Gun violence in the U.S. continues to increase.
New York- As mass shootings on school grounds continue claiming the lives of young Americans, debates over national gun laws, as they always have, leave Americans divided. The left-wing argues for strict gun control, while right-wingers staunchly support loosening gun restrictions.
On April 10, 2023, a gunman opened fire in a Louisville bank, killing five and injuring eight. The gunman, an employee at the Old National Bank, unleashed his rage on his co-workers with an AR-15 after discovering the news of his pending termination. Eventually, the shooter was killed by a policeman at the scene.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, mass shootings are instances where at least four people are shot — regardless of whether it results in injury or death. These particular kinds of shootings are becoming quite familiar in America and have increased within the past few years. The gun violence archives data also states that there have been at least 173 mass shootings this year alone. So far, at the time this article was written, the number of children killed has been 80, and the children injured 195. Total gun deaths in the US so far in 2023 total 13,280, including homicides, suicides, and unintentional deaths.
Why Does this Keep Happening Here?
When explaining America’s disproportionate number of gun-related deaths, many people form a link between firearms and the country’s history. Because ultimately, guns are a significant part of American society and politics. Firstly, our Second Amendment clearly outlines the American right to bear arms. Once of age, it is perfectly legal to own a gun in the United States, and always has been. But how do we resolve the overabundance of gun deaths? Since we can’t change the Constitution, perhaps the answer lies in reforming our laws.
The U.S. has the highest number of per capita mass shootings in the world — a jarring but unsurprising statistic given that, collectively, Americans own 434 million firearms. But not all Americans are unified around the definition of the Second Amendment. It’s the view of many Americans that the Second Amendment is not a one-size-fits-all permission slip for anyone to purchase and carry whichever weapon they choose. In other words, there need to be clear rules around gun ownership. And it’s important to note that gun control laws are not new. Even in colonial times, laws existed to regulate gunpowder storage in homes. Now, while gunpowder may be a dated issue, in like fashion, it’s the type of gun that’s up for debate.
How to Deal With More Deadly Firearms
What is the difference between a handgun, semi-automatic, and automatic weapon? A semi-automatic gun releases one shot with every squeeze of the trigger. This mechanical setup leaves police officers, first responders, and even bystanders a small window of opportunity to disable violent gunmen. On the other hand, automatic guns fire continually and rapidly until the trigger is released; as far as damage and casualties go, this leaves room to cause exponentially more harm and destruction.
Dr. Cornelia Griggs, a pediatric and critical care surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, shared her experience with patients who have been shot by semi-automatic rifles.
“The difference with high-velocity bullets and military-grade weapons…is the damage they inflict on the human body and our internal organs are much more gruesome and tend to have what is known as a blast effect because that bullet is carrying so much energy with it as it enters the human body,” Griggs said. “For example, if the bullet traveled through the lung, instead of a hole in the lung, we’re looking at an exploded lung.”
According to Griggs, this is true for other areas of the human body. For instance, a handgun bullet that hits a bone might fracture it, but a bullet from a semi-automatic rifle might shatter the bone due to the high velocity at which it enters the body. Additionally, bullets from AR-15s and AR-15-style weapons pose a unique danger because they don’t necessarily leave a linear path through the body.
Will a Gun Ban Work?
At this point in the gun debate, the focus has turned toward regulating automatic assault-style weapons. The reason is simple: Automatic weapons permit individuals without skill or training to carry out massive attacks. With such weaponry, anyone can spray bullets on a whim, making it likely that they hit their target — adult or child — multiple times. Ultimately, this increases mortality rates among mass shootings because the gunman has probability on their side from the perspective of the sheer number of bullets fired. Furthermore, automatic guns increase the likelihood of death due to the heightened severity of wounds.
Banning Americans from carrying guns altogether may not be feasible. But one avenue of regulation will come through barring Americans from obtaining access to semi-automatic and automatic weapons. In July 2022, the House of Representatives passed legislation to revive the 1994 assault weapons ban. Congress allowed the ban to expire in 2004, but with Nancy Pelosi’s influence, and hard push toward reviving it, some leeway was made.
House to Vote on Semi-Automatic Ban
If the bill passes, importing, selling, or manufacturing a long list of semi-automatic weapons will be unlawful. However, unfortunately, it exempts those already in possession.
Most Republicans disagree with the ban, stating it infringes on the American “right” to bear arms. But the fact still remains, when the assault weapons ban was in place, mass shootings decreased in the U.S. As a result, many people are frustrated with the right wing’s inability to understand why some weapons shouldn’t be available to all Americans.
In closing, our rights, as entrenched in the U.S. Constitution, are not absolute. They come with duties, responsibilities, and specific regulations, otherwise known as laws. The consequences of and manner in which we execute our right to bear arms have been, quite frankly, devastating. We still haven’t found a solution. But establishing a culture and gun safety and enacting stronger gun laws may help to de-escalate the current crisis.
Sources
This writer is extremely well thought out with practical points to make. She's sensitive, yet sensible. Graceful, yet grounded. It's difficult to argue with her rationale.
