The grossly oversimplified politicization of the recent massacre at Umpqua Community College in Oregon has again sparked a national conversation on the effectiveness of ‘common sense’ gun control laws. The proposed measures, however, are abstract, cater to individuals, and impractical. Gun violence statistics point to a more dire issue: homicides as a result of drug-related violence.
Leftist pundits have been attempting to legitimize gun reform by championing universal background checks. This demonstrates an alarming ignorance towards how gun sales actually work in this country. These people have been so good at perpetuating these misunderstandings that many would be shocked to find out that background checks are already required for every single commercial firearm transaction, making guns the most highly regulated consumer product in the United States. Since 1938, commercial firearm transferrers have had to be licensed by the government.
Commercial gun sellers are bound by federal law to conduct a criminal background check on all individuals purchasing a firearm. This revelation also extinguishes the myth of the ‘gun show loophole,’ or the belief that gun laws regulating transactions evaporate at gun shows; commercial and non-commercial dealers are still bound by the same laws. It is a popular misconception that a person with a felony conviction or a clinically insane individual can walk into your local Wal-Mart and easily purchase an AR-15 assault weapon.
If common sense background checks are already in place on a national level, then what types of gun reform are the left really raving about? First, it is worth noting that there are over 300 million guns in America. Many Democrats spew out gun violence statistics about other nations, which cannot be replicated in the U.S. and entirely discount the increase in general homicide and crime rates in such nations.
If President Obama had absolute authority for one day, the ‘common sense’ reforms he would initiate would entail a ban on assault rifles, magazine capacity restrictions, and a national gun registry. This would indeed amount to confiscation of weapons from the citizenry, which is a blatant violation of the Fourth and Second Amendments. Attempting to register and confiscate firearms would be not only a bureaucratic nightmare, but also a total failure. As has been proven in Canada and New York, the only people who would actually follow the law are the people who are law-abiding; a market of over 30 million illegal firearms would still be unchecked and ultimately wreak havoc on the now defenseless law-abiding citizenry. The evidence lies in the countries that have attempted to do this, notably Australia and Canada.
The confiscation programs in these nations resulted in tremendous increases in armed robberies, home invasions, and general homicide rates because criminals failed to turn over their illegal firearms. America is not and never will be like Hong Kong or Japan, where gun culture does not exist, and dabbling in such policy to replicate these nations is a waste of time.
According to conservative talk show radio host Dana Loesch, over 80% of homicides are gang or drug-related. Thus, decriminalizing drug use would result in a large decrease in homicides. When Prohibition was repealed, gun-related violence plummeted significantly; however, since the ‘War on Drugs’ started with the Nixon administration, gun-related deaths have skyrocketed. What’s more, ending the war on drugs would have several other positive effects beyond limiting gun violence.
The campaign itself has cost the federal government over a trillion dollars and has failed. Additionally, it would be a significant effort towards relieving overcrowded U.S. prisons filled with non-violent drug offenders. A regulated drug industry would nearly eliminate a black market and allow people to settle disputes peacefully in a court system and not through the barrel of a gun. By ending the War on Drugs, we can kill two birds with one stone. Let’s end the War on Drugs, dramatically reduce gun violence, and get low-level drug offenders out of prison.
