The following article is written by Rev. John Matthews (NOTE: The (numbers) refers to the REFERENCES portion of this article)

If “ready access to firearms” (1) with modest restrictions on obtaining, possessing and storing firearms in the United States continues, an “unintended consequence” (2) will likely be an ever-increasing occurrence of “accidental, intentional, and suicidal death” (3). Reducing the current epidemic level of gun violence that plagues our society (4) will require:

  1. On-going Firearm Safety Instruction (5)
  2. Significant commitment to mental health issues. (6)
  3. Legislation promoting ‘safe storage practices’ (7) known as CHILD ACCESS PREVENTION LAWS.
  4. Stricter ‘firearm purchaser licensing g laws’, wider education and enforcement regarding ‘Domestic Violence Prevention’ (DVPOs) and ‘Extreme Risk Protection Orders’ (ERPO), and ongoing responsible ‘Conceal and Carry’ requirements.
  5. Societal advocacy for healthy relationships within diverse communities, including for example, ‘Community Violence Intervention’ and ‘Community Violence Interruption’ programs.
  6. An ‘unselfish sacrifice’ (8) on the part of ‘pro-Second Amendment’ (9) persons (who currently defend more open carry ‘ready access to firearms’) will be needed to pave the way for more responsible legislation-now being resisted- to proceed

Concomitantly, there will need to be an awareness that sporadic gun violence will continue to occur, but on a far lesser scale when employing the aforementioned precautionary preventive measures.

REFERENCES

  1. ‘Firearms’ here refers to guns, operated by individuals, whose primary purpose is for self-defense and/or killing other humans beings (e.g. handguns and assault-style firearms); ‘guns and bows’ used for hunting and recreational use are not included here as firearms because their intended use is not to kill people. READY ACCESS TO FIREARMS refers to both the relative ease with which firearms in the United States can be acquired and an assumed ‘right to space’ allowing open storage rather than ‘safe storage.’ While some restrictions exist to control who (by age, state standards or criminal background, etc.) can purchase firearms, such restrictions vary greatly, with numerous loopholes, while Firearm Safety Instruction recommends ‘safe storage,’ a perceived personal ‘right to space’ keeps overruling any such requirement.
  2. While greater occurrences of ‘accidental, intentional and suicidal death’ is not the goal of those promoting ‘ready access to firearms,’ ‘accidental, intentional and suicidal deaths’ are, in fact, UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES of such a proliferation -and discharge-of firearms.
  3. The ‘ready access of firearms’ (including easy access to unlocked and loaded guns) is the primary cause of THE UNITED STATES HAVING A GUN VIOLENCE RATE that is five times that of Canada, sixteen times that of Sweden and twenty-two times that of Australia. Similarly, Japan has 0.3 gun deaths per million people, Germany 1.0 pmp and the United States 36.4 pmp. ‘Ready access to firearms’ (including easy access to unlocked and unloaded guns) has also been the chief cause of the gun death rate among youth (ages 1-17) rising 107% since 2013. This same primary cause played a major role in 2022 of 55% of suicides by firearms.
  4. REDUCING THE EPIDEMIC LEVEL OF GUN VIOLENCE is intentionally used, instead of the phrase ‘eliminating gun violence’ because it is unrealistic to expect-or only considered success-a complete elimination of this epidemic.
  5. FIREARM SAFETY INSTRUCTION – as provided over many years by the NRA and other organizations – will continue to be an excellent resource for training people in the basic safe handling of guns. Such instruction has, no doubt, prevented many accidental shootings and is extremely valuable.
  6. Often at the center of gun deaths and violent behavior is the presence of MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, substance abuse, and relational challenges. Although much is being done to address mental health issues across our nation, much more resources need to be allocated for such care.
  7. More than half of all U.S. gun owners do not practice SAFE FIREARM STORAGE, and another 4.6 million minors in the US live in homes with at least oner gun that is loaded and and unlocked. States vary in definitions and consequences of ‘neglect’.
  8. An UNSELFISH SACRIFICE would truly be required by those currently advocating for as broad ‘ready access to firearms’ in our country. It is they who most often locate the problem – and its solution – in the dysfunction and healing of people, not in the ‘ready access of firearms’. For these advocates to modify their conviction about ‘ready access’, and to support improved legislation regarding responsible purchase, regulation and enforcement would clearly be an unselfish action. This is no small sacrifice, yet such an unselfish sacrifice would be seen as a huge benefit for the safety of all people in then United States, given the epidemic dimensions of gun violence.
  9. Related to the above ‘unselfish sacrifice’, is the issue of SECOND AMENDMENT rights and freedoms in our founding documents. The background and intent of the SECOND AMENDMENT is complex and is still being argued today. For sure, it was put in place to lure Southern states – who feared federal overreach – into ratifying the CONSTITUTION AND AMENDMENTS in the 18th Century; during Civil War times it was employed to discourage – and control – slave rebellion. The enduring attractiveness of that amendment seems to be the second clause, ‘ . . . the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.’ We need to recognize that, although the Second Amendment is indeed a part of our country’s dynamic history, such surgical use of the second clause today is not helpful in creating a safer society. It will take an ‘unselfish sacrifice’ of this perspicuous rendering of the clause to put our country’s overall public health and safety above that of particular individuals rights and freedoms. (In the case of THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA vs. HELLER, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Second Amendment exists to allow individuals to possess firearms for self defense in the home, not just for military purposes. While that ruling makes individual possession and carry legal, it can still be argued that such a ‘freedom’ may not be most helpful in light of today’s massive proliferation of firearms.)