OP-ED: Rational Gun Policy

In the U.S. there are approximately 400 million firearms in private possession. Our relationship with firearms is enumerated in our Constitution. In 1775, an attempted gun confiscation was the spark that lit the Revolutionary War. In 2008, the Supreme Court recognized that the right to bear arms is an individual right.

Anxiety about rising crime rates and the inability to contain “mostly peaceful protests” drives gun sales at record rates. In 2015, there were 90 civilian guns per 100 U.S. citizens. In 2022, that number has risen to over 120. We now have 20% more guns than people, twice the ownership rate of the next highest country.

Of all violent crime, mass shootings and particularly school shootings are among the most shocking and horrible. Heart-wrenching scenes of grieving family and friends inspire anyone with compassion to want to stop the senseless killings. Calls to “Do something!” resonate across the media.

For 2019, the CDC reports 39,707 total gun deaths in the U.S. from all causes including 4.2 homicides per 100,000, which rank us about halfway down the list of countries. We would be lower without urban crime centers like Detroit (54 per 100K), New Orleans (53/100K), Baltimore (35/100K), Oakland (32/100K), and others.

CDC and FBI data from 2019 shows that “Gun deaths from all causes” includes 23,941 (60%) firearm suicides, 1,001 shootings by police, 274 shootings in self-defense and 77 accidental shootings. The Justice Department estimates that most of the 14,414 homicides are gang related. 53 homicides occurred in five mass shootings.

Digging deeper, the Crime Prevention Research Center compiled data on mass shootings from 1998 through May 2022 totaling 84 instances. Of those, 25 used rifles or handguns and rifles. Of the rifles used, 12 were AR-15 style .223 semi-automatics.

Given these facts, is there a reasonable expectation that any of the proposed “solutions” will be effective? Consider the following proposals.

Red Flag laws. The deprivation of a fundamental Constitutional right requires a high standard of due process. Of the more than 20 red flag laws enacted, none address the Constitutional requirements and will likely eventually be struck down.

Raising the age to buy a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21. Two of the 84 instances involved perpetrators between the ages of 18 and 21 using an AR-15 style riffle. 83% of mass shootings are committed by persons 21 and older.

Eliminating “High Capacity Magazines”. The purpose of a magazine is to allow the weapon to be reloaded quickly by pushing a button to release the empty magazine and then inserting a full magazine. Total time is less than three seconds. “Stopping to reload” is a Hollywood myth.

Three-day waiting period. The theory that someone gets the urge to commit a crime, walks into a gun store in the heat of the moment then walks out and commits a crime is not supported by data. Mass shootings typically are preceded by a period of planning that is considerably longer than three days.

Gun buyback programs. If we mimicked Australia and bought back 20% of the firearms in private hands we would need to collect 80 million guns at roughly $500 each. The cost would be $40 billion. If you think that is money well spent consider that there are 131,000 public and private K-12 schools and if that same money was spent on school safety, each school would have $305,000 for security upgrades. Our local school district effectively upgraded security for less than $100,000 per campus.

Clearly none of these proposals has a significant chance of being effective, so what can be done?

Criminal psychologists claim that mass shooters share a desire to be infamous, to go out in a “blaze of glory” while taking as many innocents with them as possible. This seems to be supported by the fact that 90% of mass shootings occur in “Gun Free Zones,” places where it is illegal for law-abiding and qualified citizens to carry a self-defense sidearm.

If it’s a crime to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater, why isn’t it also a crime to elevate a mass shooter to international fame?

Gun laws ineffectively address the “means” of the crime. Perhaps we should tackle “opportunity” and “motive” by:

• Eliminating “Gun Free Zones”

• Establishing national school facility safety guidelines

• Make it illegal to publish the name of any mass shooter. Their crime may be notorious and their victims should be remembered but their identity should be swallowed by the abyss.

It’s just common sense.

Brent Regan is a Kootenai County active citizen.