What can be done to reduce the epidemic of gun violence that continues to plague our country?

Some people suggest we need new laws to create more and better background checks. The goal of such laws would be to make it harder for criminals, physical abusers, and individuals with severe psychiatric disorders to purchase a gun.

Others argue that, “We don’t need more laws, we need to enforce the laws we already have.”

Both arguments have merit. We need better enforcement of existing laws and we need new laws.

One major reason that our current background check law is not more effective is that Congress has failed to appropriate the funds necessary to improve the law. In 2007, Congress passed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act, which was designed to eliminate lapses in state record keeping that have repeatedly allowed dangerous people to get a gun. That law authorized more than $1 billion to be spent on this important initiative.

To date, only about 10 percent of the authorized money has been appropriated. The reason the money has not been appropriated is that year after year Congress has allowed aggressive lobbying by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to greatly reduce the appropriations needed to fund enforcement of the NICS Improvement Act.

Without the funding, the system cannot be improved.

In addition to improving the current background check law, new legislation needs to be passed in order to close the gaping loopholes in the existing law. The most glaring loophole is the absence of any background check requirements for sales of guns at private gun shows. This loophole provides easy access to guns for criminal gangs and other dangerous individuals.

Closing this loophole is an important step that Congress could immediately take to reduce gun violence.

Many recent polls have demonstrated that a large majority of the American people want Congress to take action to both improve enforcement of existing gun control laws and to pass new legislation to close the loopholes in the existing laws.

In order for this to happen, however, the power of the people must be stronger than the power of the National Rifle Association. We must repeatedly urge our U.S senators and congressman to stand up to the NRA and take action to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in America. Such action is an urgent priority.

 

Dr. Larry Feldman

Lakeside