Can Blockchain Help Prevent Shootings? A Thought
For Those About To Read,
I want to put emphasis on the fact this is simply a piece on thought. I am taking a moment to reflect on humanity, and using technology to help, is quintessential in our great society. I want to make this clear before you read…I AM NOT TAKING A PARTICULAR POLITICAL POSITION, AT LEAST IN THIS ARTICLE, I AM WRITING THIS FROM AN OUTSIDE APPROACH. Our one of a kind democracy is grounded in meaningful and inclusive discussion, so I hope I can provide that here.
First, I want to take a moment and give a shout out to those that are making their opinions known on March 24, 2018. As a society, we cannot move forward without collective action, and I think the young protester’s are proving that today. As a member of that generation, I feel a serious sense of pride and optimism for the future of our Nation.
I also want to reflect on the horrific tragedies that have led us to this point. It deeply saddens me that we need to be overcome by substantial violence to make any form of meaningful change. While Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was the match that caused the wildfire, our anger, sadness and confusion regarding school and other shootings have been simmering for a long time.
I cannot speak for anyone else, but I've wanted to work solutions to this violence beyond protesting. While protesting is a fundamental building block to change, I feel that is simply not enough at this point. We need to create non-violent actions beyond our desire to protest if we want to cause real change. Everyone has their own way of committing to positive action. I for one seek my own way. Before I explain, please understand this is only a theory and meant for discussion, I have not focused my attention towards building a blockchain for this setting, but it is something I am highly interested in.
In the simplest form, a Blockchain is a decentralized system of nodes across an immutable ledger of data, providing transparency and immutability between multiple users, whether they be individuals or large scale organizations. Currently, the most popular application layered onto this revolutionary system is the recent cryptocurrency movement. While I will not pretend to know where the future of currency and value transfer may end up, I can say that crypto has led to new meaningful discussions and philosophical meetings on what we can consider as immutable value transfers. More importantly, the biggest discussion for those in blockchain is how do we determine what types of value transfers should be allowed, and whether they are only monetary.
In a short answer, the answer is NO, blockchain is meant for much more than just the monetary benefit. This is something I look at very openly.
Now that I have explained the basic premise of a blockchain, I want to suggest that we could use this amazing technology to decrease the amount of shooting tragedies.
A vast majority of lawful citizens purchase their guns from lawful weapons vendors. Ultimately, the issue at hand does not result from those lawful and morally abiding citizens that purchase those guns and do not cause any public harm.
However, we need to address how certain individuals (that have no capacity mentally to own a gun) end up owning multiple guns through legal purchases. There is a clear problem with the actual check and balance system that allows vendors to distribute these guns legally. One root of the problem comes from the validation and verification for gun ownership and we must upgrade and overhaul that system.
Most data systems that are located at multiple gun vendors are centralized, meaning there is one system for all vendors that is managed by a small collection of individuals or a centralized network. This is the antithesis of a blockchain.
In a blockchain network, data points are sent by nodes in the PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE network. In this situation, the nodes are a collection of legal weapons vendors. When an individual purchases one AR-15 (for example) from a specified vendor, all signatures from that rifle, and that owner, are sent to the public network. This is part one of this system.
The much bigger blockchain innovation comes from the verification system. In your typical blockchain network, there are verification nodes. Their primary function is to get paid by the public to verify that those data points are real and legitimate, this is how crypto transfers function currently.
Going back to the analogy when an individual purchases one AR-15 from that specified vendor, that purchase must be approved by EVERY SINGLE VERIFICATION NODE IN THAT BLOCKCHAIN NETWORK. This could potentially increase verification systems for weapons purchasing by 10x and much faster. This could easily and quickly prevent guns from getting in the wrong hands.
This a rudimentary design for what could possibly alleviate the amount of horrific shootings that occur. There are many more possible advanced or other cautionary measures that also don’t infringe on individual rights on a blockchain that can be implemented.
I am blessed to be in the position of constantly sharing knowledge with my peers about new blockchain technology. I feel it is my obligation to take that knowledge and use it to help those that are in need. I hope that with my generation, that mindset will become more common place. We are supposed to be one of the most advanced societies on the planet, so lets start acting like it and take positive action. I hope I have brought some meaningful thought to the table. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this issue, as I’m sure you have some meaningful thoughts as well. Please share them!
Sincerely,
Jonah Blake
Managing Member, NewCurr
