By Ivan Cazares
A large number of people support stricter gun-control and stricter laws do need to be implemented, but they must emphasize screenings that include mental health evaluations before a person can purchase a gun.
The subject is being politicized, receiving a lot of media attention and isn’t going away anytime soon. Supporters of the Second Amendment need to recognize that violent crimes are an issue that should be addressed. They should work with gun-control advocates to come up with reasonable laws.
Regulating who can and cannot purchase a gun is difficult. Medical professionals would have to be trained to provide evaluations and it could make it easy for some to discriminate against minority groups.
During the primary Democratic and Republican debates candidates weighed in on the subject. Hilary Clinton said Senator Bernie Sanders isn’t hard enough on gun control. He supports background checks and health evaluations. Republican Jeb Bush supports instant background checks.
Republicans such as Donald Trump accuse Democrats of wanting to ban all guns.
That isn’t true and wouldn’t solve violent crime. The country needs to address deeply rooted social issues like depression and violent behavior.
The majority of mass shootings were with legally acquired firearms, however, the majority of crimes are done using illegally acquired firearms. The issue is that there is a lot of crime in the U.S. and a lot of individuals with mental disorders. Popular culture puts emphasis on success based on materialistic acquisitions. This puts strain on young adults.
Those who aren’t successful are prone to developing mental disorders such as depression and are more likely to lash out against those around them. Veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome are also prone to violence. Veterans should have better access to medical and psychological care.
New laws should focus on keeping guns away from criminals and people with mental disorders, but current laws need to be enforced before any progress is made. Laws should also be stricter on gun retailers and manufacturers.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that over 62,000 firearms were missing from licensees’ inventories without sales records, between 2008 and 2010.
It was found that approximately 16,000 firearms went missing from manufactures’ inventories between 2009 and the middle of 2011.
Approximately 40 percent of firearms in the U.S. are bought through unlicensed sellers who are not required to conduct background checks.
Fewer guns in a country doesn’t mean less homicides. Switzerland has more guns per person than the United Kingdom and less homicides per year.
The U.K. has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. Mexico is ranked 42 in guns per person and number one in homicides.
The United States is ranked number one in guns per person according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes. It is ranked number four in homicides.
The laws of other countries won’t work in the U.S. but they can provide a good example.
Both the U.K. and Australia require gun owners to be evaluated every year to renew their gun license. This could help keep guns away from people with violent tendencies.
Drug and alcohol abuse are taken into consideration when someone is evaluated in both countries.
Guns are a viable option for home defense. A shotgun can shoot lethal and non-lethal rounds.
A handgun owned by a responsible citizen can help him or her defend a home from a violent invasion. A rifle is a viable home defense option and can be used for hunting.
A handgun can be easily concealed and a skilled sniper can hit a target at over 300 yards using a rifle. Both are dangerous in the hands of the wrong person. Self defense is not considered a viable reason to own a firearm in the U.K. or Australia.
A person must use a weapon for hunting or be part of a police force to own in gun in both countries.
California strictly regulates the sale of what it calls assault weapons and limits what kind of magazines can be sold, manufactured or imported into the state.
A magazine that can carry more than 11 rounds is considered a high capacity magazine in California.
Using already established laws as guidelines for new national gun laws in the U.S. is the best way to come to a consensus on the matter of gun control.