Editor's note: This story was first published on November 20, 2017, shortly after the shooting in Rancho Tehama, California, that killed four people.
Last week, America saw another mass shooting.
On November 14, a shooting took place in Rancho Tehama, California, where 44-year-old Kevin Janson Neal targeted seven different locations, including a local elementary school. During the 25-minute-long attack, Neal killed four and injured ten.
Since January, there have been over 300 mass shootings in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive Defined by the Archive as one where “…four people are injured or killed in a single incident, excluding the shooter,” the nation’s mass shootings achieved a particularly deadly milestone in October and November, when the Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs shootings (#273 and #308 of the year), became the first and fourth deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
After each instance of violence, many call for solutions, but none have been met thus far, with the federal government continuously in gridlock over how to approach gun control. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) both introduced key gun control legislation calling for an assault weapons ban and universal background checks following the Las Vegas shooting, but neither have gained the necessary bipartisan support. Both senators have acknowledged they don’t expect the bills to move, and should be considered as negotiating tools with the GOP.
So, with this inaction, how can America’s gun problem actually be solved? Here are steps individuals can take, to help end the nation’s gun crisis.
1. Voting is crucial.At the local and state levels, we must continue to support the candidates who will advocate for sensible gun reform.
Candidates like Virginia’s governor-elect Ralph Northam, who boasted an F rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA), a reflection of Northam’s stance on gun restrictions, are in a position to support the type of state legislation that can’t be achieved on the federal level (yet), including limiting the number of handguns an individual can purchase, and preventing gun owners from carrying concealed weapons without permits.
This state-by-state approach toward gun legislation is not without problems, as states with stricter gun laws often find illegal guns flooding in from states with weaker laws, as in the case of Chicago and neighboring Indiana. But victories achieved at the state level, including the Massachusetts legislature’s recent passage of the nation’s first law banning bump stocks, are still significant given the federal government’s current inaction.
There must also be a commitment to voting out legislators who routinely accept donations from the NRA. In both the U.S. House and the Senate, the top 10 legislators who have received the most NRA funding are Republicans, with lifetime donations ranging from $172K to $7 million.
Publications like the Washington Post have pointed out NRA campaign donations aren’t a direct factor in influencing Congress, removing NRA-backed candidates would still send a clear message on the rejection of the gun lobby, and serve as a reminder that pro-gun control supporters can match the NRA in mobilization. With over 300 days to go until the critical November 2018 midterms, now is the time to support candidates running against NRA-endorsed incumbents, and volunteer to help flip those seats.
2. Shifting the way we approach the gun lobby. As of 2017, there were approximately 5 million members of the NRA, one of the nation’s most powerful lobbying groups. But it’s only a small percentage of the approximately 55 million Americans who own firearms, reminding us the NRA does not speak for every gun owner.
Public recognition of these statistics would begin to shift the narrative of the NRA as impenetrable. If all pro-gun-control supporters — including the 80-90 percent of gun owners who support measures like universal background checks — committed to voting, donating, and rallying pro-gun control efforts as often as NRA members do, this would push back against the NRA’s control on gun legislation.
Even if pro-gun control supporters can’t match the nearly $54 million the NRA spent on lobbying in 2016, human outreach can still help make a difference, a point noted by Vox in a 2015 editorial. Education and organizing would help reach additional advocates, while also ensuring support and turnout, when it comes time to vote for critical gun legislation.
There must also be a shift in how the nation understands and discusses gun control. After incidents of gun violence, many people often advocate for for the type of legislation seen in other nations, like Australia’s 1996 National Firearms Agreement, which banned certain semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, created a 28-day waiting period, and required gun ownership justification, with the idea enactment will help broadly eliminate gun-related deaths in the U.S.
While federal passage of gun ownership restrictions should remain a long-term objective, it’s important to recognize the United State’s gun culture is also significantly different than other nations. With the U.S. currently ranked as the world’s most well armed country with approximately 270–310 million firearms, a single piece of legislation won’t address the crisis, according to some surveys. Other legislative areas must also be considered, including the need for accurate and consistent data.
In the aftermath of Sutherland Springs, reports also surfaced of ongoing problems with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the FBI’s database used to determine if a buyer is eligible to purchase a gun. Other agencies have been unable to share information consistently, potentially leading to millions of missing records, including those of the Sutherland Springs shooter. Though challenges with the NICS database are not new, a point made in 2013 by NPR, a renewed public push for funding to increase database personnel and infrastructure would likely gain bipartisan support, particularly given Senator Murphy’s ongoing work with GOP Senator John Cornyn (TX), to explore a bill aimed at strengthening the system.
As noted by The Atlantic in 2016, the federal government froze critical research into the causes of gun violence in 1996, reducing available data for legislation and needed programs. Despite a 2013 lift on the ban by President Barack Obama, research has not continued. A federal resumption is unlikely under President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly argued shootings are not a gun control issue, but a mental health issue, despite lessening restrictions to guns for those with mental illness — and despite his personal shift from supporting gun restrictions to support of the NRA, who spent $30 million in support of his election.
Individuals may support the private foundations continuing the work, including the MacArthur Foundation and the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, a Chicago-based coalition dedicated to reducing gun violence through research, grants, and community activism.
3. Supporting the nonprofits that advocate for gun control. Organizations like the Brady Campaign, Everytown and Moms Demand Action are valuable resources in the fight against gun violence.
Each have played critical roles in ending gun violence, including supporting key legislation like Washington state’s 2014 passage of universal background checks.
Support for these organizations can range anywhere from monthly donations, to joining or forming local chapters. Chapters focus on anything from supporting progressive candidates, to rapid responses for unfolding situations.
It’s important to remember that even with these recommendations, there will be setbacks. Gun violence, particularly mass-shootings, are a systemic problem that has only grown in lethality over the past three decades. But with every step taken, ground will be gained — much like the victories seen this past Election Day, when the NRA lost 12 of their 13 endorsed races in Virginia, despite spending $2 million in outreach.
If each one of us takes one of these steps, the nation’s gun crisis will slowly begin to turn the tide.
Related: Why Gays Against Guns Thinks Gun Violence Is a Public Health Issue
Check this out: