“It was only five deaths.”
Following the tragic mass shooting in Tehama county in November, that sentence was what I heard in almost every discussion. I can’t really blame people for thinking this way, though, compared to the shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and injured 500 in October, or the Pulse Nightclub shooting that happened last year in June, killing a total of 49 people, this mass shooting really doesn’t compare.
Americans have become accustomed to just accept these shootings as the norm because they occur so often. This year alone, according to buisnessinsider.com, there have been 307 mass shootings. Compared to world averages, Americans have the most guns per person, least amount of gun control action after mass shootings, and deadliest shootings in history, according to the Washington Post.
What exactly is being done about this?
People tend to think the worst when they hear gun control, wanting to express their Second Amendment rights however they please. Just because the right to bear arms exists doesn’t mean laws can’t be written to define it.
According to CNS News, there are today more than 20,000 gun control laws currently in effect — federal, state and local — in the United States, obviously all of those laws aren’t helping much. These laws aren’t working because they aren’t targeting the right areas.
There will always be guns and there will always be gun violence, but it can be lessened with some reforms. When looking at data, two-thirds of deaths by bullet occur from suicide. To lessen this problem area, mental health services should be expanded to everyone. Giving those who suffer from these problems the help they need will cut the amount of the problem from happening in the first place.
Furthermore, there should be strict limits on combat-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons should not be accessible to anyone in the general public. These types of guns are made for war, they’re otherwise too dangerous. There really isn’t a reason to have them, and if someone does in fact have a legitimate reason they should have to possess a special license to carry one.
Additionally, as cars have to have insurance, guns should too. If there are more expenses that go into buying and keeping a gun, people will have to seriously consider the cost of buying and owning a firearm. This solution is also good in terms of pleasing both sides of the gun control debate
Above all, efforts to lessen gun violence should focus on multiple solutions and unity with neighboring states. No matter how much guns get outlawed, guns purchased in another state can be sneaked in from one place to another. So in order to prevent this, there should be more correlating laws with them.
Mass shootings aren’t going to be solved with the prayers of senators and congressmen. In order to save lives and prevent injuries, change has to happen. Gun control doesn’t have to focus on banning guns; however, focusing on small changes and accommodations can definitely improve the issue as well as please the masses.