A common sense approach to gun control
My View
Alexandra McKinney
"Live free or die" may be our motto, but we must take a hard line when it comes to the tragic results of allowing guns to fall into dangerous hands.
With two recent instances of gun violence in Derry on the same day, it's time to scrutinize how our state is, or isn't, working to prevent gun violence. Both sides must rise above partisanship and embrace basic state gun control standards—universal background checks and mandatory licensing—to help New Hampshire forge reasonable compromises between the rights of responsible gun owners and common-sense measures and set a precedent for other states and the nation.
Think about this. New Hampshire has few gun control laws beyond federal requirements. We don't ban concealed weapons, assault weapons, or large-capacity magazines. While these subjects are more controversial, both sides can compromise by requiring universal background checks and licensing.
These regulations may have been unnecessary in the past, but as times change, our state must adapt to avoid dangerous consequences. Though New Hampshire's population growth is steadily around the national average, it's clear that more people are moving to our towns and living closer together. We must be proactive in preventing the rise in gun violence associated with population growth, rather than reacting after the fact.
It is necessary to close a loophole in the Brady Act that leaves openings to purchase guns without background checks through gun shows and private transactions. Currently, the Brady Act only mandates background checks for purchases from authorized dealers.
Criminals and those under 21 exploit this loophole to acquire weapons. Since the Brady Act came into existence, it has prevented 1.6 million people prohibited from buying guns from doing so, but tragedies like the Columbine shootings remind us that this restriction isn't enough. Background checks are not required in 40 percent of gun purchases. We must make sure that people who are prohibited from buying guns from federal dealers won't be able to buy them in private, unregulated New Hampshire markets either.
We must also mandate licensing for potential owners before they purchase guns. Responsible gun owners could easily complete this process, while it deters those who want guns for criminal purposes. Licensing is effective, judging by a Johns Hopkins' study showing that states requiring licenses trace, on average, 2.5 times fewer guns used in crimes to sales made in the state. We wouldn't want to share roads with unlicensed drivers, and we wouldn't feel safe swimming or fishing in lakes alongside unlicensed boat operators. Logically, we then shouldn't be forced to share our forests, our towns—our entire state—with people who haven't been properly trained in handling deadly weapons. As an additional dissuasion to criminals, licensing allows us to keep records of weapons and owners, helping police solve crimes.
Despite the sensibilities of these regulations, gun control is needlessly divisive in state and national politics. Most gun rights advocates resist common-sense regulations, bowing to the pressure of the NRA, since they fear such measures will lead to a comprehensive gun ban. On the contrary, these laws aren't designed to prohibit law-abiding citizens from owning guns. Instead, they work toward universal goals of keeping guns away from dangerous individuals and decreasing gun violence.
We must, as a community, state and nation, bring Democrats and Republicans together behind legislation for universal background checks and licensing. We must make this issue a priority by holding New Hampshire politicians accountable for their lack of action this past year, supporting candidates who will back these measures, and compromising to overcome gridlock and implement this mutually beneficial legislation.
We can hope for national action, such as the passage of Senator Lautenberg, Senator McCarthy and Senator Castle's recent bill to close the Brady Act's loophole. However, if we begin these initiatives in New Hampshire, we will reap the benefits and set an example for other states and the nation.
By rallying grassroots support for gun control as a priority, we can urge our governor and legislators to action rather than accepting silence.
Rather than reacting to violence after it has occurred, let's begin proactively by putting common-sense regulations on guns. What will it take to start conversations about gun control? Our reputation for Yankee tenacity and common sense should compel us to raise our voices and insist that it's possible and necessary to protect the right to bear arms and the need to live in safety, rather than wait for further incidences of violence to bring this issue to light.
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Alexandra McKinney is a public policy major at Stanford University. She has lived in New Hampshire for 12 years and graduated in 2008 from Londonderry High School.
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A common sense approach to gun control
Originally Posted by clerk.mvgc
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