Banning Guns Will Not Deter Criminal Violence

Sandy Hook tragedy sparks controversy over our nation’s gun control laws. | Photo courtesy of ludwig simbajon/Flickr.com

Americans have always had an obsession with guns.  From our violent revolutionary origin through the Wild West pioneering days and into the 20th and 21st centuries, the right to bear arms has played an instrumental role in our formation, expansion and development as a nation.  According to a July 2012 article in The Guardian, U.S. citizens own more guns than any other country in the world with an average of 88 guns per every 100 civilians.  Yemen claims the number two slot with roughly 54 out of 100 people owning a firearm.  Gun ownership is a cornerstone of American culture and was vital throughout our history.

However, recently our gun culture has taken a dark turn.  Several mass shootings occurred across the United States in 2012, resulting in dozens of deaths.  On Dec. 14, a massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut left 20 children and six adults dead.  In the wake of Newtown, Washington D.C. was forced to take action.  On Jan. 16, President Obama asked Congress to begin considering new laws in an effort to stem gun violence.  The president also announced that he would use his power to enact executive orders, which can make slight changes to existing laws.

Among the new proposals are a ban on assault weapons, like the Bushmaster used in the Newtown shooting, and a ban on high capacity magazines.  While no new laws have been passed yet, many gun advocates are viewing the latest political action as an attack on the Second Amendment.  Organizations like the National Rifle Association are claiming that new legislation will be the first step in Americans’ loss of gun rights.

As far-fetched as the NRA’s stance may be, I don’t believe that a ban on assault weapons or high capacity magazines is the proper solution to the issue of gun violence or mass killings.  There are sociopaths and maniacs all across the globe that will use any available means to inflict the highest amount of casualties.  Banning certain guns will not deter these people in any way.   I believe that the solution is complex and involves several different aspects of American entertainment and culture.

Owning a gun is a privilege and involves a great deal of care and judgment.  In recent years, the responsibility that accompanies owning a firearm has been diminished through the sensationalization of guns in movies and on TV.  The glorification of guns can be seen in every aspect of popular entertainment.  Movies like “Jack Reacher” and “Bullet to the Head” light up the silver screen and fill theater seats with patrons eager to see bullets flying.  Video games like “Call of Duty” transform an average citizen into a virtual professional killer.  I’m not saying that violent games and movies should be taken off the shelves, but I feel that the portrayal of extreme violence with little or no repercussions is entirely false and leads to the desensitization of impressionable people.  Children who receive no real education on firearms only have these mediums to teach them what guns are all about.

Even before the age of widespread movie violence and virtual combat, kids ran around their neighborhoods with cap guns, Super Soakers and Nerf shooters, playing army or cowboys and Indians.  Paintball and Laser Tag simulate firearms combat and are enjoyed by thousands of people.  Red Ryder BB guns are a prized treasure of young boys whose mothers say in protest, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”  Properly teaching our youth about firearms will ensure that they don’t shoot their eyes out, or anyone else’s.

I believe that we need to teach children the value of human life and the serious consequences of all types of violence.  The responsibility of educating falls on the shoulders of parents, who need to actively monitor, and at times censor, the entertainment and information that their children are taking in.  If young people are taught proper use of firearms, the importance of their correct use and to respect them, I believe a more violence-conscientious culture will result.  Although I believe that education will help the majority, there are still people who want to commit violence.  While their motivations can range from religion to madness, these people cannot be helped and no amount of gun legislation will stop them.

Oklahoma, April 1995.  A Ryder rental truck filled with homemade explosives parked outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  At nine in the morning Central Standard Time, Timothy McVeigh detonated the bomb, killing 168 people, 19 of which were children under six.  In addition to 168 dead, more than 680 people were injured.  McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols, built the bomb from everyday materials including ammonium nitrate used in fertilizer, and nitromethane, fuel for race cars.  Not a single bullet was fired during the bombing.

Between 1978 and 1995, Ted Kaczynski, commonly known as the Unabomber, killed three people and injured 23 more during his nationwide bombing campaign.  Kaczynski, a Harvard graduate, is proof that no amount of education can stop sick people from wanting to hurt others.  He never used a firearm during any of his terrorist acts.

Sept. 11, 2001.  Four passenger airliners were hijacked by groups of Islamic extremists and used as missiles against the United States.  Two flew into the World Trade Center Towers, killing 2,606 people.  Around the same time, one airline crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., killing 125 people.  Passengers aware of the plans on Flight 93 attempted to overtake the hijackers and were killed when it crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania.  In all, 2,977 victims were killed along with 19 terrorists.  The 19 hijackers, armed with box cutters, used no guns to overtake the planes.

During all of the domestic tragedies that occurred between 1994 and 2004, legislation was in place banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

Humanity’s love affair with violence and weapons is nothing new.  Before firearms, children practiced archery and swordplay.  Before the bronze and iron ages there were stone clubs and slingshots.  We have always loved weapons; they are the tools that helped us rise to the top of the food chain.  Weapons are as much a part of our culture as writing, spoken language or art.  Bans will not stop violence.

I am against a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, but I am all for changes to the way they are purchased.  I believe that more thorough mental screening needs to take place during the purchasing process.  Whether it is on-sight screening or a voluntary release of medical records, I will leave that up to Washington, but something more definitely needs to be done to ensure that assault type weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands.  I also think there should be some form of mandatory education that buyers must attend before they are allowed to own certain weapons.

As a military veteran, I think it is a little strange when someone with no professional background wants to own an assault rifle, but it isn’t my place to tell them that they aren’t allowed.  Likewise, I don’t believe that the government has the right to regulate which firearms people can buy without a justified reason like mental incompetence or criminal history.

Gun control is a sensitive subject and I understand both sides of the argument.  The tragedies in Newtown, Aurora, Happy Valley and countless others are proof that something needs to be done.  But I am not sure whether the answer is gun control legislation or mental health system revamps.   The system needs a change, but banning guns is not going to stop violence.  Open a history book, thumb through some old newspapers or get online and you can see that for yourself.

David Adams can be reached at dadams@spartans.ut.edu