Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was the latest casualty in a brutal trend of senseless violence. On February 14, 2018 a combination of seventeen students and faculty were killed. Since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, the New York Times has reported two hundred and thirty school shootings have occured. Four hundred and thirty eight people have been wounded, with one hundred and thirty eight of whom died. International news often reports on American shootings, yet we rarely hear about similar situations in other developed countries. According to the Economist, American citizens make up roughly five percent of the world population, but lays claim to nearly half of civilian owned firearms. Could this be the only reason why America has such an unprecedented level of shootings? There are many theories about what should be done to stop gun violence, but people rarely agree on what to do. We’ll look at the two main theories put forth by both the right and left.
We’ll start with the claims from the right first. We all know that the second amendment guarantees the right to bear arms. According to conservatives, the main argument is the responsible use of guns. For the past decade or so gun violence has been written off as an issue caused by the mentally ill. In response to the recent Florida shooting the Trump administration claimed that federal, state, and local authorities would work to secure schools by working to overcome mental illness. In regards to another shooting in Texas, Trump told reporters to remember that mental illness was at the root of gun violence. However, President Trump is a controversial figure, if we really want to understand the right position then we have to look at more than a figurehead. House Speaker Paul Ryan was less committed to the theory of blaming mental illness. He claims that mental illness should be looked into, but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions on tightening gun laws yet. Representative Curbelo of Florida has taken a more proactive stance and seems to represent the middle ground. After the shooting Curbelo pushed for a ban on bump stocks. Bump stocks are a piece of equipment to allow semi automatic weapons to function as fully automatic. Former presidential candidate Marco Rubio, also from Florida, has made statements about the possibilities of legislation that would limit the size of ammunition clips. There are more politicians who represent other positions, but none call for restrictions on guns themselves. Overall, the main takeaway from Congressional Republicans seems to be keeping guns away from dangerous people, and making guns less dangerous.
The left has received heavy criticism on past attempts at gun control. The myth that Democrats want to take your guns has been promoted as part of campaign tactics. The truth is, no one disputes the second amendment. However, how far that right extends is up for debate. In 2017 some Democrats pushed for renewal of the ban on assault weapons that lasted from 1994 to 2004. The right responded critically claiming that while crime did lessen, the ban only correlated with data and wasn’t the cause. In any case, the cry for a ban on assault weapons, like the ar-15 used in the Florida shooting, has been taken up by citizens and politicians alike. Recently, Democrats have been pushing back on legislation that would make it easier to buy and conceal weapons. These include shortening wait periods to buy a gun, allowing concealed carry without a permit, allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools, and the aforementioned ban on assault weapons. These arguments are meant to reduce the number of guns purchased and limit the type of weapon you can buy. This is where things get tricky constitutionally speaking. We must recognize that the second amendment has limits, no matter how much you might want one it’s still illegal to buy a missile. A missile and an assault weapon are two very different things. Where is the line between self defense and reckless endangerment? I think the liberal view is best summarized as this, why do you need an assault weapon for self defense?
We’ve looked at the proposed policies for how the American gun crisis should be handled. Can we really make a weapon less dangerous? Does our government have the right to restrict how it’s citizens protect themselves? In truth, we can’t diffidently say that one option is better than the other. Why? Because the people in charge are too afraid to take a meaningful stance, afterall it might ruin their re-election campaign. So why does America have such high rates of gun violence compared to our neighbours? The first problem is innaction. While politicians argue back and forth, students are being massacred. Yes, this harsh. Yes, it is intentional. When was the last time you turned on the news and saw a school shooting in Canada, the UK, or Australia? They may have policies you don’t agree with, but it didn’t just happen overnight. Through trial and error they found a system that works for their respective countries. When will we?
Sources:
- Bidgood, J., Harmon, A., Smith, M., & Salam, M. (2018, February 15). The Names of the Florida School Shooting Victims. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/florida-school-victims.html
- Patel, J. K. (2018, February 15). After Sandy Hook, More Than 400 People Have Been Shot in Over 200 School Shootings. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/15/us/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkland.html
- Turkewitz, J., Mazzei, P., & Burch, A. (2018, February 15). Florida Shooting: Nikolas Cruz Is Charged With 17 Counts of Murder. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/florida-shooting.html
- America seems unable to solve a scourge that exists nowhere else. (2018, February 17). Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21737061-there-nothing-surprising-article-unfortunately-america-seems-unable-solve
- Oliphant, B. (2017, June 23). Bipartisan support for some gun proposals, stark partisan divisions on many others. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/23/bipartisan-support-for-some-gun-proposals-stark-partisan-divisions-on-many-others/
- Cheadle, H. (2018, February 15). The Republicans’ Plan to Stop Mass Shootings: Nothing. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wj4gqy/why-mass-shootings-keep-happening-republicans
- Rogers, K. (2018, February 15). In Response to Florida Shooting, Trump Focuses on Mental Health Over Gun Restrictions. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/politics/trump-florida-shooting-guns.html
- Walsh, D., & Barrett, T. (2018, February 22). Congress’ Republican leaders silent so far on Trump gun proposals. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/22/politics/paul-ryan-mitch-mcconnell-gun-debate-congress/index.html