Debate Club

Should Obama's Gun Control Proposals Be Enacted? >

Gun Laws Can't Prevent All Gun Deaths, But Can Save Many Lives

Gun laws can't prevent all gun deaths, but they can save many lives

January 18, 2013

About Lindsay Nichols:

Lindsay Nichols is a staff attorney with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a San Francisco-based public interest law center dedicated to preventing gun violence.

The collective heart of the nation was broken last month, when 26 people, including 20 first-graders, were gunned down in an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Each year, 30,000 Americans die at the barrel of a gun, and 30,000 families suffer the loss of a loved one. We cannot prevent all of these deaths, but we can save many lives. We as Americans have the right to feel that our elected officials have done everything possible to prevent these tragedies. We have the right to feel safe in our communities.

If enacted, President Barack Obama's proposals will reduce this epidemic. The president's proposals would strengthen our currently abysmal federal gun laws in three crucial ways. First, a background check should precede any gun sale. Currently, guns are sold at gun shows, on street corners, and over the Internet with no questions asked. Background checks prevent convicted felons, domestic abusers and seriously mentally ill individuals from obtaining firearms, and should be universally required.

[See a collection of political cartoons on gun control and gun rights.]

Secondly, the president seeks a ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines. These devices serve one purpose: to allow a shooter to spray a large number of bullets very quickly. They are not for hunting or self-defense. They increase the number of casualties in a shooting and do not belong in civilian hands.

Finally, Congress should make gun trafficking a federal crime. Gun traffickers exploit the differences in state laws and escape prosecution by buying guns in jurisdictions with fewer regulations and distributing them for profit in states with stronger regulations. Federal penalties should apply to gun traffickers, as they do to drug traffickers and money launderers.

[Read the U.S. News Debate: Should High-Capacity Ammunition Magazines Be Banned?]

Recent polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans, including gun owners, support these changes to the law, and for good reason. States that have stronger gun laws have fewer gun deaths. The only reason these proposals have not yet been adopted federally is because our elected officials have, for too long, pandered to gun manufacturers and the extremists that lobby on their behalf. These lobbyists do not represent the views of the American public—they don't even represent the views of most gun owners. Because of the recent mass shootings, the American public is more aware of this issue than ever, and is ready to hold legislators accountable unless strong laws are adopted to prevent further tragedies.

Tags:
Obama administration,
gun control and gun rights
Other Arguments
#1
#2
#3

Yes — Obama's plan to strengthen background checks and ban military-style weapons will protect communities

DANIELLE BAUSSAN, Associate Director for Government Affairs at the Center for American Progress.

#5

Reader Comments ()

About Debate Club

A meeting of the sharpest minds on the day's most important topics, Debate Club brings in the best arguments and lets readers decide which is the most persuasive. Read the arguments, then vote. And be sure to check back often to see who has gotten the most support—and also to see what's being discussed now in the Debate Club.

Have ideas about what the Club should be debating? E-mail it to dclub@usnews.com.

You can also join the debate on Facebook or follow Debate Club on Twitter.

Advertisement
Cartoons
Thomas Jefferson Street Blog
Crowdfunding Zack Braff's Film And Robert Griffin's Gifts Is a Mistake

Rich people don't need donations from the public.

Poll Shows Americans Find Obama's IRS Story Barely Believable

There is still something fishy about the scandal at the IRS.

Do Benghazi, AP and IRS Scandals Reflect Obama’s Leadership Style?

It may be that a flawed leadership style is filtering down to the rest of the government.

In Marine Umbrella Incident, Republicans Still Deny Obama Is President

Umbrellagate is more proof that Obama's critics cannot acknowledge that he is, indeed, president.

Obama Isn't Nixon, but Needs More Friends in Washington

President Barack Obama needs to make more friends in Washington.

Republicans Can't Forget the Economy During Obama Scandals

Scandals provide good fodder for the GOP, but it can't forget about fixing unemployment.

Amidst Obama Scandals, Republicans Prepare a New Debt Ceiling Hostage

Republicans are preparing to take the debt ceiling hostage…again.

Benghazi, IRS and AP Scandals Reveal a Clueless President

The recent slew of scandals reveals an administration either incompetent or malicious.

Advertisement