Does America have a gun problem?

By: Zainab Elrabaa 181625

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. This statement, found in the American constitution as the second amendment; or the right to bear arms, has been at the heart of most recent gun-control debates since around 2016 when the Orlando mass shooting tragedy happened. Of course, the conversation regarding gun-control has been ongoing long before 2016, as America has unfortunately seen more gun violence and mass shootings than any other developed country in the world. Previously, these shootings were addressed by politicians as ‘tragic and senseless acts of violence that we may never understand’; which caused solutions to stagnate and people’s frustrations to rise. The Orlando mass shooting was followed by another cataclysmic event; the Parkland shooting of 2017. After 17 children died in the attack on the school, many students demanded change in the form of protests; and when third parties got involved such as the media and organizations including the NRA, the issue once again stagnated as the country seemed to take polar sides on the argument of gun control. But the most important question seems to be: would gun laws prevent more gun deaths? 

Conservative journalist and author, David French, vocalized a thought many pro-gun citizens have; which is that gun control does nothing but distract from ways to solve the issue as people who wish to own arms to harm others will find ways to do so regardless of regulation. While this may be true if we were trying to eliminate all gun violence (a feat yet to be accomplished globally), it’s an argument that becomes less relevant when we think about how the issue could be decreased with proper control. In the case of the Orlando shooting, if the shooter attempted to buy a weapon in Canada; strict gun control and background checks would have identified his recorded history of domestic abuse, terrorism apologism and mental instability and he would have not been sold the gun. Additionally, if he were on the FBI’s watch list, they would investigate the possibility of the shooter using the weapon to harm others; which if found could prevent the attack from ever happening. Even in the case of an attack, better regulations regarding which firearms can be legal for civilian possession could prevent many casualties. For instance, if automatic rifles are banned, the shooter would have needed to pause his attack to reload bullets which would give the victims time to run outside.  

Another argument commonly found in pro-gun circles is that mass-shootings are a statistical anomaly. Many cite organizations such as the National Rifle Association which have data indicating that only 0.0007% of mass-shootings are carried out by active gun owners. This could indicate that the issue is not solved by taking guns away from lawful citizens who own rifles for self-protection or legal hunting, as criminals only buy guns to commit their heinous crimes. However, one could maintain that America’s gun problem runs far deeper than mass shootings. For one, around 92 people die from guns in America every day. According to the center for Disease Control and Prevention, 58 of those are suicides which could be prevented. Since most individuals who try to commit suicide using the violent method of a gun are usually people in a frustrating life situation which they cannot see a way out of, they take out that frustration on themselves in a rash way to relieve their stress. Many do not even opt for less violent suicide methods such as an OD. This could mean that if buying a gun were harder, many would rethink their choices and many suicide attempts could be prevented. Moreover, according to the DCP, around 30 homicides occur every day; and there is a blatant disparity between the groups most vulnerable to these murders. Namely, the group most vulnerable to being murdered with a gun is poor black men. Due to their living circumstances and the government’s overlooking of majority black communities, violence against black men largely goes unnoticed amidst the debate of gun violence and its focus on school shootings. When we refuse to acknowledge this side of the issue, we are refusing to recognize the rights of 14% of the American population.  

Many pro-gun groups claim that guns are just another tool or weapon that can only be used according to the will of its wielder, and thus whether buying a gun is regulated or not makes no difference as criminals will find another method of hurting others. Still yet, according to the UNODC, America does not have a relatively higher crime rate than other developed countries; it is only that crimes are -for reasons that require more research- much more likely to be carried out violently with a gun. Criminal activity in America is lethal, and there is a clear link between that and the availability of guns in the country. One needs to look no further for evidence of this argument than the stabbing incident in China that took place on the same day as Sandy Hook’s tragedy. Both the attacks happened at a school, and in both cases 20 or so children were subject to senseless violence. However, while all 20 children unfortunately died in America, all 23 survived the attack in China. The only difference between those 2 onslaughts? One was a shooting, and the other was a stabbing. There is a clear distinction between the danger of a bullet that would kill a person instantaneously, and a wound caused by a less deadly weapon that can be treated in a hospital.  

America clearly has a gun problem. When we analyze the issue from many dimensions it is clear to see the only anomaly in the puzzle of solving violent crime and mass shootings in America is guns. Many argue that defining limits for the ownership of guns is anti-constitutional; forgetting that the constitution was built on slavery and was modified many times and interpreted differently to fit our political progress. While one could say that the fight for control is futile as criminals will work their way around the system, we need to emphasize that making it harder also makes it less likely. Additionally, Gun control would help prevent many tragic suicides and lethal crime and it is about time we look to the future in hopes of making it brighter. Politics is a dynamic process that requires several agents of change, and many children who fear for their lives and their classmate’s lives are marching to see policies drafted that would help realize that change. It is our civil duty to listen to them, and fight alongside them so their voices are heard by the government and policy makers.