Gun Massacres
Mass shootings dominated discussion in several presidential debates in 2015, and the 49 people killed in the Orlando massacre in June 2016 ensures the issue will remain part of the presidential debates indefinitely. According to GunViolenceArchive.org, the ten deadliest mass shootings of 2015:
Dec.2: San Bernardino CA, 16 killed, 19 injured
Oct.1: Roseburg OR, 10 killed, 9 injured
Aug.8: Houston TX, 8 killed
July 23: Lafayette LA, 3 killed, 9 injured
June 17: Charleston SC, 9 killed
June 7: Deer Lodge MT, 5 killed
May 17: Waco TX, 9 killed, 18 injured
Apr.16: Phoenix AZ, 5 killed
Feb.26: Tyrone MO, 8 killed, 1 injured
Feb.7: Douglasville GA, 5 killed, 2 injured
Statistics on Gun Ownership
40% of all US homes have guns
81% of Americans say that gun control will be an important issue in determining which Congressional candidate to vote for.
91% of Americans say that there should be at least minor restrictions on gun ownership;
57% of Americans say that there should be major restrictions or a ban.
Child-Safety Locks
In 1996, 140 children died after being accidentally shot; in 2012 the figure was 259 with comparable numbers in between.
About 1,500 children are hurt by guns every year.
"Trigger Locks" require entering a combination to use the gun (or some other locking method);
they are intended to reduce inadvertent use by children or other unauthorized users.
Gun control
Advocates of gun control cite the large number of people killed in gun-based homicides each year: over 8,000 per year, peaking at 14,000 in 1993.
Over 100,000 people are shot each year in the U.S.; 72% of all violent killings use guns as the weapon.
Compared to Japan, where gun laws are very strict regarding both ownership and punishment, only 4 people were killed by guns in 2012.
Japan has a smaller population, but even counting that, the per capita death rate is 1,000 times higher in the United States.
Background Checks
The "Gun-Show Loophole" means that there are no background checks when purchasing guns in a private transaction.
Guns sold at gun shows through dealers ARE subject to background checks; only those sold privately are not.
Right to Bear Arms
The Supreme Court ruled in 1939, in a case called "US v. Miller," that the 2nd amendment
only protects guns suitable for a well-regulated militia --
for example, sawed-off shotguns can be banned because they're not "ordinary military equipment".
Since 1939, the Supreme Court has not heard any further 2nd amendment cases;
the most recent ruling prior to “Heller”, in 1997, overturned part of the 1993 Brady Bill, but did not address 2nd amendment rights.
“Heller” refers to a ruling on the issue of “individual rights”. The Supreme Court ruled, in the 2008 case called “District of Columbia v. Heller”, that the 2nd Amendment does define an individual right to gun ownership, as opposed to a “collective right” for a state-run and state-armed National Guard.
Much discretion was left to the states and to Congress, but Heller opens up the issue to further Supreme Court cases.
Hence, gun control issues are still primarily the subject of Congressional legislation.
Federal discussions on gun control often focus on the “D.C. handgun ban” because Congress has direct control over the gun laws of the District of Columbia. One such law was at issue in the Heller case.
Gun Control Buzzwords
The biggest component of the Gun Control debate is whether existing gun laws are sufficient, or whether more gun laws are needed.
Liberals and populists generally favor more gun laws. Look for buzzwords like "more registration" or "more licensing" to describe seeking further restrictions legal ownership; or "close the loopholes" and "restrict access" for further restrictions on illegal ownership.
Moderate liberals and populists will generally favor more restrictions on ownership while paying lip-service "sportsmen's rights" or respecting "the right of self-protection." A moderate compromise is to "extend waiting periods" before allowing ownership, to perform "background checks" of varying degrees of severity.
Conservatives and libertarians generally oppose gun laws. Look for buzzwords like "Second Amendment rights" or "allow concealed carry". A call for "instant background checks" pays lip-service to gun-control advocates: it sounds like a restriction, but means allowing purchasing guns on the spot.
Moderate conservatives and libertarians oppose gun laws while acknowledging that restrictions are inevitable. Look for buzzwords like "enforce existing gun laws," which implies not passing any NEW gun laws. Similarly, "more strict enforcement" of gun laws implies a pro-Gun Rights stance, unless it is accompanied by a call for new gun laws.
Centrists and moderates from both the right and left generally support restrictions on juvenile access to guns, especially in the wake of tragedies like Littleton and other gun-related deaths.
Positive mentions of the NRA (the National Rifle Association, the largest pro-gun rights lobbying group) implies support of gun rights, while opposing the NRA or "taking on the gun lobby" implies support of gun restrictions.
Many states have “Stand Your Ground” laws, justifying the use of deadly force when threatened, in contrast with the legal principle of an “obligation to retreat” first. The Florida version of the “stand your ground” law gained national attention in February 2012 in the case of Trayvon Martin shooting. Martin, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by a “neighborhood watch” coordinator, George Zimmerman. Citing the “stand your ground” law, Zimmerman was not initially charged, but was later arrested.
Zimmerman was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter in July 2013. Since then, the mainstream media report regularly on Zimmerman’s new arrests & police encounters, including a “road rage” incident in Sept. 2014.
The Newtown, Connecticut shootings in December 2012 reignited the debate on gun regulation. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Several bills were proposed in the 2013 Congressional session: banning the sale of semi-automatic firearms, and restricting large-capacity magazines.
Amendment II to the US Constitution
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. (1791)
