Gun Control?
Yes, we need it!
Imagine a world where gun reform is taken as seriously as putting a hold on all the Johnson & Johnson vaccines because they have a very small chance of causing blood clots. This is not to downplay the importance of well-functioning vaccines, but rather to emphasize that gun control is absolutely necessary and needs to be talked about. Our society has normalized mass shootings and murders into news stories we skip over. We need to take cautionary steps to ensure a safer community.
You see it every week on the news: mass shooting in state x, y number of people killed. Open Instagram, and you will see countless celebrities sharing their condolences on related posts, whether they care or not. This is not enough. The solution is simple: stricter gun laws and fewer guns mean fewer gun deaths. The United States has some of the most relaxed gun control laws in the world. We also lead the world in homicides by firearm per one million people. We, a developed nation of freedom and equality, have not put the correct laws in place like some of our first-world counterparts and we are constantly paying the price.
But what can we do? Universal background checks (UBC’s) are a good start.
In the United States, about 1 in 5 gun transactions happen without a background check and only about 1.5% of background checks run by the FBI each year result in denials. But with a universal background check, all firearm purchasers would be required to pass a criminal records check administered by the state background check system. As of April 2021, thirteen states, including New Mexico, require UBCs in order to purchase a firearm, but so far the US Senate hasn’t taken up the House’s UBC bill. Studies have shown that UBCs do generally decrease gun violence and deter buyers, which is great, but millions of Americans already have weapons. Luckily there is a law that allows those weapons to be taken away from dangerous people.
Red flag laws are gun control laws that permit police or family members to petition the court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may present a danger to others or themselves. A judge makes the final decision as to whether or not the person in question can keep their weapon. Nineteen states, including New Mexico, have implemented this law and it has prevented thousands of suicides across the country. 62% of US gun deaths from 2008-2017 were from suicide and the Red Flag laws have proven beneficial to this cause, more so than mass shootings. 71% of people who have deliberated suicide have said that they thought about doing it for less than an hour. If a gun is less readily available, it is more likely for someone to contemplate their decision longer and ultimately decide against it. A gun is often too tempting when people are in the wrong headspace and they do something they cannot take back.
Immediate action on the issue of gun control is essential to the well-being of our country. We need politicians to create change instead of just sending their thoughts and prayers to the victims’ families. We need to stop nodding along and start speaking up. A change needs to happen so we can live in a safe and peaceful world without worrying about whether our loved ones will be the next victims.
Kaeli's love for literature and writing shines through her work as the School and Local Editor. A consistent writer and editor of The Advocate for two...
Jack • Jan 20, 2022 at 12:25 pm
If you have ever bought a gun, you know that it is way harder than getting the firearm right then. You have to answer a questionnaire, then you have to get a back round check, and most murders by guns are with illegally obtained guns. I think guns are safe if you are trained on how to use them for hunting, self defense, or fun.
Bryce Baker • Jun 5, 2021 at 4:49 pm
Guns aren’t perfect, however they’re better than the alternative, which would be a more strengthened, more powerful government, that hands over more power to the police and the FBI. It is true, even accounting for substitution from other weapons, that guns increase the rates of suicides, and that they also increase violence in general. It is true that UBC’s could help to some extent with gun violence. However, this is worse, in my opinion, than the alternative.
Personally, I despise the police in practice, and even ideally. There are many problems I have with the police that I could go on with for a while, however, my main gripe is that it centralizes power and control in the government, which for the most part, I hate. The police are not, in my opinion, the ideal way to deal with crime, and to lower it in society. So, even though it’s not perfect, I would much rather have an armed populous than a police force, especially in this case, which only strengthens them.
I also think that something which would help much more with not even just gun violence, but violence in general, would be getting rid of poverty, putting more towards mental health, and maybe transforming our work culture to where it doesn’t make people want to kill themselves. These are all things that, to some may be called utopian, are definitely possible. We have the resources to wipe poverty out, however capitalism does not incentivize it. We can create a better work culture, however that’s not good for capitalism. I mean take a look at Japan, a country with one of the strictest work cultures out there, and a country that also has the 2nd highest suicide rate per capita, coupled with how many of those suicides are because of their work.
Also, I definitely do not want a UBC system, one that would incentivize a stronger grip on criminal records, and giving more power to the FBI, alongside centralizing the government, which I hate, even more. I’d say we should shoot to get rid of more root problems, and while it’s not perfect, I’d rather accept more guns over more policing. Also, in case you were thinking this, no, I’m not some libertarian who’s only saying this because I don’t like the idea of having to pay taxes. I’m the most left-wing person I know, but I also despise the police.
Felipe Gonzalez • May 8, 2021 at 11:21 am
Fun fact- a similar thing has been tried in Japan, where not many guns are allowed, many times in the past. First, when samurais were disarmed, which led to the people having no way to defend themselves from the government becoming an authoritarian empire. Now, guns are difficult to get there, so people have made their own guns to commit crimes with, and even so, Japan has the highest stabbing rate in the world.
Another thing is this: “You see it every week on the news: mass shooting in state x, y number of people killed”. This is outright false. You are more likely to die from COVID-19 (at least in our age group) than to die of a mass shooting. You can look this up for yourself; and while my comparison is probably an abject lie, it is still very unlikely to be killed by a mass shooter. These rare and tragic mass shootings can also be stopped by a person with a gun, as shown a year or two back when an active shooter went into a church and killed many people, about 15-20, and he was not stopped by police telling him to, but instead by a man with a concealed firearm shooting the shooter. Guns can kill, but they can also protect.
My third and final issue with this is as follows: The Red Flag Law is a great idea, don’t get me wrong. But many people abuse it, for example if a person does not like their neighbor, and their neighbor owns a gun, they person can then call the police, who will raid their house without any evidence other than the word of a man with a vendetta. This leads to people being put in prison for no reason, and even having their possessions taken without a warrant, which violates the Bill of Rights.
However, I will give you this- Universal background checks should happen, but they can take months to get back. We need to design a better way to conduct background checks that include mental health checks to ensure that no homicidal maniac will get a firearm.