I know, these days it probably feels like you're being beaten upside the head with political jargon and absolutist views for the correct solution to the United States' gun violence issue. Here are some popular legislative gun violence treatments.
1. Fix NICS
As of right now, there are loopholes to avoid getting a background check when buying a gun such as at gun shows. However, the larger problem is the lack of effectiveness in the background checks that are done. Local police officials are supposed to report to the federal system in order to make these background checks accurate, but there have not been any incentives for them to report it to this system so it hasn't been regularly updated.
The bill known as FIX NICS seeks to incentivize state police to report violent crimes to the FBI NICS database to make the background checks more effective. According to the Fix NICS website, "A background check is only as good as the records in the database. FBI NICS databases are currently incomplete because many states have not provided all records that establish someone as prohibited from owning a firearm under current law, especially including mental health adjudications and involuntary commitments orders. Including these missing records will help ensure more accurate and complete background checks. "
This would not really be a "new law," it would just enforce the state to abide by the procedure of reporting crimes, which is already the law.
2. Manchin Toomey
In the wake of Sandy Hook, this legislation proposed to expand background checks. Interestingly, Trump recently told the senators credited with the bill that they didn't include anything about a raise in the minimum age because they were afraid of the NRA. Trump does appear to be supportive of gun control legislation.
3. Raising Minimum age
Some stores have already done this without the law requiring them to. Notable among the stores which have raised the minimum age is Dicks Sporting Goods, the Parkland shooter reportedly bought a gun there and public pressure might be to thank for this change.
4. Banning assault weapons
Bill Clinton banned assault weapons in 1994, but that ban ended in 2004. There are some discussions about creating a new ban, but it is difficult to know how that legislation would perform when the NRA is funding so much of our congress.
5. Ban bump stocks
Bump stocks essentially transform semi-automatic guns into machine guns, which is never used in hunting, in case you were wondering. Banning bump stocks has gained popularity since their use in the Vegas shooting. President Trump appears to be for this idea and has suggested an executive order to ban them, it is unclear if he has the constitutional right to do so.
6. Red flag laws
Gives courts more power to take guns away from people considered a threat like the Parkland shooter. The idea is that if someone is known to be a "threat" then courts could take their guns away from them before they could harm themselves or others. One problem with this method as a solution is the potential for discrimination to serve as justification for taking away someone's property; it is entirely possible that Muslim minorities could have their guns taken away because someone views them as a threat.
7. Arming teachers
The idea is that a teacher cares about their students, and in the case of a shooter, the teacher would grab a gun and sacrifice themselves for their students. It's a nice sounding idea, but as a person who remembers high school in their very recent past, it's hard to imagine that my teachers would have been so noble...especially if they were a substitute teacher.
A teacher's commitment to their students usually extends to their desire to help them succeed, and while there are some heroes, many would not risk their lives for their students.
