2. Adults with mental or emotional illnesses;
3. Criminals.
Making the Random, Predictable?
As I indicated earlier, preparations can
certainly serve to reduce the frequency of black swan events, but it cannot
stop them from happening altogether.
There is already substantial legislation at the
state level which is designed to lessen the lethality and access to firearms..
This Wikipedia
page provides a state-by-state analysis of applicable handgun and long gun
laws. Connecticut, in fact has strong legislation designed to reduce the
presence of assault weapons as well as ensuring that only those who are neither
criminals nor mentally disturbed can purchase firearms. Nonetheless, with all
that was in place, this shooting occurred.
California, Connecticut and New York are among
the states with the strongest limitations on assault weapon. The California Penal Code, Section 12276.1 (a)
essentially follows the Federal Law which expired in 2004 in which there
are now calls for reinstating it. In one way or another many states have
replicated it in their definition of what constitutes an, "Assault
Weapon." For a fuller understanding of the California law, this
PDF's provides a complete analysis of the kinds of weapons which are
completely illegal, having him one way or another violated the ban on assault
weapons As you will note, the defining characteristic of a semi-automatic is,
that it is equipped with the magazine which discharges a shell with each pull
of the trigger. The vast majority of rifles sold to domestic consumers can be
classified as semi-automatic. The Bushmaster
223 caliber rifle certainly fit that category. So too did the other
handguns carried by Lanza.
It is important to understand that, for all
practical purposes, every handgun in the United States (with the exception of
historic weapons) can be classified as being semi-automatic. In confined
spaces, the handgun is every bit as lethal a weapon as is the rifle or shotgun.
Therefore, in and of itself, restricting purchase of semi-automatic long guns
is likely to have little or no effect on the casualty rate when shooting incidents
occur.
In the case of both children and those with
mental or emotional illness, it is essential that we find ways of keeping
weapons from them. It is important to note that none of the proposals which
have been made by others or which I am making here would not have had the
remotest effective in preventing this shooting.
Helping, But, by No Means Completely
Ending
The proposal offered below offer possibilities
for mitigating, but, by no means completely ending shootings at schools or
other places where many people assemble.
1. Requiring Biometric Trigger Locks
Require that all handguns and long guns be manufactured such that a biometric
trigger lock comes ready to use by the purchaser. Even if taken whether
accidentally or purposefully by those not permitted to use the weapon, they are
prevented using it. When properly designed and installed, these locks cannot be
circumvented. Just as there are safety specifications required of manufacturers,
whoever currently has a responsibility for safety inspection and quality
control would be tasked with the responsibility for verifying that all
manufactured weapons which can be sold in the United States have this trigger
guard installed.
Private owners having purchased weapons prior to
this legislation taking affect would need to be given a specific length of time
by which a licensed gunsmith or other qualified individual in could install new
trigger guards. This would of course require a long period of time, since given
the number of weapons in circulation would take a long time to make these
conversions. For those failing to make these changes have any fines or
disqualification from gun ownership should be included to eliminate failure to
install this measure.
2. Gun safes or long gun cabinets: Require that prior to purchase or transfer of both handguns and long
guns that safe storage be a part of the requirements to make purchases. Handguns must be stored in Gun
Safes when kept within residences. When present in places of business, or
public dormitories (as at colleges and universities, or offices), depending on
the regulations of the school or place of business. In general if weapons are
allowed that entity must provide its own regulations for safekeeping of those
weapons. Long guns when stored at the residence of their owners would be
required to be stored in break proof cabinets. Prior to the purchase of weapons
a bill of sale showing that such cabinets had been acquired or that a safe was
purchased, would be necessary for the purchase of any firearm.
3. Fixing accountability for background
checks: In the aftermath of the April 16, 2007 massacre at Virginia
Tech, the deadliest shooting spree in U.S. History, it was discovered that Cho
Seung-Hui had been
determined to be mentally ill and a danger to himself and others. In spite
of that court ruling and an order to undergo a psychological evaluation, Cho
was able to purchase the handguns he used to shoot 32 people and himself from a
licensed gun dealer. Given this information as well as the rest of the article
in which it appears, it should be evident that legislation at the federal level
is essential to ensure that all applicants are thoroughly and carefully vetted,
eliminating any who may be disqualified by mental disturbance, drug addiction,
alcoholism, or criminal record.
4. Requiring Mental Health Workers Flag
Concerns regarding Patients or Student Contacts. Yet almost every one
of the major mass shootings which have occurred in recent years, the
perpetrator has had some contact with a mental health worker. This may have
been in contact with a medical professional, school guidance counselors, social
workers, or others having a professional relationship with that individual.
When these professionals have concerns about an individual it is essential that
they not only have data entry access to those databases which are used in
assessing the application of prospective firearms purchasers, but that these
professionals be required to enter appropriate warnings to prevent potential
killers from being able to purchase weapons.
5. Elimination of the Production of
"Assault" Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines except for Sales to Law
Enforcement and the Military. Calls for the Elimination of,
"Assault," weapons may mean different things to different people.
When we talk about an assault weapon some people think of it as a fully
automatic weapon that fires all his ammunition continuously so long as the
trigger is pulled. In essence the most familiar example that would be the MP-5,
which is a machine pistol so often displayed in movies depicting Special Forces
personnel in action. The only organizations which can justify the use of fully automatic
weapons are just that -- United States Military. There is no conceivably justifiable
reason for placing automatic weapons in the hands of individual citizens.
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