Defining the Problem
Around half of Americans (48%) see gun violence as a very big problem in the country today, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2021. All you have to do is watch the news to see why so many people feel this way. Mass shootings happen too often and bring a lot of emotions to the table every time one happens. Many responsible American citizens own a gun and do so with the utmost care for their life and those around them. So why then does gun ownership become such a hot topic when another mass shooting happens that takes the lives of innocent civilians?Historical Background of Problem
The constitution of the United States gives each citizen the right to own a gun. "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This very simple language used in the amendment has sparked debates amongst Americans for years. Many Americans who own guns see this as their personal assurance that they have every right to own a gun and that no one can tell them otherwise. Others read the first line to this amendment and believe it only applies to the military and not to individuals. In 1939 the Supreme Court heard the case of United States v. Miller where they determined that the government can put limits and regulations on gun ownership. This new view on the 2nd amendment lasted until 2008 when it was challenged in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller where the court altered the law and again allowed law abiding citizens the right to own firearms. They only posed a few limitations when it came to gun ownership and left it at that. Today, Four-in-ten U.S. adults say they live in a household with a gun, including 30% who say they personally own one, according to the Pew Research Center survey conducted in June 2021. When asked why they owned a gun, the top reason was for personal protection.
The issue involving guns and our rights comes up every time there is a mass shooting that happens in the United States. The New York Times recently posted an article on this very topic and gave a credible online source that is run by a non profit group to track all mass shootings. The Gun Violence Archive is a website where you can see all gun related shootings that occur and the casualties associated with each. According to their website we have had 130 mass shootings in the United States since the start of 2023. When asked if guns and the lack of restrictions were the issue, the Pew poll described earlier was very divided on that answer. Depending on your background, place of residence, and ethnicity, the answer to more of less gun restrictions is all over the board.
Identify Key Players Involved in Problem
The NRA (National Rifle Association) is one of the biggest proponents for limiting gun legislation. They actively lobby in congress and spend a lot of money each year to make sure no real restrictions are put in place that they feel would limit their constitutional rights as citizens. The NRA has been involved in politics since 1975 when they established the Institute for Legislative Action so they could influence policy moving forward. The NRA has a large base of Americans that agree with their policies and actively promote gun rights and feel that access to guns makes us safer as a county. They have pushed for open carry laws and concealed carry laws to make sure that Americans can be as free as they want to be when it comes to their access to guns and the right to wear them out in public as well. On the other end of the spectrum is another large organization fighting for more gun restrictions and laws to keep Americans safe. Everytown is a gun safety support organization that also focuses on legislation and advocacy and has over 10 million registered advocates. They feel there is a strong need for more restrictions and more education as we see the number of mass shootings grow at an alarming rate. They are actively lobbying for more restrictions and accountability when it comes to guns in our society.
Theoretical Explanations
Structural Functionalism explains that guns can either be good for society and help maintain law and order and be used for protection, or they can cause crime, and violence. In poorer areas guns can be used to commit crimes so that the individual does not need to put forth an effort to make a living.
Symbolic Interactionism explains that violent video games, movies, and seeing individuals in the home have guns and feel superior with one can make others in the home feel the need to use the gun for the type of violence they have seen on tv or experienced in games. Being labeled as a loser or someone not worthy of love could also give this person a reason to lash out with violence against innocent victims with the guns found in the home.
Conflict Perspective explains that being in a gang or in conflict with someone in authority gives you the opportunity to take a gun to lash out. Having enough money in the home to be able to purchase whatever guns you want and endless amounts of ammo will make you feel more superior and could add to the feeling that a gun could make everything better.
Solutions
When it comes to gun violence, there are many speaking up with possible solutions to the problem. Everytown has a plan posted on their website which they feel can put an end to gun violence. Their solutions include background checks on all gun sales, prohibiting people with dangerous histories from owning guns, and repealing gun industry immunity. Currently background checks are required through all licensed gun dealers but not when you purchase a gun from an unlicensed gun dealer. This is a problem that needs to be fixed and addressed. When it comes to prohibiting the sale of firearms to individuals with dangerous backgrounds there are no solutions in place to enforce this policy and so many still get their hands on weapons even when they should not be able to. Another big issue Everytown has with current legislation is that gun manufacturers are not able to be held accountable when their weapons are used during a crime. When we are not able to hold them responsible then the manufacturers will never take gun safety as seriously as they should. While these are all great solutions to a very large problem, the effectiveness of the solutions could be debated as our country is so large that it would be hard to police and have a database large enough to have all the available information there when someone wants to purchase a gun. New ways to manage all this information would need to be created and implemented on a large scale for this to possibly work.
Personal Position
I was an elementary school custodian for 9 years and reading that a school custodian was one of the casualties of the latest school shooting really hit home with me. I have a concealed carry permit that I got while working at an elementary school because I could see the growing amount of school shootings in this country and wanted to find a way to protect myself and possibly others at my school if this were ever to happen to me. I went through classes and purchased a small firearm legally and through the right channels and then went to the shooting range on a regular basis to be confident enough to actually use it if necessary. Having to live with the fear that someone can come into your place of business and pull a gun on you is not a very good and healthy way to live. Kids should not have to do monthly intruder drills where they hide in their classrooms with the lights off and keep absolutely quiet because someone could possibly come and decide today is their day to die. Our obsession with guns in this country is out of control and I absolutely believe we need to do something about it. I do not have all the answers but I know doing nothing is not the solution either. While we are fighting this battle on the congress floor innocent children and teachers are still getting massacred while all they want is a safe place to learn. Our thoughts and prayers are no longer enough to comfort the families left behind after tragedy strikes, and we need to do the hard part and actually come up with viable solutions that will save lives that are unnecessarily snuffed out. My personal opinion is that restrictions do need to be placed on guns and as a society we need to be okay with this. We need to think less about our constitutional rights as individuals and more about the right of life for all that live in this country. I am willing to sacrifice some of my freedoms if it means we have less mass shootings in this country and all kids have the opportunity to grow up without the fear of someone showing up one day and creating a nightmare situation that they will not easily forget.
REFERENCES:
Pew Research Center (2023) Americans’ views of the problems facing the nation
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/15/americans-views-of-the-problems-facing-the-nation/
Cornell Law School (June 2022) Second Amendment
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment
Cornell Law School (May 1939) United States v. Miller et al.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/display.html?terms=United%20States%20V%20Miller&url=/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0307_0174_ZS.html
Cornell Law School (March 18, 2008) District Of Columbia v. Heller
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-290.ZS.html
Pew Research Center (2023) Key facts about Americans and guns
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/
Victor, Daniel (March 28, 2023) The New York Times: U.S. Mass Shootings in 2023: A Partial List https://www.nytimes.com/article/mass-shootings-2023.html
Gun Violence Archive (2023) https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
https://home.nra.org/
BBC (May 27, 2022) US Gun control: What is the NRA and why is it so powerful?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394
https://www.everytown.org/
Everytown (2023) Background Checks on All Guns https://www.everytown.org/solutions/background-checks/
Everytown (2023) Prohibit People With Dangerous Histories From Having Guns
https://www.everytown.org/solutions/prohibitors/
Everytown (2023) Repeal Gun Industry Immunity https://www.everytown.org/solutions/industry-reform/
[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]
Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved
