Mass shootings have been rampant in America than in any other developed country. It has become an urgent and complex problem that requires serious solutions. Find out different ways that can be implemented to prevent gun crimes in the article.
Implement Universal Background Checks
The current federal policies do not provide background checks for firearm sales on the internet, at gun shows, or between individual parties. Though background checks don’t prevent legal gun ownerships, they can prevent guns from getting into high-risk groups and teenagers.
The state should extend the requirements of background checks to cover every detail of gun sales from any avenue, from the internet to private individuals.
Purchasing A Gun Should Be Similar To Buying A Car
The reduction in motor-vehicle deaths in the U.S.A over the last years has remained one of the great successes in public health intervention. The introduction of strict seat belt policies, fewer teenage drivers, and safer cars have been vital in reducing car accidents.
And since gun violence has increased to a level of car fatalities, lawmakers should adopt the strategies from auto safety. They should implement more strict requirements of owning a gun and provide training to licensed gun holders.
Impose A Ban On Assault Weapons
Military-issue weapons should be allowed within the communities. The government should ban high-level ammunition magazines, assault weapons, and devices that can enable high-risk personalities to increase fire rates in semi-automatic guns.
Leverage Smart Gun Technologies
Just like smartphones that unlock when it detects the correct fingerprint, guns should also be made wise to detect their rightful owner. Fortunately, technology in place can be used to achieve this.
Techpreneurs have invented products that apply biometric technologies to identify the rightful owner while locking it for others. While these smart guns may not directly prevent mass gun crimes or deaths from somebody’s weapon, they can reduce accidental shootings.
Stop Legal Immunity for Gun Makers
Federal government policies provide special protection to gun manufacturers. For instance, in 2005, Congress enacted a law that bars gun sellers and manufacturers from civil suits by gun violence victims.
Although nobody will benefit from impractical claims, holding gun manufacturers and sellers responsible for the misuse of guns will compel them to make safer firearms. They will even provide awareness to society about safety procedures and requirements of owning a firearm.
Increase Funds towards Gun Crimes Prevention Research
To combat gun violence in America, the citizens should have enough information about guns and safety requirements, not more weapons. The government must increase money for research on gun crime, its causes, and prevention.
The imposed restrictions on gun violence research funding have limited what is known and what we don’t know.
Conclusion
Gun violence in America is an urgent issue that requires some serious interventions. There are several ways the federal government can reduce, if not eliminate, this problem.
Alongside other methods not included in the post, such as imposing strict rules on owning a gun, stopping legal immunity on gun manufacturers, adding funds to gun violence research, and using intelligent gun technologies, American citizens can live without fear of mass shootings.