The Need for Non-Partisan Gun Control
You can be pro-gun and support gun control.
Doesn’t sound like logical, right? But that’s because most people don’t understand gun control. The belief of many Republicans is that when people talk about gun control, they’re talking about banning all guns. But that’s not the case — even if that’s what the NRA wants people to believe.
Supporting gun control means supporting more thorough background checks, mental health screenings, training and certification, and the banning of certain weapons that are particularly dangerous. A lot of these measures already exist, but in many parts of the country it’s simply too easy to buy a gun right now.
Seeing as the United States absolutely blows the rest of the world out of the water when it comes to gun deaths, there is no question that this is a debate that needs to be had. It’s impossible and frankly quite ludicrous to suggest that the U.S. shouldn’t do anything about the gun problem in the country. The reason why the left and right have been so unsuccessful in finding common ground on this issue is because they disagree on the premise. Republicans don’t see gun violence as a gun problem. They see it as a societal problem.
It isn’t entirely untrue. Two-thirds of the gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides. Almost half of homicides are results of gang violence. Generally, homicide numbers are declining drastically from their 1980 peak. Furthermore, the U.S. already has gun control laws, but they are not well enforced. Shouldn’t the focus be on enforcing existing laws, not just shouting about creating new ones? How would making it harder for law-abiding citizens to get guns help anyone?
These are valid questions. But the better question remains: how would gun control hurt anyone? Is the country less safe if it’s difficult — not impossible, just difficult — to get a weapon? Guns can be used to kill people; shouldn’t it be a painful process to try to buy one?
The idea that our Second Amendment freedom is threatened by limitations on what guns can and can’t be bought is misguided. In fact, gun control can be compatible with the Constitution, as Pensive editor Graham Glusman explains:
However, the gun control problem is not as simple as convincing Republicans that it should exist. Real policy needs to be proposed, and misdirected outrage should not be plainly validated. As tragic as the Parkland shooting was, using the kids who survived it to direct blame at your political opponents is morally reprehensible. To clarify: Parkland students speaking on gun control is not a problem, but the mainstream media’s weaponizing of their experiences to attack Republicans and the Trump administration is shameful.
As heartbreaking as the tragedy was, blaming the NRA and Republicans for the shooting and putting the blood on their hands is in no way productive. Moreover, lashing out at religious Americans offering their thoughts and prayers is nasty and unnecessary.
Gun control in the U.S. is complicated. You can’t just point to Australia where guns were essentially confiscated (and there hasn’t been a mass shooting since) and claim a similar solution would solve the problems in the U.S. There are over 300 million guns in the United States, and a massive buyback would be nearly impossible, not to mention unpopular. Further, adopting Australia’s laws wouldn’t succeed in taking guns out of the hands of criminals.
It’s not a question of banning guns outright. It’s not a question of Constitutionality. It’s not a question of right or left. Everyone can — and should — believe in gun control. We need to focus not on blaming people with different views for murders they didn’t commit, but on creating actual policy that can actually help our country. America can do better than this. America needs to do better than this.
