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Aria Blair

Charles Freeland

1201 English Composition II

November 1, 2020

What is the best solution for Gun Control in the United States?

In March of 2018 I found myself among thousands of my peers, standing in the

middle of a miserably cold and rainy Cincinnati street. Every one of us had chosen to

spend our Saturday to participate in one of the largest protest movements in American

history, because we had seen too much. We had all just witnessed a 19-year-old walk

into Stoneman Douglas high school, and choose

to murder 17 innocent people and wound 17

more (History.com). It was a breaking point,

only worsened by the common knowledge that

there were more mass shootings in America

than days of the year in 2017 (Gun Violence

Archive). We knew the system was broken. The

March for our Lives organization advocated for drastic change, but many Americans

were convinced that their demands would be a terrible loss to individual freedom. The

issue has always been partisan, but these political tensions have only multiplied in

recent years. A good citizen uses data as well as careful consideration to come to a

conclusion. Based on the hard-fought data we have, as well as addressing ethical

concerns, there is a clear path forward. The best compromise for gun control in the
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United States that maintains personal freedom while addressing the effects of gun

violence is strict access control mixed with education, without resorting to unilateral

bans.

To understand what needs to be done about Gun Violence in America, it’s

important to define what kinds of laws that are being discussed as the term “gun

control” can be quite broad. “Gun control refers to any piece of legislation that limits the

access to or places control measures on the ownership of firearms” (“Gun Control”).

That means a hypothetical gun control law could cover the safe use of firearms such as

mandated gun locks, control how they are manufactured and purchased, and control

who has access to firearms at all. An example of a commonly supported law would be to

require gun owners to hold a government license similar to a driver’s license (“A Peace

Plan for a Safer America”). It is also important to define that gun control legislation is

about civilian gun ownership and has little to do with police or military restrictions.

Understanding what gun control means gives us a contextual framework to explore

historical gun control measures.

It is useful to know what laws are already in place for gun control federally before

advocating for the passage of new laws, as many do not understand just how many laws

are already in place. The first federal law on guns was passed in 1927 which made it

illegal to mail anything but a long gun through the postal service (Alters). A long gun is

defined as either a rifle or shotgun with a long barrel and without a removable stock.

This law is still in effect. Another law was passed in response to organized crime during

the prohibition period which restricted civilian ownership of automatic weapons,

machine guns, and short shotguns. This law is still in effect (Alters). A law was passed
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that required guns to be tracked and serialized and made it illegal for fugitives or felons

to purchase guns (Alters). This law was later replaced in 1968 in response to several

high-profile assassinations at the time, such as the Kennedys or Rev. Martin Luther

King Jr. This amendment banned destructive devices such as bombs to the list of

banned weapons, required anyone dealing in arms to be federally licensed, and banned

mail ordering of guns. It also made it illegal for minors or those with criminal records

from owning firearms and outlawed the importation of non-sporting guns (Alters). This

was again replaced in 1986, which further banned firearm ownership for drug abusers,

and the mentally ill, even by private sale. This replacement outright banned the

ownership of machine guns made after 1986, including the parts needed to convert

other guns (Alters). It is illegal to own a gun that does not show up on X-ray machines,

or to own a toy gun that looks like a real gun (Alters). It is illegal to carry a gun to any

school zone. In 1993, a massive law was passed in response to President Ronald

Reagan’s assassination attempt, which mandated a five-day waiting period, and

background checks for all federal arms sales. This was eventually replaced with the

electronic system used today. The law also restricted those who have been convicted of

domestic violence from owning guns (Alters). A notably controversial law was passed in

1994 that banned “assault weapons” meaning semi-automatic weapon that had a

detachable magazine, or any gun that held more than 10 rounds. This law expired in

2004, and was not renewed, making it legal to purchase these weapons again (Alters).

There are many more laws involved on a state level, which can fully make

understanding the gun control debate almost impossible for the average voter. It is easy

to focus on federal laws because they are universally applicable, but each state also gets
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to decide how to regulate guns as well. Even federal laws aren’t immune to this, as

things like the NCIS reporting system rely on states voluntarily supplying court records

to the background check system. (Doeden p.91) Laws like concealed carry vary from

state to state, meaning in one state it might be legal for someone without a concealed

carry license to have a loaded gun in their glove box, and in another state just across a

border that can be a crime with deep penalties. (Alters) Transporting firearms

sometimes require the use of locked containers out of sight, and sometimes its fully legal

to have a loaded handgun in a cupholder. The issue goes all the way down to city

government levels. In certain counties in California, they have effectively shut down

most of the gun show loophole by making it illegal to sell guns on county property.

(Doeden p.94) An educated voter needs to stay on top of not just what is going on

federally, but what their state and local legislature is doing in regard to the issue.

It is important to keep in mind that while gun rights advocacy groups like the

NRA historically only support republican candidates, many of the laws above were

passed by republican administrations. Most recently, while President Donald Trump has

rolled back some Obama era gun restrictions, he also has a history of supporting gun

control. In 2018 he banned the use of bump stocks, which are a device used to make

semi-automatic weapons fire faster (Thomas). In a meeting with lawmakers he was

quoted saying “…take the guns first, go through due process second” (Thomas). Despite

how partisan this issue seems to be at first glance, an educated voter should not assume

that a republican will uphold their gun rights. That is not to say that democrats don’t

usually support some measure of gun control. Even though Sen. Bernie sanders

currently and historically supports strong gun control measures, he also has made
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statements against certain extreme measures (Chasmar). Of course, every politician has

different goals, so it’s important to know exactly what the person one are voting for

supports.

Gun control legislative precedent stretches as far back as the 16th century. Queen

Elizabeth outlawed civilian ownership of wheel lock pistols on the premise that they

were easily concealable while loaded. (Doeden p.12) Even earlier, the catholic church

attempted to ban the crossbow in the

12th century. (Doeden p.9) The issue of

gun control is not new by any means,

but often gun laws are used for issues

other than public safety. At a base level,

the gun is a tool that gives power to the

wielder. This is why gun control was often used as a means of subjugation and control.

In the early colonies that would later become the United States, laws were in place that

made it illegal for any minority to own any weapon. “Such laws helped keep power in the

hands of white people” (Doeden p.14) In the colonies, gun ownership was essential to

fighting for their freedom. The American Revolution hinged entirely on private gun

owners, as there were no military arms resources. (Doeden p.16) Gun rights became so

important to the new American people that the right to bear arms was the second decree

listed in the Bill of Rights. To fully understand the gun control debate, the perspective

that guns give power to those who would otherwise is extremely important to the

debate. Countless times in history, civilian access to arms allowed the oppressed to ledge

power on their oppressors, from slave rebellions to revolutions. Even then, it does not
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necessarily have to be violent intervention for this effect on power transfer to occur! It’s

a question that must be explored further from philosophical and social perspectives.

This perspective on gun ownership is not just a product of the 18 th century. A

common sentiment of today is that “An armed minority is harder to oppress.” With

tensions regarding racial justice climbing ever higher in 2020, civilian minority militias

are just as present as they were in the past. As an example, a group of heavily armed and

armored white men brandishing confederate and Nazi symbology stormed the Michigan

state capital, protesting coronavirus protection measures. A week later, some black

activists felt they had no choice but to escort Michigan state rep. Sarah Anthony to the

statehouse. After hearing the

fear in Rep. Anthony’s voice

during the protest, a group of

the activists put together a

security detail of several men

armed with AR-15 rifles, which

she welcomed. (Guzman)

America is still at a point in the

fight for civil liberties where

our black politicians must be escorted to work by civilian militias, and this is something

that can not be ignored when considering measures against gun ownership.

The context that guns are tools of power changes the ultimate goal of gun control

significantly. No longer is the gun control debate simply about what will make people

safest. This broader perspective ties issues such as racial justice, democracy, and liberty
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into the question of civilian gun ownership. When looking at civil rights protests in

countries like Hong Kong, it is easy to wonder if things would be different if the civilians

had more power to wield against their oppressors. Would the Tiananmen Square

protests have turned out differently? It’s truly hard to say, but it’s easy to notice that

pro-democracy movements in countries where civilian ownership of weapons are

accessible don’t tend to end in the military crushing the bodies of the liberals under

boots and tanks.

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Still, the issue of public safety certainly

cannot be disregarded either. Tens of

thousands of Americans die every year to gun violence. (Gun Violence Archive) Many

call it an active public health crisis. Some advocate that civilian ownership of guns

should be banned outright, as they are in many European countries. Those countries

certainly see far less gun violence. (Aizenman, Silver) It is staggering to learn that the

United States has more gun deaths per capita than Afghanistan, Iraq, or nearly a

hundred other countries. (Aizenman, Silver) This statistic does not include accidents or

suicide. That is why something must be done. That is why in order to determine the best

form of Gun Control in the United states, there can be no simple radical answer. There

must be compromise between public safety and the autonomy of civilians.

In the issue of safety, it is important to note that data on how different solutions

effect gun violence nationally is hard to come by. It is easy to assume that because we

have 50 states that can set their own independent laws, we would have plenty of

opportunity to sandbox different laws and see how effective they are. Unfortunately, this
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is not the case. The National Rifle Association, a lobbyist group, endorsed a federal

block on funding related to any research on firearms. (Lopez) This means that federal

organizations like the National Institute of Health and the Center for Disease Control

can do nothing involving firearms research, including grants and funding for colleges

(Lopez). This means that all research on firearms in America must be privately funded,

making any gun research far more susceptible to bias depending on the source of the

funding. Effectively this ban relegates any gun research to private colleges and special

interest groups, which is problematic at best.

There are many types of laws to consider when designing a system around public

safety. For example, gun deaths due to suicide and accidental injury were dramatically

decreased by the passage of child access prevention laws, though the data was

inconclusive for violent crime. (qtd. in Lopez) For states that passed “Stand your

ground” laws, which makes it legally defensive to use a firearm to defend yourself when

someone is invading your property, (Doeden p.52) it was noticed that deaths due to

violent crime actually had a moderate increase. (qtd. in Lopez) Laws that allow civilians

to carry concealed weapons slightly increased death due to violent crime or accidents.

(qtd. in Lopez) However, the data these findings were based on also clearly shows that

much of the data is inconclusive or simply does not exist at this time. There is a

noticeable trend in what data is present that “suggests that restrictive laws seem to lead

to fewer gun deaths, while the permissive laws seem to lead to more gun deaths.”

(Lopez)

This conclusion is supported by a survey that was hosted by a non-partisan think

tank, which asked several experts who were either for or against gun regulation for
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models on homicides if either more permissive or less permissive policies were in place.

When more permissive gun laws were in place, the experts who favored this outcome

gave models with a 14% reduction in homicides, whereas experts who favored restrictive

policies claimed a 15% increase in homicide. However, when these experts where asked

to give models if more restrictive policies were in place, those who favor permissive

policies claimed homicides would rise by only 1%, whereas experts who favor restrictive

policies claim a massive 49% reduction in homicides. (qtd. in Lopez) These models are

not very robust, but it does show a trend that more restrictive policies reduce gun

violence.

To preserve the autonomy of civilians while implementing more restrictive gun

policies, it’s important to choose

what kinds of polices are

implemented. Banning the

civilian ownership of handguns

for example, while extremely

restrictive and likely to reduce

gun violence, would be a gross

overstep of civil liberties. This is especially important as issues regarding police violence

and civil rights grip the nation. Many cities have gun buyback programs, where the

police will buy any gun with no questions asked in an effort to get guns out of

circulation. These tend to have wide support, except for when they become mandatory.

Even prominent far left politicians find themselves against the practice of mandatory

gun buybacks, with Sen. Bernie Sanders calling them “Unconstitutional” (Chasmar)
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There are a few policies with wide support however, such as closing the “Gun

Show Loophole”. Because of how the firearms laws currently in place are worded, one

must go through a background check in order to purchase a firearm from a federal arms

dealer, but not through a private seller. This means that while it might be illegal for

someone to purchase a gun, they can easily go to a gun show and purchase one from a

private seller without issue. (Doeden p.85) Notably this is how many mass shooters

acquire their guns. Laws that address this loophole are known as Universal Background

check laws, or UBC laws. UBC laws can easily be adapted into a law that would

implement gun licensing. Supporters point out that requiring drivers to be licensed

keeps the roads safer without unfairly restricting individual rights, but opponents claim

there is a historical precedent for abuse, such as by making it harder for minorities to

gain a license. (Doeden p.86) There is some criticism that the justice system can be used

as way to remove civil liberties from minorities. Since the justice system has been shown

to be unfairly maligned against Black Americans, they would be unjustly restricted from

their rights. These fears are not unfounded, as may times federal licensing has been used

by the federal government as a way to control how rights are given and restricted. Like

most things with gun control, it comes down to a compromise between safety and

restricting rights.

There is a dire need

for more accurate research

in this area, so in the short

term, the best solution for

gun control in the United

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States is to reverse course on the federal funding block for gun control related research.

The National Institute of Health and the Center for Disease Control need to be able to do

their jobs, so we can have reliable data that is not funded by partisan think tanks and

tends to be spotty at best. This is the main reason I find I am personally against

supporting the NRA, as this law is a gross misstep into ignorance and was obviously

motivated by the wallets of gun manufacturers and GOP reelection campaigns. Another

thing to consider is that there is very little research on the ethics of armed civilians when

it comes to liberty and minority rights. It’s easy to parrot a phrase like “an armed

minority is harder to oppress” and make inferences based on historical precedent, but

there is a gap of scientific discussion when it comes to how weapons affect the rights of

the lower class and minorities. This can not be ignored, and more research needs to be

done regarding both the safety and efficacy of various measures of gun control, and the

effects guns have with it comes to civil liberties.

Given the information we do have however, one can construct a system of laws

that would adequately protect civilians, closing loopholes that allow for the hundreds of

mass shootings to plague us, and bring the number of gun related deaths in this country

down to reasonable levels, without overly retraining the rights of the people. Universal

background check laws must be implemented, and the “Gun Show Loophole” must be

closed. Licensing and education programs should be implemented, and optional gun

buybacks can help reduce the number of guns in circulation, without infringing on

rights. Minors should not have access to firearms, and firearm safety laws such as

requiring effective gun locks should be implemented to reduce accidents. Widespread

bans on assault weapons or equipment should not be implemented, as this is destructive

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to the purposes of the second amendment and the dire liberties it was designed to

protect. A well-meaning civilian should be able to purchase and own any firearm, just as

long as they are educated and will handle it properly. A 19-year-old with a history of

mental distress and violence should not. Finally, above all else, the federal fund

restriction should be lifted, allowing us to gain valuable insight and reliable science on

the topic. Having more accurate data will only help us in the future to make better

decisions down the road.

Gun rights and Gun control can seem incredibly partisan at first, and it can be

easy to place yourself in one camp or the other. For a long time, I considered myself as

an advocate for gun control, without ever considering just where I stood on the issue. I

feel that many Americans are in similar situations. However, given the data and ethical

concerns, I now see this topic is far broader than the black and white question a lot of

Americans think they face at the voting booth. This direly needs to be addressed. What

stands out most, is that the best solution for gun control in America is not a one side or

the other issue. There must be an effort made by the media to educate the people about

the depth of the issue beyond its roots in partisan politics. There must be an open

dialogue with our leaders about what is being done, and what should or should not be

considered. Most importantly, there must be a compromise, consisting of laws that

protect rights while also reducing violent death.

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Works Cited

“A Peace Plan for a Safer America.” March For Our Lives,

https://marchforourlives.com/peace-plan/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.

Aizenman, Nurith, and Mark Silver. “How The U.S. Compares With Other Countries In

Deaths From Gun Violence.” NPR.Org, 5 Aug. 2019,

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/08/05/743579605/how-the-u-s-

compares-to-other-countries-in-deaths-from-gun-violence.

Alters, Sandra M., editor. “Firearm Laws, Regulations, and Ordinances.” Gun Control:

Restricting Rights or Protecting People?, 2011 ed., Gale, 2011. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, Gale, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ191930103/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=bafcd22c.

Capitol-Thumb.Jpg (1000×720). https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/wp-

content/uploads/2019/02/Capitol-Thumb.jpg. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Chasmar, Jessica. “Bernie Sanders Slams Mandatory Gun Buybacks as ‘Unconstitutional.’”

The Washington Times, 11 Nov. 2019,

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https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/nov/11/bernie-sanders-slams-

mandatory-gun-buybacks-as-unc/.

Editors, History com. “Teen Gunman Kills 17, Injures 17 at Parkland, Florida High School.”

HISTORY, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/parkland-marjory-stoneman-

douglas-school-shooting. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.

“Gun Control.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, Gale, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999212/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d1ce679c.

Gun Violence Archive. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.

Guzman, Joseph. “Armed Activists Escort Black Michigan Lawmaker to Capitol after Hostile

Coronavirus Protest | TheHill.” The Hill, 8 May 2020, https://thehill.com/changing-

america/respect/equality/496792-armed-activists-escort-black-michigan-lawmaker-to-

capitol.

Image of a Handgun. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K9jB_JTK5Tg/maxresdefault.jpg. Accessed 15

Nov. 2020.

Image of a Wheel Lock Gun. https://cdn.rockislandauction.com/dev_cdn/1033/2255.jpg.

Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

Image of EMT.

https://assets.nst.com.my/images/articles/SHOOTING2301_1579749409.jpg. Accessed

15 Nov. 2020.
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Image of Protesters in the March for Our Lives Protest of 2018.

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/EG8qAnfyRGZRJUXQnCrQFTGgRiE=/1200x80

0/media/img/photo/2018/03/photos-from-the-march-for-our-

lives/m03_937337156/original.jpg. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

Image of Sarah Anthony.

https://cdn1.creativecirclemedia.com/citypulse/original/20200506-115700-

SarahAnthony2.jpg. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

Lopez, German. “A New, Huge Review of Gun Research Has Bad News for the NRA.” Vox, 2

Mar. 2018, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/2/17050610/guns-

shootings-studies-rand-charts-maps.

Matt Doeden. Gun Control : Preventing Violence or Crushing Constitutional Rights?

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Thomas, Elizabeth. “A Timeline of Trump’s Record on Gun Control Reform.” ABC News, 5

Aug. 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/timeline-trumps-record-gun-control-

reform/story?id=64783662.