Crime and violence have many causes, as such developing policies that can help mitigate against such issues becomes relatively daunting. For the United States, one of the crucial issues it continues to face is that of gun violence. America has a long and contentious relationship with firearms, with the Florida high school shooting being the most recent exemplification of this particular relationship (Goodwin, 2018). It is estimated that the number of guns in the United States amount to 300 million. Every other gun violence incident often evokes fierce debate on the need to reevaluate the nation's gun policies. However, they often end as soon as a new national issue arises. As a result, countless deaths and injuries have become part and parcel of the larger American society. While it is seemingly incomprehensible on how a nation can fail to take policy change to protect its nation, one has to understand the fact that little to no information is available regarding the options that can be taken. Two factors largely limit gun control policies; firstly, there is the challenge of gun lobby groups funded by the wealthy gun manufacturing companies.
The second and most crucial challenge accrues from the absence of evidence and data on how to prevent gun violence. The Dickey Amendment of 1996 by Congress is a major contributor to the lack of scientific studies into the gun violence (Cook and Ludwig, 2004). The implementation of this amendment meant that federal agencies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had no mandate of lobbying for gun control legislation. The amendment’s operationalization also resulted in huge budget cuts for research on the matter. The development of effective policies is dependent on the availability of credible evidence and data, as such, any efforts aimed at improving gun control should begin with commissioning research into gun violence. This will be vital in understanding the dynamics of gun violence in regards to causes as well as possible solutions.
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Secondly, it will be essential to develop inter-agency and multi-sectoral approaches in the development of policies on gun control. One crucial sector worth mention is healthcare. A consistent denominator in most gun violence incidents is that of mental health (Andrés and Hempstead, 2011). In other words, most of the perpetrators of gun violence often exhibit psychological challenges. In this case, therefore, research in the healthcare sector will be vital in helping uncover the role of mental health in gun violence cases. Another crucial sector worth highlighting is entertainment, including film, gaming, and music. Violence is highly pervasive in American mass media entertainment; this, therefore, means it is a part of the socialization of most individuals that have access to such content (Cook and Ludwig, 2004). While direct links between the content of mass entertainment and gun violence cannot be immediately established, research in this area will be vital in proving crucial insights regarding its impact on society.
The essential focus of gun control, however, should be on the availability of guns and ammunition, as well as the ease with which they are acquired. This is perhaps the toughest challenge that American people have to contend with considering that gun production value chains not only provide jobs but also pay taxes for government revenue. Existing gun control measures largely focus on limiting specific types of guns, an element that is not working considering continued debauchery. It is also worth considering the fact that part of the American society is against any form of gun control. This particular group often argues that guns are the first line of defense against the ‘bad guys.' They argue that gun ownership is vital for ensuring personal protection; however, this is not true considering how the ‘bad guys' tend to have an upper hand over the so-called ‘good guys’. All the same, this debacle highlights the need for national discussions on how to move ahead.
Information sharing is another crucial element in the developing effective gun control measures. One of the issues that stood out following the Parkland High School shooting is that various clues were available for various law enforcement agencies to help avert the killings (Goodwin, 2018). In failing to share the information the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Broward County police, failed in their duty of citizen protection. The lesson that can be taken from this particular shooting is that there is a need to develop inter-agency communication platforms. This particular move will be vital in ensuring that responses by security agencies will be proactive rather than reactive. Information sharing should also be made to be multi-sectoral with key sectors such as the healthcare being looped into the information sharing circle.
This will allow for early detection and management of mental health issues. A holistic analysis of the gun violence issue is perhaps the best chance at developing effective mitigation strategies. It is time to shift away from the good-vs.-evil debate if meaningful headway is to be realized in regards to gun control. The elimination of this simplistic narrative will, however, requires valid data that can come about through research. In summation, the foundation of effective and efficient gun control is research and data on the causes as well as possible solutions to gun violence. This, therefore, requires a reevaluation of the Dickey Amendment among much other legislation that restricts and limit research into gun violence.
References
Andrés, A. R., & Hempstead, K. (2011). Gun control and suicide: The impact of state firearm regulations in the United States, 1995–2004. Health Policy , 101 (1), 95-103.
Cook, P. J., & Ludwig, J. (2004). Principles for effective gun policy. Fordham L. Rev. , 73 , 589.
Goodwin, M. (2018). Florida school shooting is the result of law enforcement failing us . Retrieved on 1 March 2018, from https://nypost.com/2018/02/27/florida-school-shooting-is-the-result-of-law-enforcement-failing-us/.
