Gun violence is an issue that has permeated American society for decades now, and the debate continues to rage on between the left and the right concerning gun laws.
However, guns have been around since the founding of the United States, and Democrats are delusional if they think they can somehow get rid of them any time soon.
What they should be more focused on instead are the larger issues surrounding gun violence.
Second Amendment – Why it is important
The exact text of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution is as follows: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
The importance of this statement should not be understated.
The Founding Fathers of America were intimately aware of what was going on in England that caused them to come to the Thirteen Colonies, and they wanted American citizens to be able to defend themselves against a tyrannical government or other persons that could be a threat to them.
Every citizen should have the right to self-defense, regardless of whether or not a military or police presence is available. That is what is at the heart of the Second Amendment. If the colonists did not have guns to defend themselves against the tyranny of the English government at the time, there most likely would not be a United States of America today.
Supreme Court continues to back the Second Amendment
Two recent decisions by the Supreme Court further highlight the importance of the Second Amendment.
In 2003 the District of Columbia passed legislation banning handguns in homes. Dick Heller sued the district, and it went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2008 where they ruled that the legislation was unconstitutional.
The ruling affirmed the right of individuals to keep handguns in their homes, with the Supreme Court also providing some other sensible examples of future legislation that could pass, including prohibiting dangerous people from owning guns and restricting gun access in schools and government buildings.
Even with this ruling, cities still tried to implement legislation restricting guns in general, with similar results to the Heller ruling.
One example of this occurred in 2010 with the Supreme Court ruling of McDonald v. City of Chicago.
In this case, Otis McDonald sued Chicago over a ban that was implemented on handguns.
The court sided with McDonald, once again affirming the right of individuals to own firearms and that state and local governments cannot restrict it. What is interesting about both cases is that they were attempts by Democrat-run areas to restrict guns due to increased gun violence in their respective areas.
Why gun control regulations won’t work
The main reason comprehensive gun control regulations will not work is that individuals can simply bypass them.
Take California for example. It has some of the strictest gun regulations in the entire country, and yet in 2021 there was a mass shooting in San Jose where the perpetrator owned semiautomatic handguns with magazines that were banned five years prior by the state.
If an individual wants to find a way to commit a shooting, there are always going to be black markets available for them to purchase guns and ammunition. It can be likened to the drug trade, where drugs have and will continue to flow across the borders regardless of what legislation is passed. The gun regulations actually do more to restrict law-abiding citizens from owning them than anything else.
Are guns used as a scapegoat for larger issues?
A majority of gun violence (especially in the case of mass shootings) comes from the following issues: a history of violence in the individual’s life such as domestic violence, use of drugs/alcohol, abuse, family issues, and mental health.
These issues cause an individual to resort to using a gun to commit volent acts, and yet the first thing Democrats want to focus on is the gun itself. Why isn’t there more focus on the other issues at hand causing the violence to begin with, especially mental health when it comes to school shootings? Simply taking guns away won’t solve the larger issues at hand, and yet Democrats want everyone to think that if we simply remove guns from society everything will be perfect.
As recently as 2009, there were an estimated total of 310 million guns available within the United States, and it is likely to have hit over 400 million in 2022. With this many available it is easy to point the blame at guns for causing all of the problems in society today, but it doesn’t work like that.
There are many issues that are scapegoated by the use of guns in society, and they need to be addressed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Sensible solutions to gun violence
With all of that being said, what are some sensible solutions to gun violence that everyone could agree on?
First and foremost, those who have violent criminal histories, or a history of mental health issues should not be allowed to purchase firearms.
More emphasis needs to be placed on the latter issue as well, as mental health is something that besets many individuals and is not treated properly.
Instead of looking at gun dealers and owners as part of the problem, there should be greater engagement among both sides on what potential solutions could take place. Something as simple as communicating with one another instead of retreating to one side and continually demonizing the other would go a long way.
For example, background checks to make sure individuals purchasing guns are not mentally ill or have violent criminal histories should be a common-sense solution, yet it is not the case. There are sensible solutions that can help curb violence in general, not just gun violence, and it takes both sides coming out of their entrenched positions to truly make a difference.
