America’s Gun Epidemic
Very brief and poorly researched piece initially written as an Op-ed for this week’s Sunday Review but publishing it separately!
While reading about the Michigan School Shooting of 2021, and the precedent setting sentence, where the parents of the shooter were also held responsible, I came across a school drill known as ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate), which uses proactive strategies to evade a gunman, such as using noise as a distraction and creating distance. This blew my mind. Young children in America are learning ‘how to not get shot’ in the event of a school shooting. If school children are bringing guns to their place of education, to shoot their peers and teachers, common sense dictates access to guns should be banned or restricted. Simple, right? Nope. Legal battles spanning centuries, relentless protests, and extensive advocacy and lobbying against gun culture have proven otherwise, the issue is more complex and multifaceted than it appears. In fact, seven-in-ten Conservatives favor allowing teachers and officials to carry guns in K-12 schools (69%), and only 47% support stricter gun control measures.
“A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
- James Madison, Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The controversy surrounding the gun culture in America involves the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment of the Constitution protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution of America and the Bill of Rights were codified in the late 1700’s, in light of the challenges and concerns of the time, a newly independent country, with deep mistrust of standing armies (like the one employed by the English Crown to control the colonies), significant animosity between states and a lack of proper consolidated law enforcement infrastructure in place, all these factors likely influenced James Madison's introduction of the Second Amendment. However, the modern American society grapples with arbitrary and pervasive violence, fueled by the gun epidemic; necessitating a re-evaluation of the longstanding right, in an attempt to deal with the contemporary challenges of the time. The amendment is considered as a sacred privilege, not to be infringed, no matter how much blood is spilled in classrooms and school hallways around the country.
In contemporary America, several impediments stand in the way of amending the Second Amendment and bringing about reforms to tackle the gun epidemic.
On the political and legislative front, the Democratic party and the Republican party have opposing stance regarding the issue: primarily centering the discussion around the boundaries of gun control vs. gun rights. The Democrats acknowledges gun violence as a deadly public health crisis, advocating for restrictions on access to firearms while upholding the rights of responsible gun owners. They have managed to pass several legislations to curb the epidemic, however, due to constitutional limitations, all the legislative measures merely address the issue from the surface level, lacking concrete steps to fundamentally challenge and alter the prevalent gun culture in the American society.
While the Republic party is tremendously pro-gun, prioritising gun rights over gun control. Even in the face of unthinkable massacre, the party has stood their ground, providing unwavering support to their cause. In the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting, several states and cities passed strict gun control measures, this led to many Republican states in the South and the West passing “gun friendly” laws, bills aimed at strengthening Stand Your Ground laws and allowing weapons in most public places. Various pro-gun lobbies, such as National Rifle Association (NRA) who are strong financial backers of the party, further hardens the party’s resistance to any new gun laws.
In the legal realm, due to the dominance of Federalist society members and Conservatives in the current Supreme Court, leaning towards an absolutist interpretation of the Constitution, the prospect of a verdict in support of curbing gun violence appears bleak. Instead, we may witness the erosion and relaxation of existing gun control laws.
There is also a deep schism between the citizen regarding the question of gun control. The Pew Research Center poll after the Sandy Hook shooting found that 49% of Americans believed that controlling gun ownership was more important than protecting gun rights, while 42% of Americans believed the opposite.
But all of this must be reexamined in face of this glaring fact - last year alone there were a total of 604 shootings — of which 340 were recorded as school shootings — with 754 people killed and 2,443 injured.
‘Pro-life would be 20 Sandy Hook Students starting High School’.
In my view, adhering strictly to the supposed ‘intentions’ of the framers of the Constitution, or adopting a ‘textualist and originalist interpretation’, is simply foolish. Why does it matter what they really intended over two hundred years ago? Why must we be bound by it?
While law, order, the Constitution, and rights are crucial elements that underpin a democratic nation, when the solution to a problem is obvious, why hesitate to implement it? Why should we allow a document written centuries ago by ordinary mere mortals such as us, who lacked the ability to foresee the future and craft provisions relevant for all times, dictate our actions today? While it's important to honor our forefathers, it should not come at the expense of our freedom, safety and our capacity to address present day challenges.
It's essential for America to confront the gun issue for what it truly is, not the superficial debates about "the intentions of our forefathers." The real issue lies in the desire of gun enthusiasts to bolster their fragile egos and assert a sense of power.