The biggest threat to the United States in today's society is not radical Islamic terrorism, it is gun violence. In the United States, 30,000 Americans are killed every year from gun violence (Obama). For quite some time, gun control has been an inflammatory subject for bipartisan politics. Republicans, being the party of limited government influence, have always called for as few restrictions on firearms as possible. Democrats, on the other hand, have argued that the safety of the American public trumps the freedoms emphasized by the Republican Party. With mass shootings such as Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora, San Bernardino, Virginia Tech, and Charleston being plastered all over the news, it is hard to ignore the very real dangers of minimal to no restrictions on who can and cannot purchase a firearm. Although the second amendment of the Constitution gives the "right to bear arms," in our present day society with the advancement of technology, this given right has no business being absolute. The current laws in place at both the federal level and numerous state levels do not extend far enough to ensure the safety of Americans. Some may argue that giving more people access to guns by minimizing restrictions will make the country safer. This theory will also inevitably result in firearms falling into the wrong hands. To truly combat the deadly issue of gun violence in the United States, universal background checks to keep guns out of the wrong hands, mandatory gun safety training and licensing for gun owners, stricter access to assault weapons, and a ban on high-capacity firearms are necessary measures to be implemented to ensure the safety of the American public.

The obvious first step to securing a safer America is to expand and improve background checks on gun purchases. Keeping guns out of the hands of individuals who have a history of violent and dangerous behavior would greatly reduce the likelihood and frequency of gun violence occurring. Currently, enforcing background checks for firearm sales is up to state level government and law enforcement. A study conducted for the American Journal of Preventive Medicine concluded that states that implemented more extensive background checks for gun purchases saw a drop in gun-related homicides and suicides (Sen and Panjamapirom). Criteria for this study included checking for criminal history, fugitive status, restraining orders, mental illness and misdemeanors. States such as Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts, which possess some of the strictest gun laws in the country, saw significantly less gun violence than states such as Missouri which has much more lax gun laws (Sen and Panjamapirom). In President Obama's January 5th, 2016 State of the Union Address, he called for implementing universal background checks, increased funding for mental health program, and closing the gun show and online gun purchase loopholes (Obama). He later signed an executive action to put these initiatives into law. Previously, guns purchased at a gun show or online were not subjected to background checks and this proved to be an easy route for criminals and other disqualified individuals to obtain a firearm they would not normally be permitted to purchase in a gun shop (Obama). Citing incidents in his speech such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama implored the American people to say enough is enough and take safety into their own hands. 

In the case of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, a properly conducted background check would have halted the purchase of the firearm used in the shooting. On June 17th, 2015, 21-year old Dylann Roof entered the church during bible study and took the life of 9 churchgoers with a .45-caliber handgun and eight magazines of ammunition (Serrano). Roof was subsequently charged with nine counts of murder by the state of South Carolina (Phelps). In addition to this, Roof was charged with suspicion of using a weapon in a racially motivated hate crime and committing murder in an attempt to obstruct victims' free exercise of their religious beliefs by a federal grand jury (Phelps). A pending drug possession charge would have been a red flag and disqualified Roof from purchasing the firearm in West Columbia, had it shown up during the FBI's background check (Serrano). This misstep in the background check system reiterates the fact that improved and expanded background checks are vital in reducing gun violence. A racially-motivated mass shooting in a place of worship was executed as a result of a fallacy in the background check system. In order to stop high-profile mass shootings like this, and day to day gun violence as well, universal background checks are an imperative first step to be taken.

The next crucial step to securing the safety of Americans in regards to gun violence is implementing mandatory gun safety training and licensing. As it stands, in certain states such as New Hampshire, an individual can walk into an outdoors store such as Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods or even Walmart and purchase a firearm without a license or any prior training (Obama). Requiring a state-issued license for owning guns is a common sense measure to weed out potentially dangerous individuals from being able to purchase a gun. Any red flags such as criminal history, restraining orders, history of domestic violence, etc. would show up during the application process and would disallow dangerous individuals from being able to legally obtain a firearm. In addition to this, mandatory gun safety training prior to being issued a license would greatly reduce the risk of accidents and misuse of firearms. Basic training measures such as how to safely store and transport firearms can greatly reduce the risk of theft. Theft of a firearm begins the domino effect of a legal gun falling into a criminal's hands who can then turn around and use this weapon to partake in more criminal activity and possibly even take a life. Citizens that have nothing to hide (i.e. no criminal record, history of domestic violence, etc.) will still be able to purchase firearms for home security, hunting, sport, etc. with no problems. Taking any steps to reduce accidents involving guns and theft of firearms is a common sense measure to reduce gun violence in America.

The issue of who and to what capacity citizens have access to military-style assault weapons has long been debated in the United States government. When the second amendment was enacted in the 18th century, the technology regarding firearms was nowhere near where it is today. 250 years ago, the concept of a semi-automatic assault rifle, specifically designed to take human lives, was not in the realm of possibilities for lawmakers at the time. In today's society, with firearm technology being what it is, assault weapons should not follow the same guidelines under the second amendment as other firearms. For individuals wishing to purchase and own a military-style assault rifle, additional training and evaluations must take place. With the immense stopping power, high fire rate, and large-capacity compared to a handgun, shotgun or hunting rifle, assault weapons should be more strictly regulated as to who has access to them. A weapon that can hold up to thirty rounds in a magazine is completely unnecessary except for individuals that have one objective in mind; walking into a public place and firing off thirty rounds without even having to reload, potentially taking thirty lives in the process. Additional training to inform owners how to properly handle and care for their firearm would go a long way in assuring these military-style weapons are not misused.

In the case of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, stricter access to assault weapons could have halted the massacre entirely. On December 14th, 2012, 20-year old Adam Lanza entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School and took the lives of 20 first graders and 6 teachers (Zornick). Lanza's weapon of choice for the massacre was a Bushmaster AR-15 Assault Rifle (Zornick). With Lanza's history of mental illness, access to a military-style assault rifle defies every aspect of common sense. Stricter regulations for access to assault weapons could have given 20 children a chance to grow up and live a meaningful life, instead of having it cut short at the age of six or seven by a deranged individual.

Basic measures that do not obstruct the rights given to American citizens under the second amendment can go a long way to reducing the 30,000 deaths per year from gun violence. Some may argue that initiatives such as increased background checks and restrictions on military-style assault weapons create an inconvenience for law abiding citizens and do not actually stop crime because criminals don't use legally purchased firearms. This is simply not the case, as 75% of mass shootings involve legally purchased guns, such as the ones used in Charleston Church shooting by Dylann Roof and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting by Adam Lanza (Zornick). Improved background checks, such as the ones proposed by President Obama, would have stopped Dylann Roof from purchasing the .45-caliber pistol used in the church shooting and have been proven to reduce gun-related deaths across the board on the state level (Sen and Panjamapirom). Requiring gun safety training and licensing for gun owners would go a long way in reducing accidents involving guns and would keep guns out of the wrong hands from the onset. Placing heavier restrictions on who has access to assault weapons and requiring additional training on top of already mandated gun safety training would ensure that weapons specifically designed to kill people are only being handled by highly qualified and trained individuals that will not use them for heinous acts. Banning large-capacity weapons that can hold up to 30 rounds would also greatly reduce the number of potential lives lost in the event of a mass shooting. These minor inconveniences and restrictions on firearms for law abiding citizens would greatly reduce gun violence in the United States. Any citizen that can't endure out the waiting period for a background check and opposes the minor inconvenience of undergoing safety training and applying for a license most likely has something to hide from their past and shouldn't be allowed to purchase a firearm anyways. Although every American has the "right to bear arms" under the constitution, the regulations regarding this right need to be updated to serve and protect our 21st-century society and combat the nationwide epidemic that is gun violence.

