Introduction
Gun violence in the U.S. is now considered an epidemic. America has the highest gun-related deaths among industrialized nations with over 30,000 fatalities in a year. Gun ownership in America is also high with U.S. civilians owning 393million guns. With easy access to firearms, some individuals carry guns in public even without a permit, and they will not hesitate to use them if they feel threatened. Aside from gun-related homicides, mass shootings have become regular occurrences in the U.S. Over 310 mass shootings incidences have occurred in 2018, it is as if there is a mass shooting incident every day in the U.S. The deadliest mass shooting incident in 2018 occurred in Parkland, Florida. A gunman, who was former student in the school opened fire in a school killing 17 high school students and teachers. The mass shooting incidences, particularly in school are not new. The Columbine High School shooting in 1999 led to the death of 12 students and one teacher. The incident marked the beginning of school shootings in the U.S. The severe gun violence cases has led to the advocacy for gun control in the U.S. More Americans support strict gun laws because they are tired of gun violence at homes, in the community, and school. Gun-related homicides, injuries and mass shootings will continue to take away American lives until a comprehensive gun control policy is developed.
Gun Control Policies
With the increasing cases of school mass shooting incidences, many Americans now support gun control. Roughly 2 out of 3 want restrictive access to guns. According to Winkler (2011), gun control in America is not new. The founding fathers supported ownership of firearms, but they were owned by members of the militia and law-abiding citizens to defend themselves in case of an attack. The Second Amendment was passed in 1791 a few years after America gained independence (Cook & Goss, 2014). The policy was enacted to empower Americans to defend themselves from the colonizer, and without gun ownership, the American Revolution would not have been possible. Gun ownership made it possible to overthrow a tyrannical government. The Second Amendment was relevant to the 18th-century society, and yet supporters of gun ownership in the modern society still rely on the Second Amendment to defend their rights to own guns.
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Statistics on gun-related violence and mass shootings are reasons for gun control. After every mass shooting incident, leaders express their support for gun control policies, but most of them do not follow through. Some leaders give up after facing opposition from gun ownership supporters (Diaz, 2013). The reality remains that America has inadequate gun control policies which are why gun violence is a persistent problem. State governments play a significant role in regulating gun ownership, but the federal laws establish the minimum level of gun control. The state is responsible for legislation on the type of guns and ammunition, how they should be stored, training for gun owners among other gun-related issues.
There is a need to explore gun control policies over the years to identify their inadequacies. The first gun control policy after the creation of the Second Amendment was in 1938. The Federal Firearms Act (FFA) of 1938 m gun manufacturers and dealers to obtain federal licenses. Many guns were getting into America, and the legislation was created to regulate the number of firearms as well as individuals who are not allowed to own firearms. FFA required gun dealers to keep customer records, and they were prohibited from selling guns to convicted criminals. FFA was repealed in 1968 after the passage of the Gun Control Act (GCA), but most of the provisions of the FFA were reenacted in the GCA.
After the assassination of President John Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., America saw the need for gun control. President Lyndon Johnson supported the passage of the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968 which expanded the definition of “machine gun” and “destructive devices” (Cook & Goss, 2014). GCA banned importing guns that have no sporting purposes and imposed the age restriction for gun ownership at 21. Prohibited felons and mentally ill were also banned from owning guns. In 1986, the Firearm Owners Protection Act was passed. The law aimed to protect firearm owners by prohibiting registration of dealer records, limiting ATF inspections to once per year, and loosening regulations on the business of selling firearms and transfer of ammunition. The new policies undid some of the progress made under the GCA.
In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed into las by President Bill Clinton. The law amended the GCA and proposed background checks before a gun purchase from a licensed dealer or manufacturer. The policy created the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) maintained by the FBI to guide gun ownership. President Clinton also passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act in 1994 which banned assault weapons temporarily between 1994 and 2004 (Ludwig etal., 2003). Assault weapons including AR-15s, TEC-9s, and MAC-10s were forbidden. Attempts to renew the ban after 2004 have failed. In 2005, President George W. Bush passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act which prevented gun manufacturers from being named in federal and state lawsuits by victims of gun violence. The failure of the Assault Weapons Ban and the Manchin-Toomey Amendment in 2013 after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting showed the unwillingness of politicians to pass gun control laws.
Inadequate Gun Control
The history of gun control laws shows that the U.S. policymakers have failed to come up with adequate gun control laws. The US government has also failed to address the issue with the seriousness it deserves, which is why gun violence and gun ownership is continually rising in America. America has been unable to act like Australia or Japan which put in place strict gun ownership laws to curb gun violence. For example, after the 1996 mass shooting which left 35 people dead in Australia, the government rolled out a massive gun buyback program and destroyed over 600,000 automatic and semiautomatic weapons.
Consequently, firearm homicide dropped by half. In Japan, gun owners go through rigorous tests. When an individual wants to own a gun in Japan, one must attend an all-day class, do a written test, and achieve at least 95% accuracy in a shooting range test (Parnell, 2009). The individual must pass a mental-health evaluation as well as an extensive background check. After passing all the test, the individual can only buy a shotgun or an air rifle.
Gun ownership is legal in America, but there is a need to create strict gun laws such as those in Japan and Australia. Acquiring a gun in America is quite simple such that individuals as young as 19 can walk into a gun dealership to purchase an AR-15. The 19-year-old who killed 17 students in his former school in Florida bought the semi-automatic weapon legally a year ago. The state of Florida does not even require fingerprints, a waiting period or special permit to own a gun, and this is a common practice in some parts in the U.S. Individuals walk into a store, and they purchase semi-automatic weapons in a matter of minutes as if they are buying milk. In the deadly Las Vegas mass shooting incident, the perpetrator bought 33 firearms in a year before committing the crimes. He purchased twelve semi-automatic rifles that were rigged with legal devices to allow them to function like automatic weapons.
After every mass shooting incident, law enforcement retraces the activities of the perpetrator. In most cases, the perpetrators had easy access to semi-automatic weapons because buying a gun in the U.S. is an easy thing. Individuals with criminal histories, mental problems and those who do not know how to use guns can still purchase guns in most states (Ludwig et al., 2013). The divided opinion toward gun ownership causes inadequate gun control policies. While some policymakers support gun control, their efforts are thwarted by politicians who support gun ownership. Gun ownership in the US has been heavily politicized and turn into a human rights issue yet Americans pay the price.
Aside from the inadequate gun control laws, there is poor implementation of existing gun laws. The government has failed to avail the updated database of individuals with mental health histories who are not allowed to own guns. Additionally, the federal background check system is underfunded and understaffed such that red flags slip through the system (Parnell, 2009). Gun dealers are supposed to wait three days for FBI to complete the background check, but once the three days lapse without getting a response from FBI, they dealers can sell the gun to the buyer.
In conclusion, the American approach to gun control is wanting. Policymakers have to work together, regardless of their party ideologies to address the facts surrounding gun violence and gun ownership. While Americans have the right to own firearms, gun ownership should be approached with the seriousness it deserves. Only in America can someone access a weapon from a private dealer at a gun show or over the internet without a simple background check. American gun laws and implementation are inadequate and relaxed such that anyone can access a gun and use it to commit a crime. Unless America is willing to adopt stringent measures as seen in Japan and Australia, more Americans will continue dying in gun-related incidents and mass shootings.
References
Cook, P. J., & Goss, K. A. (2014). The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know® . Oxford University Press.
Diaz, T. (2013). The last gun: How changes in the gun industry are killing Americans and what it will take to stop it . New Press, The.
Ludwig, J., & Cook, P. J. (Eds.). (2003). Evaluating gun policy: Effects on crime and violence . Brookings Institution Press.
Parnell, W. B. (2009). Gun Control: Background, Regulation and Legislation . Nova Science Publishers.
Winkler, A. (2011). Gunfight: The battle over the right to bear arms in America . WW Norton & Company.
