Global Impact of Firearm Proliferation
Firearms have become one of the main problems for the international community and security due to their excessive distribution in all regions of the globe. In local wars and conflicts, such weapons are in significant demand. This popularity stems from the fact that small arms are relatively inexpensive and, therefore, affordable. Additionally, it is convenient to carry, easy to use, and can be hidden, making it suitable for extended use. No region is unaffected by the devastating effects of the proliferation of small arms. Accumulating these weapons does not cause conflicts, but easy access to them encourages violence to resolve disputes and deepens and intensifies conflicts, making them deadly.
Many Americans are seriously injured every year and lose friends and family members in gun-related incidents. Those who live in the United States are seven times more likely to die from murder than in any other rich country and 25 times more likely to die as a result of murder with a gun (On gun violence, 2022). The risk of gun violence in the United States is high and virtually universal.
Gun Violence and Regulation
Federal regulation of firearms has been a subject of ongoing interest for legislators. Several proposals have been made in recent congresses, some of which aim to relax federal restrictions on firearms or facilitate state reciprocity for individuals who are permitted to carry guns in other states (U.S. gun policy, 2022).
Other proposals included tighter restrictions on federal regulations regarding the possession, transfer, or sale of guns or more background checks on the purchase of firearms. These different approaches, in turn, give rise to debate not only about their pros and cons but also about their legitimacy (U.S. gun policy, 2022). The ability of Congress to legislate on such matters must comply with the Second Amendment and other constitutional restrictions.
Recent Trends and Legislative Responses
Since the beginning of the pandemic, sales of small arms have broken all records. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that in January and February 2021, employees processed almost 7.5 million inquiries, and the personal data of gun buyers (DeCelles et al., 2022). Since the beginning of the pandemic, ethnic minorities have bought more guns, and there have also been many more women (Miller et al., 2022). Thus, the demographic of gun owners has also expanded: due to social tension, many began to buy guns for self-defense.
Gun laws are addressed in six areas of general policy: classes of guns that can be owned, sale and transfer, gun dealers and other dealers, gun ownership, consumer and child safety, and crime detection. A review of federal legislation reveals some significant gaps in the above policy areas, as federal regulation of firearms is limited. The analysis of the available data and their research shows that policy measures have some impact on the reduction of deaths from guns.
Many studies support the positive results of laws requiring the safekeeping of guns in preventing child deaths, measurable benefits in reducing unintentional and intentional self-harm, and mortality among young people (Morral, 2020). However, the impact of these laws on the defensive use of weapons, one of the main objections raised against child access prevention laws, has not been rigorously assessed.
Federal law provides the basis for regulating firearms in the United States, but states and cities may impose additional restrictions. Some studies have shown that states with stricter gun laws, such as California or Hawaii, have fewer gun deaths, though the researchers say more analysis is needed (Masters, 2022). As a result, politicians do not have a complete picture of all the possible consequences of laws.
Because of their availability and ease of use, guns have been the main, if not the only, means of violence in almost every recent conflict the United States has faced. More than 39,700 people died from gunshot wounds in the United States in 2018, according to vital statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the beginning of the pandemic, this figure has only increased and led to record numbers of deaths from firearms.
More than 45,000 Americans died from guns in 2021, the highest number in decades, and the upward trend will continue. According to statistics, almost two-thirds of these deaths were suicides. Even mass shootings, which occur almost regularly and attract so much attention, account for only 0,5% of all deaths from shootings in the U.S. annually. At the same time, the tightening of gun control continues to cause controversy and discontent on the part of the public and politicians.
Following the Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bipartisan bill that includes the most severe federal gun restrictions in decades. The bill would increase background checks on gun buyers under 21, allocate significant funds for mental health care, and improve school safety (Masters, 2022). Now convicted of domestic violence, persons will not be able to purchase guns for five years, even if they were not married to the victim and were not cohabitants. Additionally, the document provides for increased funding to enforce laws that allow for the temporary seizure of weapons from individuals deemed a danger (Masters, 2022). Thus, throughout the history of the United States, there have been attempts to control guns, but in recent years, this problem has received even more attention.
References
DeCelles, K. A., Kouchaki, M., & Halevy, N. (2022). Unexpected employee location is associated with injury during robberies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(39).
Masters, J. (2022). U.S. gun policy: Global comparisons. Council on Foreign Relations.
Miller, M., Zhang, W., & Azrael, D. (2022). Firearm purchasing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the 2021 national firearms survey. Annals of Internal Medicine, 175(2), 219–225.
Morral, A. R. (2020). Gun policy in America: An overview. RAND Corporation.
On gun violence, the United States is an outlier. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (2022).
U.S. gun policy: Framework and major issues. Congressional Research Service. (2022).