Now is the time for gun control

http://www.nydailynews.com

In the wake of Newtown, President Obama has a chance to enact tougher measures

In the wake of the second deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s history, in which 20 young children and six adults were murdered at Shady Hook Elementary School during a year in which there have been 12 other mass murders with guns in the United States, many are asking, will anything be done to reduce the carnage? First, let’s dispense with the notion that guns are irrelevant. Does our nation face unusually high rates of mass killings because we have so many more evil or dangerously mentally ill people? If you compare rates of crime and mental illness, you will find that the United States is not significantly different from other high-income countries. But violence in the U.S. is far more lethal because we make it too easy for criminals, the dangerously mentally ill and underage youth to get guns. U.S. homicide rates are nearly seven times higher than the average homicide rate among nations of similar wealth because our homicide rate by gunfire is 22 times higher. Parallel events with 24 hours of each other demonstrate the significance of gun availability. In China, a man who was described as mentally disturbed used a knife to attack and wound 22 school children, but all survived. Nearly all who were wounded in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School died. Some opponents of stronger gun laws claim that we’d have fewer mass shootings if more states allowed people to carry guns into schools, movie theaters and places of worship. But it stretches the imagination to think that the unusually high rate of mass murders in the U.S. is due to our gun laws being too strict. Most analysts paint a bleak picture about the politically obstacles to making meaningful reforms in U.S. gun laws. We’ve seen countless mass shootings followed by silence and inaction from elected officials. This is likely due to the media, politicians and some advocacy groups falling into predictable roles and rhetoric that highlight viewpoints at each end of the spectrum and a huge cultural divide about guns. But I am cautiously optimistic that the horror of 27 deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the numerous other mass shootings this year, and our extremely high rate of gun deaths will move us beyond the typical pro-gun vs. anti-gun debate by focusing on what the vast majority of gun owners and non-gun-owners agree upon. You wouldn’t realize from news coverage, but survey data indicate that three out of every four NRA members want all firearm purchases to be contingent upon the buyer passing a background check. Fixing the fatal flaw in federal guns laws that limit background checks to sales from licensed dealers happens to be at the top on the agenda of most gun violence prevention advocacy groups. Unregulated private gun sales benefit criminals, gun traffickers and the gun industry at the great expense of public safety and peace of mind. This reform could be implemented without disarming any truly law-abiding adult who is not dangerously mentally ill. Elected officials think they are following the wishes of gun-owning constituents by toeing the NRA line, but that is not always the case. What better person to speak for the large silent majority of gun owners than Capt. Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a long-time gun owner who understands like few others the consequences of our flawed gun laws? Kelly was one of the first to call on elected officials to enact sensible regulations on guns following this most recent mass murder. I expect that President Obama will change course from his first term and push for reforms that will help to keep guns from dangerous people and restrict weapons designed for military use to the military. But the logjam on the issue will only break if more of the silent majority of gun owners join a broad coalition that includes law enforcement, public health and a broad range of faith-based groups to demand fixes to our gun laws that will save lives without infringing on gun owners’ rights. Several studies have demonstrated that gun seller accountability measures reduce the number of guns diverted to criminals. Laws restricting access of guns to high-risk groups such as domestic violence perpetrators and underage youth are not foolproof, but they have been shown to save lives. The status quo on U.S. gun policy is failing to make us safe or free. It is costing too many lives, leaving countless children, families and communities fearful and traumatized. Let’s hope that our elected officials will heed Mark Kelly’s call to lead and enact more sensible gun policies. Webster, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.