The Right to Have Rights: Curbing Gun Violence
The idea of “American exceptionalism” – that the U.S. was uniquely founded on shared moral and political principles rather than shared ancestry and was established as a government where sovereignty belongs to the people – carries with it healthy pride in the freedoms Americans enjoy.
And yet, American exceptionalism has a dark side. Because the Second Amendment codifies the right of Americans to “keep and bear arms,” the U.S. is the only country with more civilian-owned firearms than people. Today, according to an estimate by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, there are about 393 million privately owned firearms in the U.S. – or 120 guns for every 100 Americans.
The right of the individual to keep and use weapons has a long tradition in Western civilization. In this country, the right traces back to the Revolutionary War when the individual colonies didn’t have enough money to purchase weapons and each man was required to maintain a firearm so he could report immediately for duty and form a militia. Thus, when the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, the country depended on civilian militias as a form of national defense – something that has not been the case now for almost two centuries.
But even though American society has changed drastically since 1791, the extremist view that the Second Amendment is absolute, with no room for gun safety protections, has contributed to an especially unwelcome form of American exceptionalism – gun violence and mass shootings. Today, deaths from gun violence are at epidemic levels not seen anywhere else in the world. According to recent statistics:
At 49,000 deaths in 2021, the U.S. has the highest overall rate of death from firearms, nearly five times that of France, the nation with the second-highest rate.
Eight times more people in the U.S. died from violence by firearm in 2019 than in the second-highest country, Canada.
Firearms now surpass motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. and the death rate is climbing. In 2021, there were 2,571 child deaths due to firearms, an increase of 68% in the number of deaths since 2000.
More women in the U.S. are killed by firearms than in any other high-income country.
There have been more mass shootings (defined as incidents in which four or more people are shot and killed) than days in 2023. The U.S. witnessed 565 mass shootings by the end of October, or almost two mass shootings a day.
These statistics are sickening, no matter one’s religious or political affiliation. In fact, a recent poll from the Pew Research Center finds that almost six in ten U.S. adults say gun violence is a very big problem in this country and 61% believe it is too easy to legally obtain a gun.
Americans are not wrong to have these worries. Due to a loophole in federal gun laws, nearly a quarter of those who acquire a gun (22%) do so without a background check. This means people with mental health problems, a domestic violence conviction or a felony record can easily buy guns from unlicensed sellers in most states. At the same time, 27 states have passed “permitless carry” laws allowing adults to carry a concealed handguns without any training, a background check or a license.
What has been the result? When states freely allow the purchase of firearms and the ability to carry guns in public places, gun violence increases and Americans become less safe. Based on a state-by-state analysis of gun control policies conducted by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in 2022, states with the least restrictions– Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Wyoming – saw 61 percent higher homicide rates than those with strong safety requirements.
Even if the public is not aware of this research, gun violence pervades the daily lives of millions in the U.S., many of whom know at least one person who has been injured or killed by a gun. Thus, six-in-ten Americans (58%) in the Pew poll want stricter gun laws and an even greater number of voters surveyed in April 2023 by Fox News favor a wide range of reforms, from requiring criminal background checks for all gun buyers to a 30-day waiting period for all gun purchases and raising the legal age to buy guns to 21.
This support for reform also comes at a time when information from other countries provides a range of options for lawmakers to consider. Here are some examples of what other nations are doing:
In Canada, those wishing to buy a handgun must prove they practiced at a shooting club or range or that they are a gun collector. And for any kind of gun, Canadians must complete a safety course, then pass a written test and a practical test. Additionally, Canadians must provide character references from two people, apply for a permit and wait a month for the processing to start, and pass a background check that considers their criminal record, mental health and history of domestic violence and assault. Moreover, when a handgun purchase is approved, Canadians must register the gun with the police before taking it home.
In the United Kingdom, there is also a requirement that the person belong to a shooting club or make hunting arrangements. Individuals must also provide a character reference, arrange for proper storage of the firearm, and pass a background check that includes a home interview with police officers.
In Germany, prospective gun owners must first join a shooting club, obtain a hunting license, prove that they are a collector or prove that their life is in danger. Additionally, Germans must demonstrate arrangements to properly store their firearms; prove their knowledge of firearms through a written and/or a practical test; and pass a background check that reviews their criminal history, as well as their mental health and drug addiction history. Those under age 25 must also submit a certificate of mental fitness from a health professional. After taking these steps, the person can apply for a permit to purchase a specific gun, and then purchase the firearm if approved.
As a nation that reveres life, we must ask ourselves why the 27 words of the Second Amendment written over 200 years ago can’t be reconsidered in the light of preventing the needless suffering and death of thousands of innocent Americans.
It’s time to combine thoughts and prayers with support for sensible gun reform. Clearly, solutions exist to reduce gun violence in America and the simple measures implemented in other countries provide good food for thought.