By Keith C. Milne
The issue of gun violence in the United States has been a topic of intense debate for many years, and it’s high time that the debate stopped and new, highly restrictive legislation be passed that would still honor everyone’s right to bear arms, while banning assault weapons, and imposing other common sense restrictions.
Mass shootings have become so frequent that many of us have no real emotional reaction any longer. I know I don’t. I don’t mourn, I just get mad that we keep having to hear about another mass shooting seemingly every week, and that these shootings are now the #1 cause of death for children in the United States of America. Mass shootings, which have become all too frequent, have finally brought this issue to the forefront of national discourse.
While there are many opinions on how best to address this issue, I believe that a ban on assault weapons, along with universal background checks, a ban on ghost guns, and laws mandating that all guns be kept locked up when stored at home are necessary steps that would go a long way towards preventing further tragedies.
Assault weapons, which are designed for rapid fire and have the capacity to kill a large number of people quickly, have been used in several of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. These weapons are not necessary for self-defense or hunting, and their availability only increases the likelihood of mass shootings. The more guns are on the streets, the more shootings and mass shootings occur. It has been this way elsewhere in the world, until they banned assault rifles and put the same types of restrictions in place that I’m proposing, and then the number went straight down with an almost one-to-one correlation. A ban on assault weapons would not only limit the number of mass shootings, but also make it more difficult for criminals and the mentally ill to obtain such weapons.
Some opponents of a ban on assault weapons argue that such a ban would be ineffective because there are already millions of these weapons in circulation. While being true about the number of weapons, it’s never too late to change something that is not working towards being better. There is no doubt whatsoever that a ban on the manufacture and sale of new assault weapons would prevent the problem from getting worse at the very least, and a buyback program for existing assault weapons would go a long way towards removing them from circulation.
Universal background checks are another important step in preventing gun violence. While federal law requires background checks for gun purchases from licensed dealers, there are many ways for individuals to obtain guns without undergoing a background check, such as at gun shows or through private sales. This loophole in the law makes it easier for criminals and the mentally ill to obtain firearms. Universal background checks would close this loophole and ensure that all gun purchases are subject to a thorough background check.
Opponents of universal background checks argue that they would be too burdensome for law-abiding gun owners. However, a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research found that nearly 90% of Americans support universal background checks, and a majority of gun owners also support them.
A ban on ghost guns is another important step in preventing gun violence. Ghost guns are firearms that are built from kits or parts, and do not have serial numbers or other identifying markings. This makes them difficult to trace, and allows individuals who are prohibited from owning guns to obtain them without undergoing a background check. A ban on ghost guns would prevent these untraceable firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
Severe penalties should be imposed on anyone caught with a self-made weapon of any type. All weapons should be known about, as should the owners of these weapons. This is particularly critical during this current time of escalating political and cultural differences that many in the GOP are now declaring war on, such as women’s rights and freedoms, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals, Asians, Jewish, African American, and Latino people. If someone is apprehended who has used a ghost gun and killed others with it should face a mandatory life in prison sentence if found guilty of being the perpetrator.
Finally, laws mandating that all guns be kept locked up when stored at home would prevent accidental shootings and the theft of firearms. According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, every day, eight children and teens are unintentionally shot or killed due to improperly stored firearms. Additionally, many stolen guns are obtained from homes where the firearms were not stored securely. Laws mandating that all guns be locked up when stored at home would prevent these tragedies from occurring. And, why wouldn’t you lock your guns up instead of leaving them easily accessible?
Opponents of laws mandating that all guns be kept locked up argue that they would infringe on Second Amendment rights. However, the Supreme Court has upheld laws regulating the storage of firearms, and such laws are a common-sense measure to prevent unnecessary harm. The second amendment doesn’t grant exclusive rights for anyone to do what ever they wish with their weapons of choice, nor does is mandate that no new restrictions be placed upon gun owners in order to keep up with current societal times. Gun laws should never protect only the rights of crazy people to own these military war weapons and use them at their disposal to kill us with while we are simple trying to carry on, live life, and pick up our children from school in one piece and alive this afternoon.
Opponents of laws mandating any type of new gun laws or restrictions are deemed as infringements on everyone’s second amendment rights. I completely disagree with this premise, and several court rulings have already determined that the second amendment doesn’t exclusively grant anyone a right to own and possess any type of firearm made without exception, nor does it preclude tweaking or making some modifications to the amendment in order to bring it from the musket time period into the 21st century where we currently have a serious problem with mass executions of innocent children and others at the hands of crazy, unstable, deranged individuals using military assault weapons.
In conclusion, a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks, a ban on ghost guns, and implementation of new laws mandating that all guns be kept locked up when stored at home are necessary steps to prevent gun violence in the United States. While these measures may not prevent every tragedy, they will help to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by guns, and make our communities safer for everyone, and isn’t that how we all want to live? Safe and happy and healthy, instead of scared, anxious, and afraid to go out and live life?
Shouldn’t you also have an equal right to be safe in your own home, yard, neighborhood, town/city, state, and the country you live in? Why should only gun owners have unrestricted rights to terrorize us at will with their weapons of mass annihilation. There are a lot more people who are responsible with their guns, and even more who don’t own them and likely never will. There is nothing wrong with not wanting or having guns in your life. And we have rights too. We certainly have the right to not being terrorized in our own country, and we should never have to worry about our own safety when going grocery shopping or dropping little Billy off at school.
This isn’t rocket science, it’s COMMON SENSE BASED IN MORALITY. Please oust any representative that doesn’t stand for new changes to our gun laws that prevent the insane, unnecessary slaughter of innocent people in our country. Without these changes, it’s only a matter of time before we ourselves are gunned down one day at a parade or while shopping or similar. Worse, a child that you know or perhaps your grandchild or one of your own will not come home from school tomorrow because of our blind adherence to an outdated amendment that needs to be modified and be made far more explicit and detailed in order to move into the twenty-first century and do a job of better protecting us all in this day and age.
