In the wake of the carnage in Newtown, Connecticut and the predictable handwringing from politicians that follows, I’m hearing something from the NRA that I hadn’t heard after all the previous mass shootings in this country––silence.
The NRA has issued none of their well-rehearsed and meaningless statements designed to shut down any reasonable debate on sensible gun legislation. You’ve heard them all before. “It’s too early to talk about gun legislation,” or “Guns aren’t the problem, people are,” or “There are plenty of laws on the books to keep guns away from criminals. We just have to enforce them,” or “No amount of legislation can prevent these tragedies from happening.” Perhaps––and I say this with a great deal of pessimism––perhaps the country has finally had enough of the slogans and insanity.
Congress can start by reinstating the assault-weapons ban. The ban expired in September of 2004. When the AWB was in effect, it was illegal to manufacture any firearm that met the law’s definition of an assault weapon or large capacity ammunition-feeding device, except for export or for sale to a government or law enforcement agency. The law also banned possession of illegally imported or manufactured firearms, but did not ban possession or sale of pre-existing ‘assault weapons’ or previously factory standard magazines that were legally redefined as large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Next, Congress can close the gun show loophole. To date, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has prevented nearly 1.8 million criminals and other prohibited purchasers from buying guns. Unfortunately, current federal law requires criminal background checks only for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers, which account for just 60% of all gun sales in the United States. A loophole in the law allows individuals not “engaged in the business” of selling firearms to sell guns without a license—and without processing any paperwork. That means that forty percent of guns sold in the United States change hands without a background check.
The law also has a deterrent effect—prohibited purchasers are less likely to try to buy guns when they know comprehensive background check requirements are in place. In fact, Adam Lanza tried to purchase an assault weapon prior to the shootings, but had to wait for a background check. So, he used his mother’s assault weapon instead.
This brings us to one more step the country––and parents––can take. Nancy Lanza should never have had guns in her home knowing that her son had emotional and behavioral problems. It was the height of irresponsibility. She paid for it with her life, as did twenty-six others.
A survey by Mother Jones found that at least 38 of 61 mass shootings in the past three decades “displayed signs of mental health problems prior to the killings.” A recent article in Reuters points out that two-thirds of the states have cut mental health funding. Mentally unstable individuals, along with convicted felons, have forfeited the right to own a firearm. We need to make it more difficult for them to obtain weapons.
These are all sensible steps that can be taken. No, they will not prevent another tragedy from happening. But by taking these steps, we may finally tip the balance in our favor.
