Guns in American Culture

1.19.2015

    Gun control in America is a culture war. This summer, the owner of a Maryland firearms shop received death threats for planning to sell a handgun that only functions if used with an accompanying wristwatch. “You’re going to get what’s coming to you,” was one of the messages, sent anonymously by someone who felt their Second Amendment right was being infringed upon because use of the smart gun is limited to its owner.

    The complexity and controversy surrounding this issue make it so that we can’t take the same actions that have been taken against gun violence in countries like Australia, where there have been no mass shootings since 1996, or Britain, where most front-line police officers don’t carry firearms.

     But one thing you’d think everyone would be able to agree upon is that mentally ill people shouldn’t be allowed to buy and possess guns. In fact, we demonstrate that principle amply in other areas where mental instability and the poor decisions that result from it can be life-threatening. Just as a car becomes a weapon in the hands of someone drunk, a gun becomes even more dangerous when handled by someone with a chemical imbalance in their brain.

    At the federal level, we have the Brady Law, which creates a system of background checks. It prohibits certain people from receiving guns, including anyone who “has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution." But this law is still very minimal; it only applies to people who have been medically certified or treated for mental disorders and of course, it can only be enforced among licensed sellers.

     The question remains: do we consider this to be enough? And the question that follows immediately after that is: just how dangerous is the alternative of not having stricter regulations?

     Mental illness is an illness and should be treated as such. Unlike typical criminals, the threat of imprisonment may not be enough of a deterrent. For example, sociopaths are prone to impulsivity and often have a lack of long-term goals. They also tend to be criminally versatile. So we have to go to greater lengths to ensure the safety of both the patient and society at large, and in this case, that means taking preemptive action.

     Clearly, the first step we need to take to effectuate truly meaningful gun control is to make background checks universal. This would close the huge loophole of private gun sales, such as the ones that happen over websites like Craigslist. This action was actually favored by 92% of Americans in a poll last year, and 75% of the National Rifle Association. However, the leaders of the N.R.A. resist even this small form of progress, and they hold some significant power to stop politicians from making it happen.

    It’s been calculated that since 1968, more Americans have died from gunfire than in all the wars in America’s history. Obviously, we need to make a change, but one thing I’ve learned about this country is that guns aren’t going anywhere. We can only hope that we’ll start taking baby steps to ensure our society is one in which we can all feel safe.