It’s time to take gun violence seriously again

While the coronavirus pandemic flared up quickly and without warning, another epidemic has been simmering in the background and is beginning to boil over and devastate communities across the United States: gun violence.

The gripping headlines Americans have grown accustomed to, from school shootings with high body counts to shocking events of domestic terror, have largely been replaced by the exploding number of everyday acts of gun violence. As the nature of gun violence changes, it’s important that Americans organize and petition lawmakers for federal gun control, especially now that legal reform is a tangible possibility.

Chicago ended 2020 with 4,033 shooting victims — nearly double that of the year before — and the trend is evident across the country. Over 19,000 Americans died of gun violence last year, the most in over 20 years.

It’s been almost exactly three years since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and fortunately school shootings since have resulted in fewer victims. But the number of mass shootings — defined by at least four non-suicide fatalities — has skyrocketed to over 600, a 50% increase from 2019. 

Although mass shootings always made up a small percentage of all gun violence, the appalling stories of these horrific events brought substantial attention to the topic. Google analytics show clear spikes in the number of searches related to gun violence immediately following large mass shootings, which translates to enthusiasm behind movements like March for our Lives, but those spikes in attention quickly fade without triggering substantial reform. 

The quick and simple answer to skyrocketing gun crime statistics has always been to increase police budgets and crack down harder on crime. However, the current increase in gun violence occurs during a time with the largest Chicago Police Department budget in history. This mismatch demonstrates that the police are at the very least insufficient — and likely incapable — of decreasing gun violence on their own. Even if drastic increases in the police budget have some impact on crime, the funding often is taken from social programs meant to address the structural reasons for crime. Thus, any benefits must be weighed against the inequalities that policing produces.

Gun control measures such as licensing and universal background checks are proven to be effective in states where they have been implemented. From 2013 to 2019, gun violence increased 91% in states with weak gun laws and only 33% in states with stronger gun laws. While state and local measures can be effective, the inability for state or county borders to contain firearms means that federal gun control is necessary to truly diminish gun violence. 

Last time there was national outrage over gun violence, Republicans — who vehemently oppose substantial gun control — controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency, making it near impossible for change to occur. Now, in the middle of a new wave of gun violence, Democrats have retaken both branches of government, making substantial, popular gun control a real possibility. Unfortunately, because of the lack of national outrage and attention, gun control doesn’t even crack the Biden Administration’s top seven list of priorities. 

It’s up to us, as Americans, to relearn our anger toward laissez-faire gun laws and call attention to this important issue by prioritizing tangible improvements to our current laws like universal background checks, a high-capacity assault rifle ban, closing purchasing loopholes and funding gun buyback programs.