33. Gun Safety Strategy
There is so much potential to make positive changes which will reduce the
number of firearm fatalities and injuries in the United States. In this
chapter, we will consider 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 have the sole
purpose of saving lives.
1. Keep publicizing the fact that America does have
a gun problem. Despite overwhelming evidence that there is a gun problem, there
is a reluctance to accept this obvious fact. The extent of America’s gun
problem is detailed in Step 1 of this book but can be summarized by the
following fact reported in the American Journal of Medicine “US homicide rates
were 7.0 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun
homicide rate that was 25.2 times higher”[i]. This is a vital first
step as until it is accepted that there is a gun problem nothing will be done
to resolve the problem. The message to get across is very simple i.e. more guns
= more suicides = more homicides = more gun accidents = more deaths and
injuries.
2. Ensure the annual number of firearm fatalities
and injuries are well-publicized. Provide a split between suicides, intentional
homicides, justified homicides, accidents, and undetermined. The significant
increase in both firearm fatalities and total homicides since 2014 needs to be
highlighted to demonstrate that the gun problem is getting worse. A trend that
is likely to continue unless significant action is taken.
3. Be realistic – e.g. A ban on handguns which
has been effective in other countries is not a realistic possibility in the
United States. Public opinion would be opposed to a handgun ban and
additionally, such a ban would fall foul of the Constitution as set by the 2nd
amendment. The 2nd amendment is extremely popular and gun safety
proponents must stress that they are not looking to overturn this amendment.
4. Counter fearmongering – for example by
publicizing the fact that a proposal to enforce background checks is not the 1st
step towards a ban on guns. The District of Columbia v Heller Supreme Court
ruling should be quoted as a reminder that even if some gun safety proponents
would like to see a firearm ban this is not constitutionally possible and
should not be feared.
5. Emphasize the fact that the presence of a gun
in the household endangers rather than protects the residents. The UC San
Francisco research [ii]
which concluded that someone with access to firearms is three times more likely
to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be a homicide victim as someone
who does not have access needs to be well-publicized. This is critical as the
majority of people believe guns help protect when in reality the exact opposite
is true. Further research into the impact of having firearms in the home should
be encouraged.
6. Emphasize the most obvious reason why guns are
so dangerous, which is that they were designed to kill people efficiently and
effectively. Counter the stupid argument that “guns don’t kill people, people
kill people” with the more relevant statement that “guns make it easy for
people to kill people”.
7. Show respect to gun owners who possess their
firearms for either hunting or target shooting purposes, but introduce policies
which will encourage safe weapon storage at hunting lodges or target ranges, as
opposed to storing guns in the home and having to transport them to and from
the lodge or range.
8. Encourage more respect between gun rights and
gun safety advocates. Gun safety advocates should accept that most gun owners
are responsible individuals who do not wish to harm others. Gun-rights advocates
should accept that guns in the wrong hands are a danger to everyone and accept
minor inconveniences such as not being able to purchase a gun without a
thorough background check.
9. Publicize the Giffords Law Center to prevent
gun violence website and analysis.[iii] This website has so much
useful information including the Annual Gun Law Scorecard which shows clear
evidence that states with stronger gun laws have lower gun death rates, year
after year. The website also provides helpful and detailed reports on several gun-related
policy areas including the following:
a.
Background checks
b.
Who can have a gun?
c.
Gun sales
d.
Owner responsibilities
e.
Guns in public
f.
Hardware and ammunition
g.
Crime guns
The Giffords
Law Center provides advice for each state giving praise and criticism where
merited. For example, the summary provided for Pennsylvania which has a C
rating is as follows: “Pennsylvania strengthened its gun laws in 2018 by prohibiting
firearm possession by individuals who have been convicted of domestic abuse or
are subject to domestic violence protective orders and requiring those
individuals to relinquish their firearms. Pennsylvania could further raise its
grade and save lives by allowing local governments to regulate firearms and
enacting extreme risk protection order legislation”.
10. Enforce and expand existing policies to deter criminals from obtaining and using firearms. Gun-rights advocates frequently state that there is no point in introducing new laws when criminals do not obey existing laws. Whilst criminals are indeed unlikely to follow laws, there are many ways in which criminals can be deterred and prevented from possessing firearms, including the following:
· Enforcing more severe punishment for those caught possessing firearms not legally obtained. Ideally through the setting up of federal minimum sentencing requirements
· Enforce more severe penalties for gun traffickers
· Encouraging individuals to report suspected illegal possession by setting up anonymous whistleblowing helplines
· Using commercials to encourage the reporting of stolen or lost firearms and to discourage the sale of firearms to third parties e.g. a commercial that shows someone buying a gun legally and then selling it to someone who would not pass a background check. The commercial would then cut to the aftermath of a homicide committed with this firearm.
· Through the development of smart guns such as fingerprint technology which would prevent criminals from using stolen or gifted guns.
11.
Introduce new safety proposals designed
specifically to prevent criminals from obtaining or possessing firearms. Whilst
enforcing existing policies is essential there is also a dire need to introduce
new policies that will help to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms. This
would include the following proposals all of which have overwhelming public
support:
· Requiring background checks for all firearm
sales
· Preventing sales of all firearms to people who
have been reported as dangerous to law enforcement by a mental-health provider
· Preventing sales of all firearms to people who
have been convicted of violent misdemeanors
· Barring gun purchases by people on the federal
no-fly or watch lists
12.
Introduce new safety proposals designed at
making firearms less dangerous. It makes no sense to allow civilians access to
weapons that can injure or kill multiple people in rapid succession.
Appropriate policies would include the following:
· A ban on assault-style weapons such as the
AR-15
· A ban on bump stocks. It is pleasing to see
that this law was created in March 2019[iv].
· Banning high capacity magazines
· Encourage technological research to develop
non-lethal alternatives to firearms
· Ensure that all firearms are sold with child
safety locks. This would help reduce accidental firearm injuries and deaths
13. Enforce mandatory registration for all firearms in all states. Currently, only the District of Columbia and Hawaii require registration of all firearms. By contrast, every motor vehicle in all states must have a certificate of ownership generally referred to as the “Title” showing the name of the registered owner, the registration plate number, and other vehicle details. If this can be done for cars it makes no sense not to enforce similar documentation and databases for firearms. A universal gun register would assist in the tracing of guns used in crimes, the disarming of dangerous people, and in encouraging gun owner accountability.
14.
Provide federal funding to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) for immediate firearm research and ensure the
findings, which are likely to highlight the dangers that easy access to
firearms pose are well-publicized. This is essential to educate the public and
influence public opinion on this matter.
15. Emphasize the word safety and avoid using the
word control. A gun safety policy suggests that the principal aim of the policy
is to remove a danger and consequently reduce firearm-related deaths and
injuries. A gun-control policy suggests that the principal aim is to restrict
the rights of citizens to buy or possess guns.
16. Publicize the overwhelming public support for
virtually all sensible gun safety proposals. As an example, 88% of respondents
support mandatory background checks for all gun sales, with just 6% opposing[v].
17.
Publicize the reason why politicians fail to
act on sensible gun safety proposals? This is namely money and corruption.
Politicians who fail to support sensible gun safety issues should be named and
shamed e.g. publicize the fact that a politician who voted against a proposal
to introduce mandatory background checks for all gun sales received large sums
of money from the NRA.
18.
Emphasize the importance of setting gun safety
policies at the federal level. Whilst city and state laws designed to promote
gun safety are to be encouraged, their impact is limited due to the ease of
mobility of firearms from neighboring districts or states.
19.
Develop and publicize federal targets for
annual reductions in firearm fatalities and intentional homicide levels and
provide financial rewards to the states which take the most positive actions in
achieving these targets.
20. Persevere – Some gun safety advocates have given up the fight to resolve America’s gun problem. They argue that proposing gun policies that may restrict purchases or ownership only results in increased firearm sales. Whilst this may have been true in recent years, it is a defeatist attitude. With determination and perseverance, gun safety advocates can introduce policies that will dramatically reduce the number of firearm fatalities and save thousands of livers every year. Public opinion is on the side of gun safety advocates and with perseverance, positive changes can be made which will go a long way to resolve America’s gun problem.
[i] Grinshteyn, E.
Hemenway, D. (2015, November 6). Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with
Other High-income OECD Countries, 2010. Retrieved from https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)01030-X/abstract
[ii] Kurtzman, L. (2014, January 21). Access to Guns Increases Risk of
Suicide, Homicide. Retrieved from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/01/111286/access-guns-increases-risk-suicide-homicide
[iii] Giffords Law Center to
Prevent Gun Violence. Retrieved from https://lawcenter.giffords.org/
[iv] Chappell, B (2019, March 26). Bump Stock Ban Takes Effect As Gun
Rights Groups Ask Supreme Court For Delay. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/03/26/706905757/bump-stock-ban-takes-effect-as-gun-rights-groups-ask-supreme-court-for-delay
[v] Morning Consult National Tracking Poll #180217 February 22-26,
2018. Retrieved from https://morningconsult.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/180217_crosstabs_POLITICO_v1_DK-1.pdf
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