How To Resolve America's Gun Problem - Book Synopsis

How to Resolve America's Gun Problem - Amazon Books

How to

Resolve America’s

Gun Problem

A 5 Step Plan with the potential to save thousands of lives a year 

109 a day

3,314 a month

39,773 a year

397,730 a decade

3,977,300 a century

The figures above represent the number of firearm-related deaths in the United States based on 2017 figures.

 

This book aims to show a realistic way in which these numbers can be dramatically reduced and thereby save thousands if not millions of lives.

American Gun Issue Basics

 

  ·    America has a gun problem 

· Guns are popular in America

·  Pro-gun arguments are generally false or irrelevant

·   There are many obstacles preventing an easy resolution to America’s gun problem

 ·   These obstacles can be overcome and there is a way forward to resolve the gun problem 

This book is split into 5 sections, addressing each of the above bullet points to form a 5 Step Plan to resolve America’s gun problem.

Step 1 – Demonstrates the overwhelming evidence that America does have a significant gun problem. This needs to be widely accepted to provide the motivation for action to be taken to resolve the problem.

Step 2 – Explains why guns are so popular in America. Those wishing to see more gun safety need to understand and accept their popularity, as it sets boundaries to what is achievable.

Step 3 – Demonstrates how virtually all claims made by gun-rights advocates do not stand up to any form of scrutiny.

Step 4 – Details the many obstacles which are preventing an easy solution to America’s gun problem. If these obstacles did not exist the gun problem would have been resolved a long time ago.

Step 5 – Proposes a way forward culminating in the final chapter which provides a 20-point gun safety strategy which if largely adhered to, would save thousands of lives every year.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Preface

Introduction

Step 1: Acknowledging that America has a gun problem

·         Chapter 1 – Homicide and Firearm-related Statistics

·         Chapter 2 – The Impact of Guns on Suicide

·         Chapter 3 – Unintentional Firearm Deaths

·         Chapter 4 – Firearm Legal Intervention Shootings

·         Chapter 5 – Police Shootings

·         Chapter 6 – Intentional Homicide

·         Chapter 7 – Mass Shootings

Step 2: Understanding why guns are so popular in America

·         Chapter 8 – The Second Amendment

·         Chapter 9 – Reasons for Owning a Gun

·         Chapter 10 – Gun Culture

·         Chapter 11 – Gun Availability

·         Chapter 12 – Gun-rights Advocacy Groups

Step 3: Countering the Gun-rights Arguments

·         Chapter 13 – Bumper Sticker Mentality

·         Chapter 14 – What about Chicago or Switzerland

·         Chapter 15 – Guns Reduce Crime

·         Chapter 16 – Guns Required for Protection

·         Chapter 17 – If there were no Guns, Knives Would be Used

·         Chapter 18 – The Problem is Mental Health, not Guns

·         Chapter 19 – Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theory

Step 4: Understanding the obstacles to change

·         Chapter 20 – District of Columbia v Heller

·         Chapter 21 – NRA Leadership

·         Chapter 22 – Political Lobbying

·         Chapter 23 – Register & Research Ban

·         Chapter 24 – The Words “Freedom” & “Control”

·         Chapter 25 – Fearmongering

·         Chapter 26 – Money

Step 5: The way forward

·         Chapter 27 – Preventing Illegal Possession

·         Chapter 28 – Lessons to learn from Cars and Tobacco

·         Chapter 29 – Building on Public Opinion

·         Chapter 30 – Setting Goals and Targets

·         Chapter 31 – Technological Advances

·         Chapter 32 – Post Parkland

·         Chapter 33 – Gun Safety Strategy

Conclusion

Detailed Outline

 

Chapter 1 – Homicide & Firearm-related Statistics

This chapter demonstrates that the USA has an overall intentional homicide rate much higher than any other highly developed country, due entirely to firearm-related homicides. The chapter continues by examining the number of guns owned by Americans, comparing the firearm death rates with other highly developed countries, and by detailing the number of firearm deaths in the USA from 2010 -2017. The chapter concludes by analyzing public opinion on gun control and gun rights.

Chapter 2 – The Impact of Guns on Suicide

Since over 50% of firearm deaths are suicides it is fitting to commence by reviewing the impact guns have on overall suicide levels in the USA. The chapter commences by posing 2 questions

1.       Does easy access to guns increases the level of suicides?

2.       Does the suicide rate matter given that those individuals choose to end their own lives?

This chapter clearly demonstrates that easy access to guns does increase suicide levels and yes suicide does matter, for both the individual concerned and for their family and friends. The chapter concludes with the poem “No Man is an Island” written by the English Metaphysical poet John Donne in 1624.

Chapter 3 – Unintentional Firearm Deaths

Unintentional or accidental firearm deaths are particularly tragic as they often involve children. This chapter demonstrates the effectiveness of gun storage laws in reducing the number of unintentional firearm deaths. Brief details are then provided on a few of the accidental firearm incidents involving children which are listed in the Everytown for Gun Safety website #NotAnAccident,

Chapter 4 – Firearm Legal Intervention Shootings

This chapter examines civilian legal intervention or justified shootings, which represent less than 2% of all firearm fatalities. The chapter continues by casting doubt on the dubious NRA claim that guns are used 2.5 million times a year in self-defense. Brief details are provided on “Stand Your Ground Laws” and “The Castle Doctrine” which provide relatively strong rights on justified self-defense. The chapter also highlights some incidents where a shoot first instinct had tragic results following mistaken perceptions of threats.

Chapter 5 – Police Shootings

This chapter examines the reasons why the USA has significantly more fatal shootings by police than other peer countries and determines whether the majority of these are justified. Additionally, the chapter reviews the high levels of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty and the vicious circle that has arisen, in which the more frequently law enforcement officers are shot, the more likely it is that police officers fearful for their own lives will shoot suspects in questionable circumstances. The suspicion will always be that the suspect may be armed.

Chapter 6 – Intentional Homicide

The chapter commences by providing brief details on the definitions of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter the levels of which are all much higher in the USA than in other highly developed countries, almost certainly due to the prevalence of firearms. The chapter continues by explaining why firearms are much deadlier than any alternative murder weapon. Evidence is then provided demonstrating that most murders are committed by offenders known to their victim and hence storing a gun at home increases the risk of becoming a homicide victim. Finally, the impact of easily obtainable guns on the prevalence of murder-suicides is reviewed.

Chapter 7 – Mass Shootings

The chapter commences by defining mass shootings and demonstrating how they are significantly more prevalent in the United States than in any other highly developed country. This is followed by a list providing brief details on the 10 most deadly American mass shootings since 1949. The chapter continues by detailing major mass shootings that occurred in Australia, the UK & New Zealand. A comparison is then made between the significant and effective action taken by these 3 countries and the total lack of action taken by the USA in the aftermath of their all too frequent mass shootings.

Chapter 8 – The Second Amendment

The chapter commences by providing brief interpretations of the keywords contained within the Second Amendment and then demonstrates how the legal interpretation of the Second Amendment has changed over the years culminating in the 2008 District of Columbia v Heller Supreme Court case which ruled that the rights for people to have free access to arms is no longer connected to the necessity of having a well regulated militia. The popularity of the Second Amendment is then noted despite the impracticality of a gun-wielding militia being able to successfully overthrow a government in the modern world.

Chapter 9 – Reasons for Owning a Gun

This chapter examines the reasons why so many US citizens possess guns, with protection being the main reason cited, followed by hunting and sport shooting. The chapter then examines the mismatch between the perception most people have that owning a gun increases safety and the reality in which detailed scientific research concludes that someone with access to firearms is three times more likely to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be the victim of a homicide as someone who does not have access.

Chapter 10 – Gun Culture

This chapter examines the reasons behind the uniquely strong gun culture which exists in the United States and how it largely derived from the dependence on arms for protection from foreign armies and Native Americans and the effective use of firearms in the American War of Independence which then led to the creation of the Second Amendment. The impact on the glorification of guns by Hollywood, TV & video games is then reviewed. The chapter concludes by reviewing the prevalence of Gun Shows, which promote gun sales and gun rights and also frequently expose children to an environment that glorifies guns. 

Chapter 11 – Gun Availability

This chapter focusses on the large supply of readily available guns, how they are effectively marketed, and provides lists detailing the huge number of guns that have been manufactured and sold in recent years. Having determined that the high demand for firearms is being met by a well-established and professional supply of firearms, the chapter analyses the final ingredient required to enable the gun industry in the United States to become so dominant and that is the ease of purchase of firearms. With few federal restrictions and limited state restrictions the ease of purchase is illustrated by an example where a reporter from the Philly Inquirer was able to buy an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon in just seven minutes.

Chapter 12 – Gun-rights Advocacy Groups

This chapter analyses the influence that gun-rights advocacy groups have in promoting gun rights and opposing virtually all attempts to impose any form of gun control. Short descriptions are provided on a number of the leading gun-rights advocacy groups before introducing the daddy of them all i.e. the NRA. The NRA are huge political lobbyists and donate staggering amounts of money to support politicians, who support gun rights. Historically the NRA has enjoyed significant public support however this has dwindled recently due to suspected links between the NRA and Russia.

Chapter 13 – Bumper Sticker Mentality

This chapter critically analyses the following three popular bumper sticker style slogans which are frequently used as arguments to either support gun rights or denounce gun control.

·         “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”

·         “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns”

·         “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun,” 

All the above are fundamentally wrong in many ways and the chapter concludes by providing more sensible alternatives to the above statements.

Chapter 14 – What about Chicago or Switzerland

This chapter examines the argument that gun control is ineffective since Chicago has strict gun control and high levels of firearm homicide rates whilst Switzerland has a high level of gun ownership and relatively low levels of homicide. Evidence provided in this chapter however suggests that Chicago has high homicide levels despite rather than because of strict gun controls. Analysis provided by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun violence clearly demonstrates that states with more restrictions on gun ownership have significantly lower levels of firearm death rates.

Switzerland does have high levels of gun ownership but relatively strict gun control as by law weapons by the militia must be kept locked and their issue of 72 rounds of ammunition must be sealed, and most civilian weapons require handgun registration.

Chapter 15 – Guns Reduce Crime

This chapter examines and discredits the dubious claim that high levels of gun ownership reduce crime levels. If this were true then America would have the lowest violent crime levels in the world. The chapter continues by providing evidence that American violent crime rates are significantly above average amongst developed countries. The claim that the UK has higher levels of violent crime than the US is then discredited as this can be explained by significant differences in the definition of violent crime.

Chapter 16 – Guns Required for Protection

This chapter demonstrates that although guns are an effective form of self-defense they are counter-productive when it comes to protection. Building on the evidence provided in Chapter 9, several reasons as to why access to firearms doubles the chances of being a homicide victim are reviewed. Attention is drawn to the significantly increased risk of women becoming homicide victims when a gun is present which is highlighted by the fact that women in the United States account for a staggering 84 percent of all female firearm victims in the developed world. The chapter concludes by reviewing the most common forms of self-protective behavior and methods individuals can use to protect against violent or property crime, which are less dangerous than owning firearms.

Chapter 17 – If there were no Guns, Knives Would be Used

This chapter critically examines the argument that if guns were not easily available then other suicide or murder methods such as knives would be used. This argument falters for two reasons. Firstly, guns compared to other weapons, are easy and quick to use, easy to conceal, difficult to retreat from and minimize the risk of the attacker being overpowered. Secondly, guns are much more lethal than knives, and evidence is provided demonstrating that gunshot victims are 4 times more likely to die than stabbing victims. The chapter concludes by highlighting at a country level the clear link between high levels of firearm homicide rates and high levels of overall intentional homicide rates.

Chapter 18 – The Problem is Mental Health, not Guns

This chapter analyses the frequent claim made by gun right supporters that mass shootings and high firearm homicide levels in the USA is due to mental health issues and not guns. Evidence does suggest that mental health issues are prevalent in the United States however, evidence also suggests that whilst those with mental health issues are more likely to commit suicide, they are less likely to commit violent crimes or homicide than the general population. The ease in which those with mental illnesses can obtain firearms is then reviewed and the inconsistency demonstrated by those who blame mental health, being the same people who wish to make it easier for those with mental issues to acquire guns.

Chapter 19 – Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theory

The chapter commences by summarising the speech made by President Obama following the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary school mass shooting in 2012 in which twenty school children aged 6 & 7 along with six adults were shot and killed. This poignant speech is then contrasted with the disgusting claim that the Sandy Hook mass shooting was staged, the children were actors and no one was killed. This conspiracy theory has resulted in certain sick individuals threatening and intimidating the families of those affected by the school shooting.

These conspiracy theories are likely set up for political reasons rather than a true disbelief that the shooting was real as demonstrated by the fact that following lawsuits against him the main conspiracy theorist has now admitted that he believes the massacre did really happen.

Chapter 20 – District of Columbia v Heller

This chapter reviews the 2008 Supreme Court decision on the District of Columbia v Heller which in effect ruled that the right to bear arms is an individual right that is no longer connected to service in the militia. Although it is unlikely that this was the original intention of the Second Amendment framers this interpretation is supported by the majority of Americans. Whilst this ruling is a set-back for those wishing to see greater gun safety it is noted that the Second Amendment right is not absolute and a wide range of gun safety laws remain lawful.

Chapter 21 – NRA Leadership

This chapter delves into the history of the NRA and how following the 1977 revolt at Cincinnati their more recent leaders transformed an organization originally set up to promote marksmanship and firearm safety education into what has now become a virtual subsidiary of the gun industry. This chapter notes the success the NRA has in blocking sensible new gun legislation and the influence they hold over Congress through successful lobbying.

Chapter 22 – Political Lobbying

This chapter explains the process of political lobbying which consists of influencing legislators or other public officials to support or oppose specific causes and the huge amounts of money which are spent on this process. The NRA grading scorecard process is then described and how this is used to influence politicians. It is noted that in 2016 over 50% of House Representatives and just under 50% of Senators have been bought by Gun Right organizations. In comparison in 2016, Gun Control Groups provided money to just 10 Congressmen/Congresswomen and 5 Senators

Chapter 23 – Register and Research Ban

This chapter reviews the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA) which makes it illegal for the national government or any state in the country to keep any sort of firearm database. Despite the obvious advantages of creating a register such as helping to disarm criminals and deterring illegal sales, the ban still exists.

The chapter continues by examining the 1996 Dickey Amendment which placed an effective ban on firearm research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandating that no funds made available to the CDC for injury prevention and control may be used to advocate or promote gun control. The reluctance of the CDC to research gun violence is telling in that it implies the CDC knows it is likely that research will highlight the negative impacts of gun ownership and hence promote gun control.

Chapter 24 – The Words “Freedom” and “Control”

This chapter examines the obstacle created by the word “Control” which is generally the word used to associate restrictions being placed on firearm ownership. Freedom is seen in a positive light whilst Control is seen in a negative light. The argument is made that the word “Safety” is a more appropriate word to use than “Control” since the ultimate aim for those wishing to solve America’s gun problem is to save lives. The importance of safety and the trade-off between safety and freedom are then reviewed. 

Chapter 25 – Fearmongering

This chapter examines how gun-rights advocates and in particular the NRA use fearmongering tactics to prevent sensible gun safety regulations from being implemented. This either takes the form of the fear of being left defenseless if you do not have a gun to hand or the fear that any modest gun safety regulation is the 1^st step towards the abolition of the 2^nd Amendment and the confiscation of all civilian held firearms. The chapter concludes by emphasizing that gun safety advocates must not fall into the trap of believing that it is best to do nothing, since previous gun-safety initiatives have only resulted in increased gun sales.

Chapter 26 – Money

This chapter examines the difficulty Gun Safety groups have in competing with Gun Rights groups due to the fact that Gun Right groups have access to the huge sums of money generated by the firearm industry, currently estimated to be around $50 billion a year. This money is then used to promote gun ownership and help elect gun-friendly politicians. Gun Safety groups on the other hand have to rely on individual members or philanthropists for funding.

Chapter 27 – Preventing Illegal Possession

This chapter examines the problems of illegal firearm possession and the measures that can be taken to counteract this issue. The advantages of creating a federal law requiring individual gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm to law enforcement are reviewed and evidence provided showing that states which have enacted these laws experience significant reductions in illegal gun trafficking. Gun Trafficking is the main way in which guns end up being held illegally and the various channeling methods which include corrupt gun dealers, unlicensed sellers, lost or stolen guns, bulk firearm sales and straw purchases are all reviewed.

Chapter 28 – Lessons to Learn from Cars and Tobacco

This chapter reviews the success the motor vehicle industry has had in reducing fatalities over the years. A whole range of safety features have been added such as mandatory driving tests, safety belts, airbags & driving under influence laws which have had the impact of reducing the fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) from 3.35 in 1980 to 1.16 in 2017.

Despite political lobbying on behalf of the tobacco industry, smoking-related deaths have declined due to changing public opinion on the sociability and dangers of smoking, which has resulted in the percentage of adults smoking in the U.S. dropping from 41% in 1944 to 16% in 2018.

The challenge for those wishing to see reduced firearm fatalities is to transfer the lessons learned from the car and tobacco industries i.e. increased emphasis on safety and a change in public opinion and incorporate them into a gun safety strategy.

Chapter 29 – Building on Public Opinion

This chapter examines public opinion on gun rights and gun safety issues and notes that whilst overall support for gun rights and gun control is roughly even, there is significant support for most individual gun safety proposals e.g. 88% of the public support a requirement for background checks on all gun sales. The problems of partisanship are then reviewed and how this can be overcome by focussing on gun safety proposals which are supported both by Democrats and Republicans. The chapter concludes by noting how gun safety advocates need to publicize the dangers of firearms so that support for gun safety reaches a critical mass beyond which it will become more difficult for politicians to block sensible gun safety proposals.

Chapter 30 – Setting Goals and Targets

This chapter proposes the setting of well-publicized targets for both the reduction of firearm-related deaths and intentional homicides. The actual targets would be set through consultation between gun safety advocates and politicians but for the purpose of this chapter the following examples have been used:

Target 1 - Reduce annual firearm fatalities from 40,000 to 20,000 over 20 years

Target 2 - Reduce annual intentional homicides from 17,284 to 10,000 over 20 years

Various goals are then considered which would enable the above targets to be met, with these goals falling into the following categories:

• Non-firearm related goals
• Goals aimed at restricting who can have access to firearms
• Goals aimed at restricting the most dangerous firearms
• Goals aimed to encourage the safe storage of firearms
• Goals to make the public more aware of the dangers of firearms
• Goals to reward states which take the most positive action

Chapter 31 – Technological Advances

This chapter examines how modern technology can make firearms safer through the development of smart guns, which are weapons that only specific users can fire. Despite the obvious lifesaving potential in the development of smart guns, they are generally not available for sale in the United States, due largely to the influence of the traditional firearm manufacturers and their advocates. The chapter concludes by examining the potential for a technological development that would enable firearms to immobilize a target without the risk of serious injury or death. If this technology was widely available it would have a huge impact on reducing the number of firearm fatalities in the United States.

Chapter 32 – Post Parkland

This chapter contrasts the woeful federal response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in 2018 with the impressive response from the school’s students who, shortly after the shooting formed the “Never Again (MSD)” movement. This is a student-led political action committee for gun control advocating tighter regulations to prevent gun violence who organized the “March for Our Lives” event which was among the biggest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War era. By keeping gun violence in the news, the Parkland kids have helped to recruit thousands of new young activists and voters, helping to put new gun safety voices in Congress.

Chapter 33 – Gun Safety Strategy

This chapter outlines a 20-point strategy which if followed would dramatically reduce the overall number of firearm-related fatalities and injuries. The strategy consists of a mixture of publicity, education, realism, enforcing existing laws and introducing new laws, all of which having the sole purpose of saving lives.