Gun Control in America

Sam Zaslow-Braverman ‘23

For decades, we have heard the same story time and again; a firearm is provided to a mentally ill civilian who uses it to take the lives of innocents. In the wake of a tragic shooting, motivated by racism, it is important to take stock of where we stand, as a nation, on the idea of gun control.
As of right now, the situation is largely unchanged; it is extremely easy for most Americans to purchase these weapons, and many gun owners are psychologically unfit to own them. The results are relatively frequent incidents of violence.

A great portion of these events, including a recent and inexcusable attack on nine Asian-American women, are motivated by racism. Marisa Angelita Aquino Guillet, co-founder of Pace Students Against Gun Violence, has expertise concerning the link between gun violence and racially-based hatred.
“Gun violence is an incredibly prevalent issue, exacerbated by a culture of white supremacy and hyper-militarization,” Guillet said. “Often, perpetrators of racially motivated incidents of gun violence believe that they are defending their nation or race. What does that say about how they have been socialized? Xenophobia also plays a major role in these racially motivated attacks, even when the victims are American. While gun violence prevention certainly involves common sense gun control legislation, mandated background checks, the elimination of military style weapons etc, the matter of wanting to inflict harm and violence also needs to be addressed.”
Many around the country are upset with those in power and believe they should commit to enforcing gun control on a large scale.
“It frustrates me that every time there’s a mass shooting, the same debates follow, but [there is] little concrete action. It seems that many politicians do not put protecting their constituents’ lives at the highest importance,” sophomore Tali Goldman said. “If the necessary stronger legislation [were] introduced, such as further expanding background checks or banning assault rifles, we could effectively decrease the amount of shootings in America.”
However, hope looms on the horizon for a less violent nation. In early March, the House of Representatives voted to pass a bill with the intent of strengthening the background check process, a procedure that in theory prevents mentally ill people from purchasing guns. 
The bill, amongst several other changes, would require prospective gun owners to verify their backgrounds before buying weapons from online storefronts or festivals.
“I’m glad that there is more focus on security when it comes to guns,” freshman Hannah Weisz said. “The only people who should be worried about background checks are those who would have a reason to fail them, and frankly, those people shouldn’t have access to a gun at all.”
The nation’s response to gun violence has been, as a whole, underwhelming, as can be proven by the many mass shootings that have plagued the United States. These acts of violence feed into a sense of white supremacy that is growing alarmingly more apparent. With any luck, and a fair amount of commitment from our lawmakers, stronger background checks will prove to be a strong start in eliminating the unnecessary purchase of firearms. 

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