The Problem is Access
After the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995 we learned that ammonia nitrate, a farm fertilizer used across the country, could be used as a bomb fuel source, changing how the product is stored, sold and tracked across the country. It was access to the ingredients of the bomb, including ammonia nitrate, that made it possible for Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
After the 9/11 destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, we learned that airplanes could be bombs when flown into the side of a building, which changed how we travel by plane forever. It was the easy access to the planes that made it possible for the terrorists to convert transportation to a weapon.
These horrific attacks changed how we as a people and a country act in our everyday lives by changing how we access air travel, what we can carry on the plane with us, and how we dress for travel. Given where you live and how you travel, you might not see or feel the impact, but it exists. We changed ACCESS. And we did it quickly and on short notice.
As tragic as those two events were, more people die annually from gun violence than died at the Oklahoma City bombing or at the World Trade Centers and Pentagon. More. Die. Annually. The solution is the same for dealing with shooting deaths as it is with 9/11 — we need to change how we access guns in this country.
Changing how we access guns is what Hillary Clinton announced on Monday in her proposal to act on gun violence. It’s a very sensible plan that requires background checks for those purchasing guns under any circumstances, and includes closing any and all loopholes for gun shows and internet sales. It holds dealers and manufacturers responsible. Why? Because they’re the ones who enforce how the sale transaction is conducted and if there’s no penalty for them being non-compliant, then why would they adopt the background checks?
Current law, which was proposed and backed by the National Rifle Association, prevents victims of gun violence from holding negligent manufacturers and dealers accountable. Hillary calls for this law to be changed. Everyone else is held responsible for their actions, why should firearm manufacturers and weapon dealers be off the hook? They should be just as responsible for the access to firearms as those of us who fly are responsible to change what and how we pack to help prevent terrorist’s access to planes.
Right now if a person with a clean record buys a gun with the intention of giving it to a violent felon, there’s no penalty. We are all responsible for our actions and if you knowingly give a violent felon access to a gun or buy the gun for them, then you are responsible for their actions. That’s why Hillary wants the law changed to make sure people understand that if they provide a violent felon access to a gun, there will be consequences.
Hillary calls for the closure of the “Charleston Loophole,” which allowed the gun sale to proceed without a completed background check. In 2014 that same loophole allowed 2,500 gun purchases to people who failed the background check.
Rulemaking needs to be finalized regarding weapons purchasing by people who are mentally ill, especially those who have been involuntarily committed to outpatient treatment, as was the case with the Virginia Tech shooter. It’s time we deal with access to these weapons and it is the responsibility of Congress and the president to take those actions. Hillary has told us what she will do, and like all her other plans, it is a sensible plan designed to have a positive impact on the source of the problem: access.
All of these are changes that limit and slow down access. If we can limit and slow down every air traveler around the globe in order to limit access to using airplanes as weapons, we should be able to limit access to those who are purchasing firearms for the same reason. Hillary is right: it’s long past time to deal with the issue of access to firearms.
