Should Gun policies be stricter?

On September 4th of 2024, in the Apalachee High School, Colt Gray, a 14 year old, killed two students, two teachers, and injured seven others. Gray received the gun as Christmas present from his father. His father, Colin Gray, 54, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second- degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder and is expected to be tried as an adult (Rosales et al.) The Apalachee school shooting was the 218th time a gun was fired or brandished so far in 2024. In the last 10 years, nearly 51% of school shootings occurred while classes were in session, and the rest after school hours. As of September 3rd, 20204, 18 of the 46 people killed in school shooting were under 18 (Gualyieri et al.).

The Second amendment allows people to have the right to bear arms, with a third of Americans say they own a gun. 72% of gun owners claim to own a gun for personal safety, however, while most gun owners enjoy having a gun at home, only 31% of nonowners living in a household with a gun say they enjoy having a gun at home. Despite this, 61% of Americans say it is too easy to obtain a gun, and 58% of Americans favor stricter gun regulations (Schaeffer).

In the United States after John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated, Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968, GCA. The GCA is meant to keep firearms from those who should not own guns. One of these is requiring Federal Licenses for transferring firearms. The CGA prohibited certain people from owning firearms, such as felons or children under 18. The Gun Control Act allowed states to enforce their own laws by prohibiting transport of gun laws (Gun Violence Reduction).

While this is in the entire United States, what about in Illinois? Illinois has one of the strongest gun safety laws and low levels of gun ownership in the United States. This is especially the case following the Highland Park shooting on the 4th of July (in 2022). Lawmakers prohibited assault weapons, however, despite the laws, Illinois still has an unethical rate of gun violence. Since Illinois is surrounded by states with weaker gun laws, most guns recovered in Illinois are purchased out-of-state. While Illinois has 50 key policies, and regulates gun industry and safety, there are something that could be added (Everytown Research & Policy). What do we need in Illinois? We need a state rule mandating that all guns include microstamping technology, as this would would aid police in identifying the shooters.

Works Cited

Everytown Research & Policy. “Gun Laws in Illinois.” Everytown Research & Policy, January, 2024, everytownresearch.org/rankings/state/illinois/.

Gualtieri, A., Sawate, J., Gold, R., Johnston, T., & Manthey, G.. “Apalachee High School Shooting Is the Latest in U.S. Here’s How Many Happened in 2024, so Far.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 4 Sept. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/how-many-school-shootings-2024-apalachee-winder-georgia/.

“GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION: NATIONAL INTEGRATED FIREARMS VIOLENCE REDUCTION STRATEGY.” United States Department of Justice Archive - Appendix C, www.justice.gov/archive/opd/AppendixC.htm. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.

Isabel Rosales et al. “The Father of the Georgia School Shooting Suspect Has Been Arrested and Charged, Authorities Say.” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 Sept. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/09/05/us/winder-georgia-shooting-apalachee-high-school/index.html

Schaeffer, Katherine. “Key Facts about Americans and Guns.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 24 July 2024, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/24/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/.

Your goal is to persuade your reader to support law that would mandate microstamping technology incorporated into guns sold in Illinois. One thing I'd recommend is to include the request for specific actions from your audience right at the start of your letter, and then again at the end.

The general model of persuasive advocacy is to present a statement of the problem, and you do this by describing the Apalachee High School shooting and mentioning the assassinations of political figures in the 1960s and further mentioning the Highland Park shooting at the 4th of July parade in 2022.  You accurately point out that the Second Amendment prevents bans, and you might have mentioned court interventions that forced Illinois to allow concealed carry laws. Your point is that despite rights to have guns, there is a well-established history of gun control laws. 

So, I think your letter could have been arranged around this framework:

We ought to have a state law to mandate microstamping technology in guns sold in Illinois. Then, you would describe for your audience what microstamping is, and why you think it's a good thing to do with guns.

Then, you would describe some of the horrible things done with guns, and I like how you use descriptions of specific horrors.  Those anecdotes are powerful.

You might try to state the problem as a series of points: how to ensure that responsible gun owners can enjoy their Second Amendment rights while at the same time preventing unstable death-cult-oriented persons from getting access to guns? How to make it easy to trace guns?  Can we use technology to prevent unauthorized use of guns or unauthorized transfer of gun possessions? Can we hold people accountable if they provide guns to unstable and violent children or adults, but continue to allow responsible gun dealers and manufacturers to provide responsible gun owners with their products?  Perhaps go into some discussion of how people have tried to deal with these problems through legislation.

Then, return to microstamping.  Explain how a law to mandate microstamping of guns in Illinois would contribute to solving some of the problems you've outlined in the previous section.  Then, consider the cases you give in the paragraph where you give examples of mass shooting, and describe how microstamping would have made a difference. 

Conclude with a repeat with your first point, requesting your reader to take steps to pass rules to mandate microstamping.  You might either suggest that the politician introduce such a law and advocate for its passage, or support such a law that has been introduced already.

Student reflects on recent gun violence and mass shootings

 

Free-Writing Response

On September 4th, a student was on the bus to school, with a rifle and a knife in his backpack. Within two hours of arriving at Apalachee High School, he committed the deadliest US school shootings since the March 2023 rampage at the Covenant school in Nashville. Two teachers and two students were dead and nine, one teacher and eight students, were injured. The shooter, Colt Gray missed nine days of classes before the shooting and was charged with four counts of felony murder, and could face life in prison. But how did he obtain the gun? His father bought the gun as a holiday present for his son. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of cruelty to children (CNN).

As of September, there have been at least 49 school shootings, thirteen on college campuses, 36 on K-12 schools. The have left 24 dead and 65 others victims injured (CNN). In September, a man shot his wife and mother-in-law, while two children were there. When the police came, the man turned himself in. The wife was found dead, the mother-in-law was shot, and died later in the hospital. The reason for the shooting was a domestic dispute.

In Dec 2023, a gunman killed three faculty members on a college campus, he died in a shootout with the police. The gunman was roaming the UNLV's Lee Business School and opened fire around noon on their fourth floor. Since it was around noon, if the police had not killed the attacker, there could have been many more (PBS NEWS).

In the United States gun laws vary from state to state (Statisca)

This assignment is to work on a reaction essay for an hour, and I’ve spent my hour reading about mass shootings, school shootings, and gun violence, and now I’m out of time.  I do recommend the powerful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ykNZl9mTQ.  My sister showed it to me a couple years ago.  Naturally, this topic should (and does) provoke stroke emotions. One of the many thoughts I have is wonder and anger. Why can’t our society find a way to stop these events?

Yes, the reaction essay is an assignment to do a free-writing assignment for just an hour, and freely express your feelings about an issue in social work or social welfare policies.  I think some students exceed the time limits to write more polished reactions, but the point is to allow students to share their feelings and thoughts.  In this case, the thoughts you’re sharing are mainly paraphrases of recent reports on mass shootings and violence. This is one of the more horrible aspects of our culture and society.  In a huge country with hundreds of millions of persons, one can expect the occasional atrocity committed by a few of the worst people subjected to the worst circumstances, but America has way more mass shootings, school shootings, and acts of tremendous violence than one should expect.  There is clearly something in our culture that is creating this situation.  I know that some degree of reasonable gun control laws ought to have a slight impact on the situation, but the sort of total gun bans and strict regulation of guns that might work in other societies would not work here because of the Second Amendment, and my understanding is that cultural changes will be more effective than gun control laws (although both would help) in diminishing these acts of mass violence.

For the time being, gatekeepers (school teachers, coaches, school administrators, school social workers, etc.) who have contact with children are learning to recognize signs that might predict who will act like this.  In the case of the September 4th Georgia school shooting, it seems the family was aware that their son was troubled and potentially dangerous. The authorities seem to agree, since they have charged the boy’s father with crimes for providing the gun. Since I was a child, I’ve thought that middle schools and high schools ought to teach some basic psychology to students, and that such content is just as important as math, science, English, and so forth.  Children can learn about healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships, and learn about friendships and romantic relationships, with the lessons drawing from research on family dynamics, domestic violence, marital satisfaction, and friendship.  Academics have studied these things, and we have a lot of basic knowledge that is no more difficult to understand than quadratic equations and the laws of thermodynamics, which are still taught in high schools, I think. Clearly, children should learn how to recognize signs of persons who are maladjusted and potentially dangerous, and also learn how to create a social environment that diminishes the risk that such people emerge and go on to commit violent crimes and atrocities. There is no harm in learning about the darker side of human behavior if the emphasis is on learning how to recognize it and create a community that does not encourage it. 

Violence prevention is an important field, but the gains we’ve made in learning how to prevent violence are not given much attention.  On the other hand, we (as a society) do give lots of attention to specific acts of violence.  My impression is that the news about violence does not inform the citizenry about what is going on in society or psychologically, and so most people are left with an impression that people are just getting worse, or more people are randomly becoming crazy and violent.  Thus, narratives about the importance of law and order as a way to stop waves of crime are embraced by people hopeful that such a turn in policies will remedy the problem (that they don’t understand).  

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

It's no secret that the regulation of guns in this country needs some reform. It’s not uncommon for firearms to be sold online without the proper license to do so and without the buyer passing a background check first, both of which are standard practices to buy and sell guns in the United States. For decades citizens have cried out to their elected officials to do something about this issue, and while there have been policies implemented to try to stop guns from getting into the wrong hands, none have been successful in stopping the illegal sale of guns to felons, domestic abusers, or even minors who try to use unlicensed gun dealers as their ticket to owning firearms. By supporting the new changes being made to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, there is a hope for a future where students will no longer fear the threat of a school shooting while attending their classes. 

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a federal law that was passed in 2022 during the Biden-Harris administration which aims to help create safer communities for Americans by modifying gun control laws, mental health services, and school safety programs. The new changes being made to the law would cover any possible loopholes that are still allowing the wrong people to bypass the law and purchase guns. It would do this by creating clearer and more strict guidelines to ensure that firearm dealers must become licensed to continue to sell, removing loopholes for gun shows and online sales, and ensuring that all licensed gun dealers are performing background checks before selling. 

Much of the gun violence in America is caused by unlicensed gun dealers selling to people who would not have passed a background check. Even the tragic Columbine shooting in 1999 was the result of minors buying firearms from an unlicensed dealer at a gun show. Supporting these adaptations to the law and urging your representatives in Congress to do the same could be the difference between your child coming home from school or not one day. 

Student supports specific bill to ban high capacity magazines

 Senator Tammy Duckworth
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Senator Richard J. Durbin
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Dear Illinois Senators Duckworth and Durbin, 

    My name is ________, and I am a senior in the Social Work program at the University of Illinois-Springfield. I have lived in Illinois for all of my 21 years. I am writing to thank you both for your support of the reintroduction of the Keep Americans Safe Act. This bill aims to ban the “importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition,” (“Senators Markey & Menendez Re-Introduce”, 2023). Although this bill died in the 117th Congress, I am glad it is being reintroduced to the 118th with the help of cosponsors like you. 

    The most widely accepted definition of a mass shooting is an event in which four or more people are shot and killed (Uribe & Sherman, 2023). High-capacity magazines, which hold ten or more rounds of ammunition, make mass shooting events more deadly. According to Everytown Research (2019), between 1981 and 2017, mass shootings that involved a high-capacity magazine injured 14 times as many people and were twice as deadly as those that did not. Within the past decade, the five deadliest mass shootings in the United States were carried out using high-capacity magazines (Everytown, 2019). If the Keep Americans Safe Act had been implemented, the hundreds of people killed in Las Vegas, Orlando, Newtown, Sutherland Springs, and Parkland may still be alive today. High-capacity magazines are designed to kill and to kill fast. There is no reason for civilians to have access to these kinds of weapons. 

    As a student, I would be lying if I said the idea of a mass shooting occurring at school did not frighten me. Less than two weeks ago, there was a mass shooting at Michigan State University, which is just five hours north of my own university. I have undergone routine school shooter drills since the fourth grade. For over a decade, teachers and administrators have told me, “hide,” “don’t try to save your friends,” “don’t make a sound,” “use anything you can find as a weapon,” “we won’t let you in the classroom if you’re in the hall during a lockdown,” among other things. Children should be able to go to school without fear of dying next to their friends. People should be able to go to the supermarket without fear of being gunned down in the meat aisle. Everyone should be able to leave home without fear of becoming a victim in the next mass shooting. The Keep Americans Safe Act is a step in the right direction. 

    Assuming both of you hold the values of caring and fairness, the Keep Americans Safe Act is a fine reflection of these. By cosponsoring this bill, you are placing the emotional and physical well-beings of American citizens above all else. By advocating for the prohibition of high-capacity magazines, you are advocating for people to be able to go places with less fear and likelihoods of mass shootings. Additionally, since this bill is regarding the ban of high-capacity magazines—not all guns—there is a fair balance between citizens’ safety and their Second Amendment rights. As a future social worker, I, too, value care and fairness, which contributes to my support and appreciation of your cosponsoring of this bill.

    I look forward to seeing how the bill progresses through the 118th congress. I will be sure to consider you both when it comes time to show up to the polls. Thank you, again, for your dedication to keeping Americans safe from unnecessary harm.

Sincerely,
_______________

References

(2019, March). Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Everytown. https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/07/EFGV02_Assault-Weapons-and-High-Capacity-Magazines_Rd2_6-1.pdf

(2023, February 8). Duckworth, Durbin join senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation to ban high-capacity magazines. Tammy Duckworth U.S. Senator for Illinois. https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-durbin-join-senate-colleagues-in-reintroducing-legislation-to-ban-high-capacity-magazines

(2023, February 9). Senators Markey and Menendez re-introduce Keep Americans Safe Act which bans high-capacity firearms. Framingham source. https://framinghamsource.com/index.php/2023/02/09/senators-markey-menendez-re-introduce-keep-americans-safe-act-which-bans-high-capacity-firearms/

Uribe, M. R., & Sherman, A. (2023, February 14). What counts as a “mass shooting”? The definition varies. PolitiFact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/feb/14/what-counts-as-a-mass-shooting-the-definition-vari/

Student write a letter to state representative opposing a gun control bill

 The Honorable Amy Elik

192 Alton Square Mall Dr., Suite C

Alton, IL 62002

Dear Representative Elik:

I reside in Assumption in Christian County. I am writing to ask for your support in the lawsuit against House Bill 5471. I urge you to support all of the surrounding counties, citizens, and representatives that are participating in this lawsuit. They are fighting for their constitutional right. I urge you to communicate with your fellow Representatives and inform them of the unconstitutional things this bill evokes.  

This is a good way to open your letter. You explain who you are, and immediately ask for something.  Good approach.

One of the many things that HB5471 bans are assault weapons. As defined by the NRA-ILA, an assault weapon is any weapon used in an assault. Webster’s dictionary defines a weapon as "an instrument of offensive or defensive combat." This means that I could classify anything as an assault weapon. Whether it be a baseball bat, a car, a hammer, or even a shovel. My bare hands could be considered assault weapons. Hands are used as a weapon in many domestic violence situations. Of course, most people automatically assume a firearm, such as an AK-47, when they hear the term assault weapon. By signing this bill, Governor Pritzker has taken away our second amendment right; the right to keep and bear arms. Not only does this ban “assault weapons”, but it also takes away the right to own, buy, or sell .50 caliber rifles and ammunition, as well as large-capacity magazines. I believe that Governor Pritzker is trying to prevent mass shootings. I believe the recent school shootings had an impact on his decision. 

You move from your request to a justification for why it would be good for your audience to support the action you are requesting from them. In this case, you’re advocating for them to oppose a proposed law that would ban assault weapons, .50 caliber weapons and ammunition, and large-capacity magazines. That’s an odd choice in a policy and services class, since gun bans and the Second Amendment issues are rarely connected to social welfare issues, but let’s just go with how to argue against gun control of this nature. 

Your target audience here is a Republican, and in general we can assume Republicans are sympathetic to arguments against gun control measures. However, in this case, did you do any background research on your target? Amy Elik has been a 4H Club co-leader, and she serves on committees related to elementary education, and she is a Rotarian and member of a Catholic school board. Her background is in finance: she’s an auditor.  It seems to me that this particular person would be persuaded by arguments that were technical and empirical. She conducts audits.  So, shouldn’t you phrase your opposition in terms of evidence and research?  She also has children and cares about children (volunteering for 4-H), and wants her community to flourish peacefully and with prosperity (Rotary Club).  

So, arguments that might appeal to a conservative (a Republican) with a profile and background such as Amy Elik… what would those arguments be?  

In the first place, as a conservative, you probably need to make a stronger argument that a ban on a particular sort of weapon violates an essential right. You do this to some extent, when you complain about the vague wording in House Bill 5471.  You should at least say this directly: “the bill is flawed in that it fails to precisely define ‘assault weapon’ and should be amended to clarify what is meant by ‘assault weapon’ or else it should be opposed more generally, which is what I hope you will do” could be a clear statement of what you want.

She is an auditor and accountant.  Maybe you could have approached the ban on high-caliber ammunition with a suggestion that the state could raise revenue while thwarting disgruntled lunatics from stockpiling an arsenal of massive bullets by taxing at prohibitive rates all .50 caliber ammunition.  If the state took $4 for each .50 bullet sold in Illinois, wealthy gun hobbyists who enjoyed the thrill of shooting super-high-caliber guns could still indulge their pastimes in moderation, and enrich the state while doing so, but the causal madman out to purchase 100 rounds of bullets for his commando assault on the local Lincoln Elementary School might be forced to go for a lower caliber product. Let’s face it, no one buys .50 caliber weapons or ammunition for hunting or self-defense.  These are weapons for hobbyists and enthusiasts who like the thrill of flinging massive amounts of lead at their targets. Maybe they would be useful if you were hunting whales or bull elephants or polar bears, but really, .50 caliber weapons and ammunition must be defended on the basis of two arguments: the fundamental argument based on the Second Amendment or the argument that these sorts of weapons are so overpowered that people planning to use guns to make a killing spree statement will use smaller weapons with smaller bullets.  A list of criminal use of 50 caliber sniper rifles shows many crimes, but when you consider the tens of thousands of gun-related crimes committed each year, it’s clear that these sorts of weapons are not a gun of choice for most criminals. 

However, many of the people with “assault weapons” have no intention of doing any harm. I strongly believe that guns do not kill people. People kill people. These criminals will always find a way to get these banned weapons, whether legal or not. Drugs are illegal, but people still find multiple ways to get them. There are other ways to prevent school shootings, such as having trained guards at all entries, or security checks when entering the building. Another preventative measure would be to have teachers with conceal and carry permits that are able to be armed and ready. There is no need to punish innocent citizens that do not have the intent to harm others. I, as well as most of my family members, own guns. I do not have the intent to harm anyone unless I or my family were to be in imminent danger. My guns are used for hunting to feed my family. How is it constitutional to take away the guns of people providing for their families? Am I saying that these shootings are not detrimental to the state and country? Absolutely not, they are very horrible, and things need to change. However, I do not think that this was the right move. 

As a social worker, you ought to be basing arguments on evidence.  That’s part of our integrity and competence ethics.  So, is there evidence to support your point?  Hmm. Research on policies that might reduce mass shootings are suggestive that banning high-capacity magazines can reduce mass shootings (check out the work of David Hemenway at the Harvard Injury Control Research Center). The evidence doesn’t support your argument there, but perhaps the evidence is weak?  Yes, we don’t have randomized controlled experimental research, and it could be that states that ban high-capacity magazines are also more likely to have better supports for families, better mental health care systems, and violence-prevention programs in their schools, so the association between allowing high-capacity magazines and having more mass shootings in a state could be a spurious correlation. Your argument that having teachers carry weapons in the schools is also not supported by what research exists (e.g., by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions). Again, you can attack the quality of the research (always an option, since no research is perfect), but even mentioning that the evidence is against your argument probably makes the letter ineffective.

I think where you might be able to make a stronger argument, especially to someone who is a volunteer worker with youth (Elik is active in 4H), is a discussion of how the most effective way to prevent violence would be to have a robust system of anti-violence education in K-12 schools.  You could point out that whereas banning weapons gets into the questions of the Second Amendment, which are so important to you and many others, programs to improve the mental health of adolescent boys and create a culture of non-violence and mutual support in middle schools and high schools could be far less controversial and far more effective.  Here, you would have more evidence on your side. It is possible to reduce criminal and violent behavior in a community, school, or neighborhood, but the interventions that can achieve this involve significant work on improving the social relationships among young people, giving them skills to handle conflict peacefully, instilling in young people an ethic that opposes interpersonal violence, and screening young people, especially those with behavior problems, for conduct disorder—and then offering the best treatment available for every youth with conduct disorder. A significant investment by the state in adolescent mental health and non-violence education in schools would have many other benefits beyond an expected reduction in gun violence, and would not have the political controversies or legal costs associated with it that can be expected with any policies that conflict with the Second Amendment.  Also, as this is a social welfare policy and services class, suggesting such an alternative to a gun control measures would be more appropriate for this class.

You might even accuse proponents of gun control bills such as HBHB-5471, of looking for easy fixes that are actually superficial and only effective to a trivial degree, instead of going for the more expensive and comprehensive interventions that would make a significant difference in reducing gun violence, domestic violence, child abuse, and behavioral problems in schools. A conservative who volunteers at 4H and is active on a Catholic school board might appreciate an argument that gun control measures are more a form of virtue signaling than a real dedicated effort to help children.  

I am asking you to work with your legislation and fellow representatives to help expand the support for the lawsuit against HB5471, and to ensure that as citizens of the United States of America, our second amendment right is upheld. 

It is a good practice to repeat your request at the end of a persuasive letter, so the above paragraph is good.

The Land of the Free, Home of the brave. We should have the freedom to own our guns and feel safe in our homes. Without adequate protection, some people feel unsafe. Have you ever thought of veterans? They were the brave ones that fought with those assault weapons. I am sure many veterans own them. By taking them away, Governor Pritzker is wiping away the reminder of all of the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices they gave to protect each and every one of us. I am calling on you as my elected representative to help expand and win this lawsuit against House Bill 5471. 

The allegation that a gun-control bill wipes away all the reminders of sacrifices made during war overstates the case to a point that undermines your argument. Why not simply point out that this bill ought to have made exceptions for veterans? Why not suggest an alternative that required extra licensing and training requirements for persons who want high-capacity magazines or assault rifles or .50 caliber guns, or a 21-year-old or 25-year-old age requirement? What about exemptions for muzzle-loading guns, which are often high caliber, but are hardly ever used (are they ever used?) in crimes these days? 

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please send your response to the address listed below. I will be watching to see how you advocate on this issue that means so much not only to me and my family but to gun owners everywhere.

Another good technique is to request a response.  So, bravo!

Sincerely, 

Student advocates action from the White House on mass shootings

   The President

        The White House

            1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

                  Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President Donald Trump,

I am very concerned about all the mass shootings we have been having recently, many of which are happening in schools where many innocent children are being killed. I know that you are also, like all feeling human beings, upset by these atrocities, and you and I are united in our desire to find a solution that will end these mass shootings.


I believe stricter gun laws would help lessen America’s gun violence. I think you can work with Congress to get reasonable gun control laws passed to reduce the mass shootings. In addition to gun control, there are other things that can be done with less political difficulty, and I hope you will advocate for Congress to send you laws that will do these other things, or find a way to use your powers as head of the Executive Branch to encourage other preventive measures.


 Studies have shown that the gun homicide rate is much higher in the United States than in other developed countries. For example, the rate is “six times the gun homicide rate of Canada, more than seven times that of Sweden, and nearly sixteen times that of Germany” (Lopez, 2018). This correlates with the fact that the United States also has the largest amount of privately owned guns. CNN states “The US makes up less than 5% of the world’s population, but holds 31% of global mass shooters. After controlling for variables such as socioeconomic factors and other crime, places with more guns have more gun deaths” (Lopez, 2018). 

This shows that gun deaths in America are highly over represented. Since America only accounts for 5% of the world's population, it should only represent 5% of the world's gun violence. Since this is not the case; however, we know that something is very wrong here. I know that the Second Amendment gives us the right to possess firearms. I know that we cannot change this right, but I believe that something needs to change in order to significantly lessen the number of mass shootings and resulting tragic deaths we have been suffering from in our country. In the first 52 days of 2018, America has already experienced 34 mass shootings (Jeffery, 2018). 

Please Mr. President Trump, instead of blaming these on the mental health of the shooters, we should focus instead on the item that is making these mass murders so easy to accomplish. I believe we should focus on having stricter gun laws in America. This will not only save lives, but will also ensure that fewer people develop trauma-related mental illnesses resulting from these shootings. A 2016 meta-analysis of “130 studies in 10 countries found that new legal restrictions on owning and purchasing guns tended to be followed by a drop in gun violence — a strong indicator that restricting access to firearms can save lives” (Lopez, 2018). America’s rate of death by firearm is increasing at an accelerated pace. If the United States changes the gun laws to be more like Australia’s, we can expect to see this number go down dramatically. In Australia, the “firearm homicide rate dropped by about 42 percent in the seven years after the law passed, and its firearm suicide rate fell by 57 percent” (Lopez, 2018). To accomplish this feat, Australia banned many guns and bought the privately owned, now banned, guns back from their owners. Another idea would be to require gun purchasers to receive a license or permit before they can acquire any kind of gun. After Connecticut incorporated this law, there was a 40% drop in gun related homicides and a 15% drop in suicides as well (Lopez, 2018). The evidence from Australia, Connecticut, and the scientific literature is conclusive; some forms of gun control and restrict gun access can reduce some types of gun-related violence.  Yes, gun control alone will not solve the problem, and we will still have persons who are murderous and dangerous, but no solution is perfect, and saying that an improvement like sensible gun control must be rejected because it only partly—rather than completely—solves a problem would be an act of political cowardice.  And you are no coward!

I believe stricter gun laws would help lessen America’s gun violence. Yet, gun gun control is not the only policy to pursue. I also believe that we need stronger preventative protection to help stop mass shootings from being carried out. More metal detectors in places like schools, clubs, concert venues, and anywhere that would have a large crowd, would ensure that weapons do not make it into the area. Maybe the Federal Government could use grants or policy incentives to help local police or states to supply these metal detectors. There should also be trained police on site that are ready to handle these situations, so any Department of Justice policies that improve police training and professional behavior would be welcome. Another idea, especially in schools, would be door stops that would prevent the shooter from getting into the classrooms all together. Can the Federal Government supply the modest grants that would help schools install these door stops?  Lastly, there needs to be a way, at least in schools, that can help target potential culprits and ensure that they get the help they need. In most cases, a troubled student will often have a turbulent history before committing a crime like this. Schools already provide free counseling to students having any kind of issues; we just need to ensure that those who need help actually get it before it’s too late. Maybe in next year’s federal budget we could direct more resources to these sorts of mental health interventions in schools to help out troubled youngsters before they become dangerous homicidal maniacs. 

Sincerely,

[Student in SWK-355 Policy and Services course]

References

Beauchamp, Z. (2017, November 6). A huge international study of gun control finds strong evidence that it actually works. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.vox.com/2016/2/29/11120184/gun-control-study-international-evidence

Jeffrey, C. (2018, February 21). Mass shootings in the U.S.: When, where they have occurred in 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.abc15.com/news/data/mass-shootings-in-the-us-when-where-they-have-occurred-in-2018

Lopez, G. (2018, February 21). I've covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren't a big mystery. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://www.vox.com/policy-and politics/2018/2/21/17028930/gun-violence-us-statistics-charts

Santaella-Tenorio, Julian; Magdalena Cerdá; Andrés Villaveces; & Sandro Galea. (2016).  What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries?, Epidemiologic Reviews, Volume 38, Issue 1, 1 January 2016, Pages 140–157, https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxv012.  Retrieved February 25, 2018, from https://academic.oup.com/epirev/article/38/1/140/2754868

Here are some points I have in response to this letter:

1) Think of your audience.  Do you really want to cite something from CNN with this guy? Better to not give the source than to admit that the source is coming from a persons or institution this President hates.

2) You have assembled a good range of facts.  In an academic paper, more could have been presented, but the advocacy letter must be brief, so you had to be selective, and I think your instincts led you to pick some of the strongest facts from that German Lopez article.  The four articles you reference are all good.

3) The emphasis is on mass shootings, and of course mass shootings do grab everyone's attention, including the president's attention, so this is understandable.  The general problem of the violence in our American culture is a bigger issue, and as I think we demonstrated in class, the deaths caused by the daily violence of gun homicides and suicides is orders of magnitude more destructive of human life than the mass shootings.  I appreciate that your evidence showed how your policy suggestions might address the wider and larger problem.  There may be some good sense in approaching President Trump, because of his personal style and worldview, with policies set in a context of ending mass shootings, when the ultimate objective may be reduce the tens of thousands of deaths by gun homicide and suicide.

4) On this particular issue of gun control, there are powerful political realities that the letter might have recognized and addressed.  This president likes to appear as a tough guy, and also as someone who is independent of others, so maybe a mention of the vociferous National Rifle Association and its members and what the President might do regarding that group would be useful. You begin to recognize this when you admit that we have a Second Amendment, but you might have gone further in adding a paragraph about the Second Amendment, the rights of Americans to have guns, and how those facts might be reconciled with the need for the sort of gun control you are asking the President to support. Perhaps suggesting that weak politicians are afraid of the NRA, and the NRA may have noble ultimate objectives, but it is fighting for those good ultimate aims by badly opposing many worthwhile policies, and only a strong and brave Republican President would be in a position to help liberate his political party from the wayward misdirection of those NRA advocates.