Monitoring Observed Policy Outcomes by William Dunn
Monitoring and observing policy is a fundamental strategic concept because it enables planning and policymaking. The importance is to connect the outcomes of the policy and its interventions. There is an aspect of accountability and legitimacy used to fund policies publicly. Whenever there is close monitoring, the learning policies become easier to place suitable organizational and legal measures to support the performance. Transparency through evidence-based evaluation is critical in policy implementation hence the resultant matrix of positive outcomes. According to William, monitoring policy outcomes enhances the criticality of its success. There are tiebreaking resources that can be used randomly to allocate people with identical similarities. For instance, social amenities are policies that everyone is dependent on because they make lives easier. Monitoring such outcomes can be done evenly within a given locality.
Policy analysis shapes the identity of available solutions since the problem’s circumstances govern the expected policy outcomes. Therefore, value or utility is created when there is a preferred policy for a potential solution. Dunn posits that monitoring a policy is a social problem, and solving it starts from a definitive historical milestone. This means there should be knowledge consciousness to explore reflective and explicit testing of possibilities. Actions can be quantified based on their records of accomplishment, and each system sets priorities or goals. The overall idea of forecasting is to form an endless choice of evaluation. Policy outcomes are interdependent, and the transformation of knowledge creates technical quality. Evidence-based policymaking culminates in the ambitions of a discussed system of thinking. The constraints of the psychoanalytic techniques are logically positioned to have a collective awareness of the observing team. Decisions on the policies can be made in phases to ensure that every step is monitored with ease.
Gun Policy in the U.S.
Guns have symbolic, economic, and cultural importance in the United States. Many Americans value hunting, collecting guns as a hobby, and sport shooting and keeping them for security purposes. The first gun law was passed in 1934 to regulate the possession of firearms. The National Firearm Act of 1934 (NFA) was enacted after a violent series of firearm misuse. In 1981, the Illinois village of Morton Grove (M.G.) tried to pass controlled legislation on guns (Reeping et al., 2019). The possession of handguns was a menace, and there was a need for local laws to have restrictive orientation. The first passage of the M.G. Act was to allow for gun control advocates, and later on, the community doomed any futuristic legislation on guns. In 1989, many states in the U.S. passed gun control policies to curb massacres, such as the one that happened in Stockholm, California (Reeping et al., 2019). The mass shooting in California led to the passage of a well-intended assault weapon ban that fueled a debate that led to gun control measures in Connecticut and New Jersey.
The first federal law on gun control started in 1934 when the National Firearm Act enacted the regulation of firearms. The Act was termed the control of gangster weaponry such as silencers, automatic guns, and sawed-off shotguns. According to the NFA, anyone who wants a weapon should undergo extensive background checks to ensure good intentions (Reeping et al., 2019). The person was supposed to wait for about six months before being cleared to own a firearm. In 1938, the government formalized regulating the interstate and foreign commerce of guns and ammunition. The law aimed to regulate importers by ensuring they were audited before being granted a license (Reeping et al., 2019). In 1993, congress passed the Brady bill that required a five-day waiting period to allow the police to do a background check before giving or declining to give a gun to any user.
Current Public Policy
The firearm unrest and legislation were addressed on 27 February 2019. The House proposed a federal criminal background bill that required a background check on firearms by a vote of 240-190 in the party lines. All commercial and private firearm sales agents were required to audit their background checks (Barry et al., 2018). However, federal law did not require a background check about firearm transfer between family members or temporary usage of the gun. The 26 Democrats and the Republican caucus required sellers to document the names and report them to security agencies for record keeping. The 2019 bill also proposed that any illegal immigrant in the U.S. be reported to the U.S. Immigration and Enforcement Agency whenever they attempt to buy a firearm. Representative Mike Thompson sponsored firearm legislation (Barry et al., 2018). The proposal was to reduce the average of 170 felons and 50 domestic abusers from laying their hands on a gun from licensed sellers.
Policy History
Former President Trump’s administration released a plan with four pillars to improve safety in schools. According to Trump’s proposal on 12 March 2018, it was fundamental for schools to be secured from gun misuse after the mass shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida that left 17 people dead. The first pillar was to improve schools’ security by training school personnel on ways of using firearms. Secondly, Trump proposed Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) that would remove guns from people who threaten society (Barry et al., 2018). Thirdly, the former president advised Betsy Devos to establish the federal commission on school safety. Lastly, a thorough check-up of an individual’s mental state was deemed fundamental before giving them a gun. After that, on 14 March 2018, the House passed School Violence Act, and it was passed. On 24 March 2018, Democratic lawmakers attended the anti-gun violence march (Barry et al., 2018). The anti-gun protest resulted in firearm legislation on 27 February 2019.
Policy Position Appraisal
The second amendment of the American constitution gives American citizens the right to own a firearm. According to Joe Biden’s administration, about a third of American nationals own a gun. More men than women own a gun, and some of them inherit the firearm. Federal data shows a constant rise in gun sales during the coronavirus pandemic (Ellison et al., 2021). The public policy on firearm restriction has been restricted, but there are endless loopholes in acquiring guns. People go to buying illegal firearms in Mexico and sneaking them into the U.S.
Given that most nationals receive a firearm due to personal protection, the U.S. government has enough security firms to provide security for everyone. The most beneficial stakeholders are gun manufacturers and licensed sellers because of the ever-increasing traffic of new gun owners (Ellison et al., 2021). The public policy on ensuring everyone’s right is met made the U.S. have gun-related murders and mass shootings in public vicinities and schools.
Conclusion
Since 1902, acquiring a firearm has continuously increased as their population also increased. Gun regulations have been made by many countries across the globe, reducing the number of gun-related murders. The U.S. can ensure that people are educated in the best policies rather than gun purchases and mass murder. Trump’s suggestion to check every gun owner’s mental status should be enrolled, and new pursuant firearms should be cleared from mental facilities. The mentality of the gun owner is key in ensuring they are in their best mental state to reduce the chances of committing murder or mass killing.
References
Barry, C., Webster, D., Stone, E., Crifasi, C., Vernick, J., & McGinty, E. (2018). Public support for gun violence prevention policies among gun owners and non–gun owners in 2017. American Journal of Public Health, 108(7), 878-881. Web.
Crifasi, C. (2018). Gun policy in the United States: Evidence-based strategies to reduce gun violence. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 16(5), 579-581. Web.
Ellison, C., Dowd-Arrow, B., Burdette, A., Gonzalez, P., Kelley, M., & Froese, P. (2021). Peace through superior firepower: Belief in supernatural evil and attitudes toward gun policy in the United States. Social Science Research, 99, 102595. Web.
Reeping, P., Cerdá, M., Kalesan, B., Wiebe, D., Galea, S., & Branas, C. (2019). State gun laws, gun ownership, and mass shootings in the US: Cross sectional time series. BMJ, l542. Web.