Introduction
Gun violence has become a severe issue in the United States attributed to the increased number of mass shootings experienced in the country. Security reports indicate that the United States has been facing a higher possibility of mass shooting in the past few years attributed to a vast array of factors. Security analysts have been on the forefront in highlighting specific measures that would help curb the security situation associated with gun violence. One of the critical recommendations given has been on the idea of having to ensure that gun buyers go through an extensive background check. The background check is expected to help in providing that some individuals do not access guns to their likelihood towards engagement in actions that are more likely to harm other people.
However, the effectiveness of this approach has been challenged from the perspective that private gun sellers are not obligated to conduct any form of background check on their buyers. On the other hand, the policy on background checks may also fail to fulfill its expected objective considering that the administration does not mandate individual states towards sharing of information on background checks with the NCIS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System). The issue can be seen from the fact that most of the guns used in gun-related violence in the United States have been bought legally and necessary checks conducted on the owners of these guns. From that perspective, this study will seek to engage in an in-depth evaluation of this particular policy on the idea of conducting background checks, which would help determine whether conducting extensive background checks may help reduce the possibility of gun violence.
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Literature Review
An in-depth review of the literature focusing on the issue of background checks and their impacts in reducing gun violence exposes a significant gap regarding knowledge on the value of using such background checks. According to Lang (2016), approximately 90% of Americans today support the idea of using background checks when focusing on gun purchases but do not understand some of the existing loopholes in this federal law. The gaps in this federal law create a situation where it becomes somewhat challenging for states to deal with the issue of gun violence efficiently. Lang (2016) indicates that one major loophole in the federal law has been on the fact that the rule on background checks only applies when dealing with licensed gun sellers, who are required to conduct background checks. The law tends to have a significant limitation when dealing with unlicensed gun sellers in the country, who are not mandated with doing background checks on their buyers.
The issue of gun violence in the United States has created significant concern among Americans depending on the high number of people that are dying due to such types of abuse. The issue is not only affecting the adult population but also affects the school-going children due to increased cases of mass shootings occurring within the United States. That has created a situation where policymakers in the country are talking about this particular issue and the impact that it is having on the society explicitly focusing on the underlying issues associated with gun violence. From that view, it has become essential to find effective avenues from which to deal with the rising number of gun-related violence.
Lang (2013) reflects on the issue arguing that approximately 22% of the total number of gun owners, who have bought their guns recently, have been able to buy guns without any form of a background check from unlicensed firearm dealers. Thus, this means that the limitation of the law can be seen from the fact that the law does not cover all the basics touching on ensuring that every gun owner goes through some form of background check. McGinty, E. E., Wolfson, J. A., Sell, T. K., & Webster (2016) argue that the limitation in the law has created a situation where any individual regardless of his or her mental capacity or prior engagement with gun violence. Consequently, this exposes the fact adoption of this law is non-effective in trying to define success on the issue of reducing gun violence.
According to the United States Department of Justice, the failure in the structure of the law has created a situation where individuals that may have prohibited from accessing guns or other forms of weapons find themselves obtaining the same without any federal records of the transactions. From that perspective, it becomes much harder for law enforcement to keep track of the number of gun in the country and their usage in acts of violence including instances of the mass shooting. Miller, Hepburn, & Azrael (2017) indicate that the United States faces a critical challenge from the private gun market in the country, which acts as the primary source of guns used in different forms of violence in the country ranging from minor crimes to severe crimes. Dealing the menace of gun violence requires concerted efforts towards ensuring that the government can work out practical approaches that would seek to limit the private gun market, which would, in turn, help in defining the number of unregistered guns with private owners.
Brody & Cox (2015) describe the loophole in the federal law on gun control in the country as the “gun show” loophole considering that it has created a significant challenge in trying to limit the number of guns among private owners in the country. That highlights the overall objective of working towards changing the structure of this law with the sole focus being on ensuring that every gun owner undergoes a significant check in a bid to ensure that they are in a position to own the guns without engaging in any form of gun violence. Vizzard (2014) maintains that the amendment of the federal law may help in assisting the relevant authorities to undertake adequate background checks to the gun holders and gun sellers in a bid to deal with the rising cases associated with gun violence in the society.
One of the key aspects to note when dealing with the issue of unlicensed gun sale in the United States is the fact that use of the internet has played a central role in promoting the flow of guns from one owner to another. Koper (2003) reflects on one of the notable advertisement platforms for firearms and other forms of weapons, armslist.com, where unlicensed gun dealers place approximately 29% of the ads on the platform. Thus, this means that the number of guns flowing through unlicensed gun dealers is significantly high taking into consideration most of the private dealers do not consider the idea of engaging in a background check when disposing the weapons to individual users. Although the government may find itself in a position where it may not be able to limit such advertisements, the only expectation is that it must create positive approaches from which to ensure gun owners go through background checks.
The federal law should capitalize on offering utmost confidentiality to the individuals in a bid to ensure that the gun holders and sellers undertake the background checks willingly as part of enhancing the security measures in the society. According to Blau, Gorry, & Wade (2016), the primary factor that increases gun violence in the United States is the fact that majority of the gun owners acquire their guns from unlicensed gun sellers who fail to undertake a background check on the buyers. The federal law should capitalize on ensuring that all gun sellers obtain the relevant licenses to ensure that they are in a position to conduct a background check on the buyers in a bid to ensure that they are in the appropriate state of mind to own a gun. That means that any individual involved in any form of business associated with the selling of weapons must be obligated to undertake a background check.
Helmke (2013) maintains that limiting the requirements and process required owning a gun may help in ensuring that individuals do not opt to buy guns from unlicensed sellers. That means that majority of the individuals intending to purchase weapons may consider the idea of having to go through the legal process. The process will help ensure that a background check is conducted to help ascertain whether the individual intending to own a gun is mentally stable or has any prior cases of being involved in gun-related crimes. Additionally, it is essential to consider the overall possibility of ensuring that all gun deals in the country are registered, as this would work as a practical approach from which to determine overall success in dealing with the issue of unlicensed gun sellers in the country.
Use of extensive background checks may be of value towards limiting access to guns considering that this would mean that most of the gun owners will go through the laid out procedure allowing them to access weapons. Koper, Woods, & Kubu, (2013) argue that the idea of using extensive background checks may be somewhat useful in promoting efficiency when reducing the number of illegal guns, as this would mean that individuals that are not supposed to have weapons would not be willing to go through the background check process. From that perspective, it becomes easier for law enforcement to track the weapons from one user to another, which will be of value in ensuring that the government achieves some form of success in dealing with the social issue of gun violence affecting the society today. Additionally, this will also help in limiting situations where mentally unstable people gain access to guns, which may have far-reaching effects on other people in the society.
Based on the review, it is clear that the issue of background checks is one of the most significant problems that must be discussed as part of creating that positive approach from which to reduce gun-related violence in the country. The hypotheses that this research study will seek to evaluate as part of the research conducted are:
Adoption of policies that support extensive background checks on gun owners would help reduce the number of unregistered guns in the country, as this would mean that gun owners would use the legal process to acquire weapons.
Extensive background checks will be of value towards reducing the overall possibility that people with documented mental disorders and prior cases of gun-related violence can access guns.
Mandating states to share information associated with gun owners may be of great value in ensuring that gun dealers have access to extensive background information on individuals intending to purchase guns.
The study seeks to evaluate the value of extensive background checks especially in ensuring that law enforcement departments in the United States can maintain some form of control of issues associated with gun violence. The long-term effect of adopting the idea of extensive background checks is that this would act as a guarantee that any individual that is not intended to have access to a gun is not able to access such weapons through the increasing number of unlicensed gun sellers.
Case Selection, Concepts, and Measurement Procedures
In this case, the critical aspect of focus for the researcher is to test the relationship between background checks and gun violence within which the independent variable is background checks while the dependent variable is reduced gun violence. Both variables will be tested with the aim of establishing the existing relationship between adoption of policies that support background checks in reducing the number of gun violence cases. Appendix A will provide an overview of states that have adopted usage of background checks as one of the requirements for any individual intending to buy any weapon with appendix B reflecting on the number of gun violence cases per state.
In the event of a connection, as suggested through the hypothesis, one of the key aspects to note is that the trends will show that states that have adopted usage of background checks for any individual intending to buy a gun tend to experience less gun-related violence. The setting of this research study is within the United States considering that the study reflects on gun laws in the country to determine how effective that they have been in dealing with the issue of gun-related violence. The focus on the United States also arises from the fact that the country's constitution gives citizens the right to bear arms meaning that buying or access to a gun is one of the reasons enshrined within the structure (Sen & Panjamapirom, 2012). Additionally, the selection also reflects on the fact that the United States is facing a significant challenge in dealing with the issue of gun violence especially among young adults and adolescents.
Data associated with an independent variable, background checks, is available from the United States Department of Justice website from where one can see the implementation of policies on ensuring that gun buyers go through background checks per state. The information is essential to evaluate, as it seeks to provide great insight into the effectiveness of such policies in reducing the high number of gun-related violence cases occurring in the country. The data will help in determining whether a state that has adopted policies requiring background checks tend to have lower numbers of gun-related violence cases when compared to states that do not offer such restrictions.
As part of the evaluation of the issue touching on practical usage of background checks as part of the process in which to help reduce access to weapons, one of the critical aspects that were important to consider is understanding what background checks entail. According to the Department of Justice, background checks refer to the process in which one can gain access to another individual record ranging from criminal records to financial records among others. In the case of gun control, usage of background checks is essential, as it works towards creating that positive platform from where to provide details associated with gun owners. The features may include any prior incidences with guns, which are essential to consider, as this may result in denial of a licensed gun.
The NCIS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) has created a database of all gun holders from where gun sellers would be able to access such information as part of their determination of whether an individual ought to be accorded the right to own a gun (Gius, 2015). The other critical area of focus is on whether usage of background checks is effective in reducing the number of gun-related cases in the country. In this case, the focus is evaluating whether usage of background checks helps in limiting access to such weapons focusing on individuals that are not expected to own guns. However, it is equally essential to consider statistics on gun violence explicitly concentrate on mass shooting to establish whether these laws are sufficient. The information will help determine whether the use of such policies may be of value from a state perspective in dealing with the increasing number of cases associated with gun violence affecting Americans in different parts of the country.
Appendix A
Data Collection
Data presented in Appendix A reflects on information provided by the United States Department of Justice touching on the policy frameworks within each state focusing on the issue of background checks. The data is essential for this report, as it seeks to create a better understanding of how state governments are working towards ensuring that they limit the intended outcomes associated with gun-related violence. It is essential to take note of the fact that the number of states that prohibit the idea of private selling of firearms without licenses is somewhat limited. That acts as a clear indication that some of the countries are still lagging behind in their bid towards adoption and implementation of policies surrounding the issue of background checks.
Data from the United States Department of Justice is collected from an in-depth analysis of the states, as well as, from public material published, which seeks to build that understanding on some of the critical steps that state governments are taking in dealing with this issue. The variation regarding data sources for the Department of Justice suggests that the department would be in a better position from which to guarantee the quality of data presented within its database. That means that it becomes much easier when using such information as part of determining whether the adoption of such laws is useful in ensuring that the country achieves some form of success in preventing increased cases of gun-related violence. The critical aspect of focus for the department is the evaluation of the policies from a legal perspective to determine their effectiveness.
On the other hand, data in Appendix A is collected from Gifford’s Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which is a nonprofit organization operating within the United States focusing on the issue of gun violence (Vernick, J. S., Alcorn, T., & Horwitz, 2017). As has been identified earlier, in this study, gun violence has become a vital issue of concern for the society as a whole considering that it has created a situation where it has become somewhat difficult or challenging to handle the problem. Thus, this has formed the need for more stakeholders to join up in the issue, which includes non-governmental organizations that handle matters associated with gun violence. The center has been involved in affairs of gun violence extensively, as it seeks to find practical solutions to some of the critical solutions to the issue, which remains a significant challenge for the country.
The center sought to evaluate the essential variations regarding the way each of the states deals with the issue of gun violence as part of their response to this particular issue, which remains as one of the critical issues of concern. The extent of this issue reflects on the fact that gun violence exposes a significant number of people to risks of injuries and death especially in cases where such acts of violence can be associated with mass shootings. Data from the center is collected from a wide array of sources including government and nongovernmental agencies, which acts as one of the critical elements that seek to build that positive avenue from which to define the performance of the individual states.
Data Analysis
Appendix B highlights the overall number of mass shootings that have occurred in the United States since the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The data focusing on the cases of mass shootings in the United States reflects on the overall possibility that adoption of policies on background checks may act as one of the strategic approaches to help prevent mass shootings (Sumner, Layde, & Guse, 2008). The primary focus when using this map is to evaluate the states that are facing a higher number of mass shooting, which would correlate to whether the rules have prohibited buying of guns without background checks. The correlation between these two variables will help in determining whether indeed adoption of policies that seek to ensure that gun buyers go through an extensive background check are effective in reducing the possibility of mass shootings. Additionally, the correlation will also help in answering the question of whether the use of such policies is of any value in reducing the overall possibilities regarding mass shootings.
Appendix B
The correlation of data from Appendix A and B indicates that most of the cases of mass shooting are occurring outside the states that have set out policies prohibiting the selling of guns privately. As can be seen from Appendix B, most of the mass shootings are recorded in countries that include Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Georgia all of which have not set out policies that prohibit selling of guns without background checks. In all these states, individuals can access weapons at any time through private sellers, who are not confined within the federal law on background checks. Thus, this means that a high number of people tend to have guns that are not registered considering that the sellers did not follow the laid out procedures, as they are not limited within the law.
Based on the correlation, it is clear that usage of policies surrounding the issue of background checks for any individual intending to own a weapon would help build on the intended capacities from which to prevent mass shootings. The data indicate that the likelihood of mass shootings occurring in states that have extended their policies on background checking beyond the federal law is lower when compared to the other countries. Thus, this seems to suggest that indeed background checks tend to maintain a higher level of effectiveness especially in dealing with the issue of preventing some individuals from accessing guns. The expected outcome is that this would help build on the intended capacities touching on ensuring that states improve on the element of safety.
Another critical issue that arises when evaluating the data is that a high number of cases of mass shootings involve guns that have been bought through licensed dealers, who tend to conduct the required background checks, as has been prescribed within the law (Lott, 2013). That means that this also raises a serious question for debate taking note of the fact that although the owners of these guns have passed the necessary background checks, the weapons have been used in mass shootings. I found out that 69 out of the 97 mass shootings in the U.S. all firearms were purchased legally, and they passed the background checks (as presented in Appendix C). The critical aspect of consideration in this debate is on whether adoption of policies that would help extend these background checks would be useful in preventing such cases.
Appendix C
Conclusion
Based on the data analysis, the essential first conclusion that can be derived from the information is that usage of extensive background checks when dealing with individuals intending to buy guns may act as effective approaches from which to reduce possibilities of a mass shooting. Background checks tend to create a situation where it becomes much easier for gun dealers to identify any individuals that may have been blacklisted about this particular issue. That means that it becomes much easier for a gun dealer to identify individuals are suffering from mental instabilities or have been involved in prior cases of gun violence. Ultimately, the expected outcomes are that this would help build some form of effectiveness in ensuring that the states can deal with the issue of gun violence explicitly focusing on the increasing number of mass shootings.
The second conclusion is that the effectiveness of policies on extensive background checks depends wholly on ensuring that states are mandated with the role of having to share information with the NCIS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System). The database is used countrywide by gun dealers in their bid towards evaluating whether an individual is capable of handling a gun effectively. Although the federal law does not require states to share such information with the NCIS, it is essential to set out policy structures that would help create such expectations. The expected outcome is that this would help ensure that each of the states presents information that would support the actual position of an individual. Ultimately, this would be of value when making decisions revolving around whether an individual would be able to own a gun depending on prior behaviors and mental capacity.
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