After yet another horrific school shooting in the USA, this time in Uvalde, TX, as usual I got enraged, saddened, motivated to "do something", etc. "What can I do?" was the question I was asking. But after the initial emotion cooled down, it dawned on me that I didn't know the answer to a more basic question of "What do I want?" or perhaps, "What can I hope for?". So, I have spent some time trying to get myself educated on the basics of Guns in the USA. Here is a summary.
There is lots of data out there that clearly shows that the US has the highest rate of gun ownership per capita and the highest rate of gun deaths per capita, and that the two are well correlated. However, the incidence of mental illness and gun violence are NOT well correlated (after all, other rich countries have mental illness too, but not so much gun violence). It'll be silly to deny the connection between the prevalence of guns in the society and gun deaths.
Gun ownership and even gun pride goes all the way back to the founding of the US, and it's firmly rooted in the culture. Only a couple of other countries have the right to bear arms in their constitution. (A couple of others had it, but managed to remove it). I believe that this being codified in the constitution as the 2nd Amendment is a major reason for the cultural stickiness, and this is not going to change any time soon. Sadly, this means that a significant amount of gun violence will always be part of this society. (I will not get into what the original intent of the Constitution really was, and whether it's being taken completely out of context now, etc. That's obviously a very contentious, and perhaps a irreconcilable subject.)
The NRA and the gun lobby in general are no doubt significant impediments in getting to a common sense solution for the problem. However, I believe that they get their strength from the strong gun culture that prevails in this country, and the 2nd amendment, and it's not the other way around.
While mass shootings get our attention, majority of gun deaths are single victims, and usually suicides. In fact, some people argue that the main victims of mental health issues are those people themselves, and it's very rare for someone struggling with depression, etc. to harm others. So, a lot of the right wing explaining away of gun violence as being because of "bad guys", "psychos" etc. is disingenuous and causes more harm (in the form of stigma and stereotyping) than providing a solution.
So, let's talk real solutions now.
Right off the bat, let me state that, based on my learning so far, there is no silver bullet - pardon the expression!
So what are the potential solutions?
1. Background checks
Specifically "universal background checks" - i.e. no matter the method of sale, there has to be a federal background check before an individual can acquire a gun: this is a popular solution. To be clear, this will not be a perfect solution. Someone who is yet to have a criminal record, but intends to do harm, will not be stopped by this. That doesn't mean it's useless though - it'll still provide some friction and filtering, and should be seen as a basic layer of protection. The HR8 bill that the Republican US Senators are refusing to pass is trying to do just this.
2. Gun licensing
This is a stronger version of background checks. Similar to needing a license to drive a car, someone who wants to own a gun, should get some training, pass a test and demonstrate some basic knowledge of gun safety. Two arguments from people that resist this idea are: 1. this only prevents accidents, but none of the murders or mass shootings are accidents and 2. this hassles responsible gun owners. Proponents argue that this would prevent impulsive acts of violence and preventing accidents is also a very welcome thing in a society where children accidentally shoot themselves or family members on a regular basis. Also, responsible drivers don't get to complain about needing to get a license (or carry insurance for that matter), so why are gun owners complaining?
3. Red Flag Laws
Such laws allow citizens to report anyone they worry might cause harm to themselves or others. There is usually a due process requirement (a court of law is involved), and where this is well implemented, this puts a temporary restriction on the red flagged individual from being able to buy a gun, and also takes away the guns they may already own. In almost all mass shooting incidents, the shooter has had a history of alarming behavior and tells, that many people, including family members, friends on social media, co-workers, etc. have noticed, and even reported to law enforcement, only to be ignored. So, there is reason to hope that such laws will stop many such incidents. But, concerns about this being abused or government overreach can't be dismissed. 19 states already have such laws, including a the red state of Florida.
4. Assault Weapon Ban
Astonishingly, this is one of the more controversial forms of gun control. Lots of people are up in arms - pardon the expression again - about such bans. There was in fact a Federal Assault Weapon Ban in place in the US between 1994 and 2004. And during this period, data shows that mass shootings dropped significantly. Countries like the UK and Australia also enacted AWBs in the 90s, and have seen a near elimination of mass shootings. So, why is this so hard to bring back in the USA? Frankly, I don't know. But some hints are the following… the 1994 federal ban, and the current California AWB, are both written in a such way that they call out a number of specific models of semi-automatic rifles (fully automatic rifles are already banned), and their copy cats. In addition, in an attempt to cover newer models that don't seem like copies, but are effectively the same type of weapon, they call out certain features of these guns, and say they are not allowed. But this has become a cat-and-mouse game, with manufacturers making small tweaks that make the guns comply with the law in letter, but nevertheless defeat the spirit of it. (If you go on youtube and watch some of the videos on this, it's fascinating. And the comment threads are even more illuminating - almost 100% of comments are from gun proponents, and they all have the same arguments, which I suspect are NRA's talking points).
5. Age Limits, Wait periods
Many states have 18 as the legal age limit to buy an assault weapon, which is bonkers. There should be a federal law that puts this age limit at 21 or something like that. Also, a short wait period (say 3 days), would probably prevent many impulsive violent acts.
6. No Gun List
This idea is similar to a no-fly list. If the government can surveil people and prevent some from flying on airplanes, why can't they prevent some risky people from being able to possess a gun? This is a provocative idea that I haven't had a chance to think deeply about. I am sure there is a slippery-slope argument to be made about this (think Patriot Act and Edward Snowden).
In conclusion, at this time, I think we need a set of regulations, to provide multiple layers of protection. This will include some basic universal background checks, increased age limit to be able to buy a gun (at least for assault rifles), wait periods and red flag laws. All these have precedence in the USA, and with some political courage and decency, should be doable. More sophisticated things like a no-gun list and a comprehensive assault weapon ban are going to be more difficult politically, but they have to be pursued in the longer term.
So, this is roughly what I can hope for. Next, on to what I as an individual can do about it.
