The USA is known for its high levels of violent crime. The issue of gun control is brought up every time a school shooting or a violent robbery happens. The last one involving guns happened on 9 September 2016 in Texas, where a 14-year old girl shot another student and then killed herself. The society is divided on this matter. One side demands extensive gun control measures or even an outright ban on gun sales. The other side claims that banning guns is not going to reduce the rate of violent crimes, and instead make good and honest citizens defenseless before the well-armed criminals. Although having a gun enables a singular person to cause great damage to multiple victims within a short time span, an outright gun ban is not going to solve the problem, and instead cause the rise of the black market, which would make the issue of tracking and controlling guns more difficult.
According to several surveys, there are over 270 million guns in the US (Glenza 1). The country has the largest weapon market in the world. It is very easy to purchase a firearm too – in 36 states, you can buy one without the need for a background check or a license (Jacobs 21). What makes the issue worse is that most guns are not registered. The government has practically no control over how many firearms there are or who owns them. These facts alone are the reasons why a gun ban would not work in the USA – people have too many of them already. There are enough weapons to arm every single man, woman, and child in the country. Instead of purchasing a gun in a shop, a prospective buyer would instead just buy one from a friend, a neighbor, or from an illegal gun dealer (Spitzer 4). It would make the issue of tracking guns even more difficult.
It would not be possible to make the populace surrender their guns. Many gun owners are very attached to their firearms. They would not get rid of them voluntarily. There are no other mechanisms for reducing the number of guns among the populace. The police could not go door-to-door searching every house in the country and take them away – there would be an outrage. In addition, many citizens would view such actions as a direct attack on their rights and a violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution. These citizens would actively resist any attempts at disarming them.
The great number of guns readily available to a US citizen would also mitigate the effects of softer versions of gun control, such as the imposing of licenses and background checks. If obtaining guns legally would become too difficult and tedious, the prospective buyer would rather purchase one from other sources. However, studies show that introducing licenses and bans on purchasing guns by alcoholics helps reduce the number of violent assaults (Kleck, Kovandzic and Bellows 2). Still, the majority of other methods involved does not result in any net positive change in the crime rate.
America finds itself in a position where it is not mature enough to have guns, yet has too many of them. Canada or Finland, for example, both have liberal gun laws, yet the crime rates in both countries are significantly lower than in the USA. Both countries are also known for the peaceful nature of their inhabitants. The people in the USA are a violent nation, which now suffers from the consequences of extensive arms marketing.
Does it mean that the situation is hopeless? Of course not. It only means that the US is going to need a lot of time to improve the situation regarding gun control and gun crime. Many critics of gun control expect fast results from small-scale gun control measures. These local measures are not going to be effective. It would be like applying a small bandage over a large bleeding wound. What the country needs is a massive program that encompasses all of the US and is aimed to increase the responsibility of the owners as well as the accountability for all firearms. Many gun owners would object to having their guns removed from them, but would likely submit to voluntary licensing and gun registration. Introducing licenses and preventing potentially dangerous citizens from purchasing any has proven itself an effective measure. A cultural program that promotes peace and non-violence would have a good effect on overall crime rates in the long run. It would be a difficult task, but it is needed if America ever wants to feel secure. Even if all the firearms were to disappear from the possession, the violence would continue with gardening tools and kitchen knives. Violence will always find away. The best way to combat violence is to invest in a program to reform the way people think. Not increase the number of police officers out on the streets.
Works Cited
Glenza, Jessica. “How many guns are in America? A web of state secrecy means no one knows.” The Guardian 29 Oct. 2015: 1. Web. 20 Sep. 2016.
Jacobs, James. Can Gun Control Work? Oxford University Press, 2002.
Kleck, Gary, Tomislav Kovandzic and Jon Bellows. Does Gun Control Reduce Violent Crime? Social Science Research Network, 2016. Web.
Spitzer, Robert. The Politics of Gun Control, 6th Edition. Routledge, 2016.