Written by: Mindy Huynh
Reducing Firearm Deaths
According to a Columbia Law Review article, gun control has the potential to drastically decrease the prevalence of death by firearms in the United States. At the time this article was written, the national firearms death toll was 10.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Implementing universal background checks has the potential to lower that rate to 4.46 deaths per 100,000 people.
Universal Background Checks
As the name suggests, universal background checks require private firearm transactions to go through a licensed dealer; once a licensed dealer is involved, they would be required to run a background check on potential purchasers. The term “private transactions” regarding firearms refers to citizens purchasing firearms from a public, licensed dealer, like at a traditional gun shop. However, instead of utilizing the firearms for private use and intent, the citizens will sell off their firearms to a third party. Currently, many states do not require universal background checks, which allow individuals who have been charged of misdemeanors, possessing drugs, or those on the run to easily purchase firearms with the intent of harming others because a background check is not required in these private transactions.
Currently, an estimated 78% of gun purchases are through licensed dealers. By federal law, all fifty states are required to have background checks only for that 78%. However, of the fifty states in the US, only 22 states appear to require universal background checks in some firearm deals. Because of the inconsistent regulations regarding firearm deals, what’s to stop a potential suspect with a violent criminal history from hopping to the next adjacent state if the state of residence has stricter regulations?
Varying Gun Control Laws By State
For example, California is highly known for its relatively tight regulations on gun control as it requires universal background checks for “all sales and transfers for all classes of firearms” regardless of whether it was purchased privately or publicly, and permits are required to possess, purchase, and sell guns. Contrastly, Arizona does not require a permit or universal background checks. New Hampshire has even more lax laws where there is no minimum age to own a gun, no license is needed to purchase a gun, and firearms are not required to be registered. Kentucky, like Arizona, does not require permits when owning a gun either and those previously convicted of misdemeanors of domestic violence can still possess guns.
Gun Control and Domestic Violence
Currently, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are victims of domestic violence. Those who had committed acts of domestic violence, whether it be physical, sexual, or emotional abuse are likely to inflict harm on their partners and families even once they are released from their sentence. According to the National Domestic Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the presence of a gun increases the risk of homicide by 500%. Of the homicide cases that occur as a result of domestic violence, 94% of the victims are women.
Despite the relatively lax laws in the majority of the states, seventeen states as well as the District of Columbia have passed “red flag” laws which allow loved ones to petition for a removal of firearms from an individual if they feel a person is a harm or threat to themselves or others. California is known to have the strictest gun laws, and unsurprisingly, the lowest percentage of gun possession as well. As a result, California also has the seventh lowest mortality rate on gun violence. States like New York and Massachusetts also hold tighter laws on gun possession. Conversely, Mississippi, a state known for its looser gun control laws, holds the highest death rate at 22.81 deaths per 100,000 people, a stark contrast to Rhode Island’s 3.28 deaths by guns per 100,000 people.
Analyzing the Effectiveness of Gun Control
When examining the gun regulations in Mississippi and Rhode Island, it is evident that gun control laws are effective. For instance, Mississippi does not require permits to carry or purchase firearms, open carrying of firearms are permitted, and background checks are not required on private transactions for gun sales. Rhode Island, on the other hand, requires permits to carry and purchase firearms, and background checks are required on all gun sales.
Gun control, when done effectively, has been repeatedly proven to reduce the rate of death at the hands of gun violence, which is also one of the highest causes of death in the United States.
SOURCES:
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/background-checks/universal-background-checks/
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/background-check-procedures-in-arizona/
https://kcadv.org/resources/laws/gun-restrictions
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/strictest-gun-laws-by-state
https://www.gunstocarry.com/gun-laws-state/