 8 killed in shooting at Texas' Santa Fe High School, sheriff says. CNN. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/18/us/texas-school-shooting/index.html
Horsley, S. (2016). Guns In America, By The Numbers. NPR. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.npr.org/2016/01/05/462017461/guns-in-america-by-the-numbers
Jamieson, A. (2016). Dunblane's Snowdrops: How a School Shooting Changed British Gun Laws. NBC News. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dunblane-s-snowdrops-how-school-shooting-changed-british-gun-laws-n535671
Lopez, G. (2018). I've covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren't a big mystery. VOX. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/21/17028930/gun-violence-us-statistics-charts
Wilkinson, P. (2013). Dunblane: How UK school massacre led to tighter gun control. CNN. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/17/world/europe/dunblane-lessons/index.html
Wong, A. (2018). Why the US is different from the UK and Australia when it comes to gun control. CNBC. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/08/gun-control-why-us-is-different-from-uk-and-australia.html
