Guns, and gun laws, are constantly at the center of the discussion when it comes to American politics. The NRA, led by Charlton Heston, champions greater freedom of gun ownership and claims this is something all Americans are entitled to under the Second Amendment. They seek to de-regulate gun ownership as much as possible, championing causes such as Concealed Carry in many states and also fighting gun legislation, such as the Brady Bill. However, movement is being made on the other side as well, particularly in the wake of tragedies in the recent past which include the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Aurora shootings, the Sikh Temple shooting in Wisconsin, and the shooting at a political rally in Arizona which caused Congresswoman Gabby Giffords to sustain life-threatening, and certainly life-altering, injuries. Despite the best efforts of the NRA, there is a growing awareness in America that there is a massive problem with guns in this country falling into the wrong hands, and a growing drive to take measures to prevent that from happening in the future.
Gun ownership historically in the United States has been high. In the past, guns came in useful in being able to mount a resistance to the British in the Revolutionary War. This, perhaps, is why some interpret the Second Amendment as a right to gun ownership, although many argue that the “right to bear arms” applies only to those bearing them within the framework of a militia that the amendment unquestionably guarantees. Historically, though, a general restriction on guns would have been unfavorable to American expansionism and Manifest Destiny. For citizens colonizing the American West, guns were not only desirable, they were necessary to sustain existence. With a need to hunt to supplement the diet as well as a lack of local law enforcement, guns were an absolute necessity. This is likely why they are so ingrained in American culture in comparison to places like Great Britain, where guns were generally a rarity and are now essentially outlawed for the general public.
Today, there is a large segment of the American public which enjoys recreationally hunting and shooting. This segment has been groomed by the NRA to believe that any restrictions on guns will ultimately lead to their ban entirely. This results in staunch opposition to any restriction on guns, even assault weapons which have no practical use in hunting. Restrictions on guns are viewed by many through the lens of “give an inch and they will take a mile”. While the Republican Party is famed as the champions of gun rights due to their close association with the NRA, Democratic politicians are not immune, depending on their district. While, say, Congressman Barney Franks or Senator Ted Kennedy can be outspoken on the issue given their districts and the opposition to guns and the general apathy for hunting within them, Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind or former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold had to issue public statements on their websites stating that they supported hunting and engage in the sport themselves in order to maintain their constituencies in a state that has many home-grown recreational hunters and also relies on out-of-state hunting tourism for revenue.
In 2012, however, Wisconsin presented two of the most compelling cases for increased gun control. The first was the Sikh Temple Shooting, in August, in which White Supremacist Wade Michael Page killed six people and wounded several others inside and in the parking lot of the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Page was able to legally purchase the weapon at a gun shop, despite the fact that he had neo-Nazi ties going back quite some time, as well as clear psychological issues. Had, perhaps, restrictions been in place on the ability for members of hate groups to purchase weapons been in place, the tragedy might have been averted.
Wisconsin’s second major shooting of 2012 happened in the wake of the Sikh Temple shooting. This shooting occurred in October of 2012. A man named Radcliffe Haughton, with a history of being reported for domestic violence against his estranged wife, Zina, yet no arrests for it, went to the salon where she worked in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He shot and killed Zina as well as two other women. It was not legal for him to purchase a weapon from a gun shop, due to an injunction she had against him, but it was still legal for him to purchase one through private sale. He did just that in order to obtain the weapon he used to shoot up the salon.
The alarming part of both stories is how easy it was for these men, both clearly unstable, to obtain a weapon, which they then each used on their respective rampages. Haughton, at the very least, should not have been allowed the option of purchasing a weapon at all (he was denied the right to do so through dealers; yet he is the perfect example of how easy it is to sidestep that by simply making a private sale). Page’s background was such that any background check should have at the very least batted an eye.
I would propose, in light of these recent tragedies, that at the very least, stricter laws need to be enforced to ensure that people such as Haughton and Wade are not given the ability to simply purchase a gun as they please. I would suggest, on the basis of Haughton’s case, that measures be made to restrict private sales and place more responsibility on the seller in cases where the weapon ends up being used to commit a crime. This would include starting some sort of mandatory background check for private sales as well, which would of course include a waiting period. A state-by-state run website system where information on the buyer can be submitted for a state-run background check would be a start. It certainly would not be perfect, as a fake identity could be obtained by certain buyers, but it would still deter a large number of people who know they are not allowed to buy guns on the public market. To address Page, I would suggest restricting the abilities of people to buy at least certain kinds of weapons if they are affiliated with hate groups or have a clear history of mental instability. Many of the other proposals suggested in the aftermath of Sandy Hook Elementary also warrant consideration, including an outright ban on assault weapons and a restriction on the number of bullets sold to an individual.
2012 brought a number of new gun massacres directly into the homes of Americans. While it has also galvanized the NRA against incursions onto what they perceived to be their rights, it has also empowered many average Americans to reconsider the lax attitude towards guns in this nation and the ease with which they can be obtained. It is time to capitalize on this reconsideration and make bold moves to restrict the abilities of certain elements of society to procure them.
Works Cited:
Ariosto, David. “Sandy Hook Hearing Reveals Sharp Divide on Gun Control.” CNN.com.
Diedrich, John. “Radcliffe Haughton Sidestepped Brown Deer police for years.”
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal. October 22, 2012. Web.
Romell, Rick. “7 Killed, Including Shooter, at Sikh Temple in Oak Creek.” Milwaukee
