Tougher Gun Laws Won't End Mass Shootings

Author: Cody Palmore
Essay Topic: Gun laws and mass shootings

Cody Palmore

Contemporary Essay

Tougher Gun Laws Won’t End Mass Shootings

            Sadly, when turning on the news hearing of another mass shooting isn’t all that shocking anymore.    About a month or so ago there were two mass shootings at colleges in the same week.  Are we growing accustomed to mass shootings as a way of life, throwing our hands in the air as nothing can be done to prevent them, or agreeing with everyone who blames the gun?  After the report about the shooting you always have community members, family members, and politicians claiming we need tougher gun laws to prevent mass shootings.  Tougher gun laws are even a platform for the 2016 Presidential election.  While I agree mass shootings are very tragic, tougher guns laws is not the answer, the answer is keeping guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them, and a better mental health system in our Country. 

            The FBI describes mass killings where four or more people are killed.  Since 1982, there has been 72 mass shootings in the United States.  In those 72 mass shootings, there was a total of 1,103 victims, and 581 of those victims were fatalities.  Out of the 72 mass shootings since 1982, only 14 of the assailants obtained their guns illegally.  So that means, 58 of the assailants, 81%, obtained their guns legally.  If 81% of the mass shooting killers obtained their guns legally, how does making tougher gun laws a way to stop mass shooting tragedies? 

            In addition to gun control, mental illness is brought to the light after a mass shooting.  Everyone wants to know the mental status of the killer, were they on any kind of medication, undergoing treatment, or if someone saw this coming.    Of the 72 killers in mass shootings since 1982, only 23 were reported to not have, or was unclear if they had a mental illness.  That means 49 of the shooters had some sort of mental illness at the time of the shooting or in the past.  That’s 2/3s of the shooters had a mental illness sometime in their life.  Only 6 of those shooters have been reported to have not had anyone concerned about a mental illness.  Mental illness is the issue that needs addressed and the questions we should be asking to help prevent mass shootings.

            How will making a law tougher encourage someone to not do something illegal, especially if they might die at the end of what they are trying to accomplish?  If someone is set on doing a mass shooting and can’t legally obtain a gun, are they going to say “oh it’s illegal for me to buy a gun, so that ruined my plans time to give up”?  No, they are going to find an illegal way to buy a gun, from the trunk of a car, steal one, or lie on the background check and questionnaire.  It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to drink alcohol, but that doesn’t stop underage drinking.  Drugs, with the exception of pot in Colorado and Washington, is illegal to do but that doesn’t stop people from doing drugs.  Making tougher laws on guns isn’t going to stop someone from committing a mass shooting, just like it doesn’t stop a high schooler from drinking, doing drugs, or driving under the influence.

            Some countries like Germany, England, and Australia have enacted tougher gun laws in hopes for putting an end to mass shootings.  Sadly, some of these countries have continued to see mass shootings despite their stricter laws.  In 1998 the UK passed the strictest gun law banning all private handgun ownership in England.  In 2000, Derrick Byrd killed 12 people and injured 30 more and Byrd was licensed to carry a weapon in Brittan.  In countries like Germany, who has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, in order to own a gun they must prove why they need to own one, commit to psychological examination, licensing and personal adequacy for large bore firearms.  Some places with stricter gun laws than the U.S. still have alarmingly high mass shootings, however Germany has added one important piece to their laws, a psychological examination.  Germany is taking into account one’s mental health to determine if they are suited to own a gun.

            As we have seen, the mental health of a shooter plays a huge role, probably the biggest role, in mass shootings.  81% of the shooters in the 72 mass shootings over the last three decades have had some kind of documented mental illness.  In all but six of the 72 tragedies, someone has thought the killer had mental health issues.  If that person would have understood mental illness, or the mentally ill person could’ve gotten better treatment some of these tragedies might have been prevented.  It’s important to note that not all mentally ill people commit crimes.  In fact, more mentally ill people don’t commit crimes than ones that do.  We as a country need to focus on better mental health care for the mentally ill or those who show signs a mental illness like depression and talks of suicide.  We need to end the stigma that all mentally ill people are crazy and need to be hospitalized or heavily medicated.  More people are affect, will be affected, or have been affected with some kind of mental illness then you realize. 

            Mass shootings are no doubt tragic, scary, and becoming a part of everyday life, you don’t know if you are safe anymore at everyday places like; school, the movies, or work.  Many call for tougher gun laws and question the mental health of the shooter.  In the 72 mass shootings since 1982 only 14 of the shooters obtained their guns illegally, while 2/3s of the shooters had some form of mental illness at the time of the shootings.  The bigger issue s mental health not gun control, we already have laws to try and prevent certain people from drinking, or doing drugs but those don’t work.  If someone wants to drink, do drugs, or shoot someone a law isn’t going to stop them.  What we need is to focus on mental health care and holding people accountable for their own actions, or from not addressing the issue when someone thinks they know someone who will commit some kind of mass tragedy. 

References

Follman, Mark, Gaven Aronsen, and Deanna Pan. "A Guide to Mass Shootings in America." Mother Jones. 2 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Armstrong, Paul, and Euan McKirdy. "Mass Shootings Preventable? These Countries Have Tried - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 2 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Johnson, Keith. "The 'Ugly' Truth About Mass Shootings - American Free Press." American Free Press The Ugly Truth About Mass Shootings Comments. American Free Press, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.