1. Technology
1.1. Should NICS mark the form as “canceled” or “denied,” the seller cannot legally sell the firearm to the buyer. Michael Smith, a firearm dealer in Simpsonville, S.C., told Fox News he generally provides the customer with contact information for a local lawyer who handles restoration of firearm rights in case the failed background check is erroneous. There have been times police have arrived at the gun shop to arrest the customer who legally cannot purchase a gun, Smith said.
1.1.1. But even as a shorthand expression, it captures the widely believed idea that murder is wrong and the appropriate source to blame for committing murder is the person who pulled a gun's trigger.
1.2. The iGun is a shotgun equipped with a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor that only allows it to be fired by someone wearing a special ring.
1.2.1. In order to purchase a gun from a federal firearms licensed dealer (FFL), a consumer must provide identification and pass a federal background check using the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ 4473 form.
1.3. in general, experts say that the majority of mass shooters use guns that they legally purchase, making it more difficult for smart guns and other technology to play a role in stopping them.
2. Economic
2.1. When the two economists added up the costs of gun ownership and weighed them against various benefits, they concluded that the average household acquiring a gun imposed a net cost on the rest of society of somewhere between $100 to $1,800 per year.
2.1.1. The two economists determined that a greater prevalence of guns in an area was associated with an increase in the murder rate, but not other types of violent crimes
2.2. Miller’s research concludes gun violence costs about $8.6 billion in direct, or “out-of-pocket,” expenses. This is more than just the costs associated with transporting gunshot victims to hospitals and treating them; it also includes long-term prison costs for those who commit gun crimes.
2.2.1. “More help for the severely mentally ill would be effective at reducing crimes against the mentally ill, who are disproportionately victimized,” he said. “It would also reduce homicide. About one-fifth of state homicide prisoners are mentally ill.”
2.2.2. Gun violence costs the U.S. $229 billion a year, or about $700 per American.
3. History
3.1. Democrats, less guns equal less gun crime. On the other side, Republicans generally view such proposals as threats to Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms, while also being ineffective at keeping guns out of the hands of would be criminals.
3.1.1. The gun rights group also notes that a federally funded study of the previous assault weapons ban, which was in place from 1994 to 2004, concluded that “the ban’s impact on gun violence is likely to be small at best, and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”
3.1.2. Since the 1990s, dramatic increases in American gun ownership have coincided with equally dramatic drops in rates of criminal violence.
3.2. Costs of compliance, including fees and possible psychological testing required by local jurisdictions, can exceed $300 just to be eligible for a handgun permit. Quite the contrary, the state of Colorado requires no permit to purchase handguns or long guns, no registration requirement, and ‘Assault Weapons’ are not banned within the state.
3.2.1. On Sept. 13, Congress and President Bush bowed to the NRA and allowed a 10-year-old ban on so-called assault weapons to expire, once again legalizing semiautomatic weapons like the AK-47, the TEC-9 and the Uzi. In the NRA's view, the ban not only didn't prevent crime but also violated the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which grants citizens the right to bear arms
4. Ethics
4.1. Regardless of the best efforts of law enforcement, mental health and education services, violence will always exist and neither prevention nor enforcement will ever be 100% effective. So should law-abiding people just accept this grim fact and desperately hope violence never happens to them? Or should they be able to defend themselves and their belongings against trespass?
4.1.1. Arming more law-abiding citizens means there are no weaker targets anymore, how can you tell if the old lady in the park is defenceless or carrying a lethal weapon she knows how to use? This greatly increases the risk to criminals and making crime too dangerous to consider.
4.2. This is the underlying argument behind the NRA’s reaction to the Sandy Hook shooting; that dozens of lives could have been saved if more law-abiding people had been armed and taken the shooter down quickly. Indeed it might never have happened at all if the shooter had know it was likely he would meet such a defence.
4.2.1. Regardless of whether we like it or not, many people have guns that cannot be trusted with them, and most of them were not obtained legally. No ban on guns will undo this reality, nor the more fundamental reality that violence will always be an option for those who think they can get away with it, or those who don’t think at all. And whether we like it or not, only violence can effectively stop violence when it’s happening.
4.3. While the suggestion that the solution to shootings is more guns sounds insane, there is truth to this idea.
5. Demographics
5.1. studies of gun deaths by the Pew Research Center have found that while gun-related homicides have seen marked declines over the last 30 years, almost half the public believes instances of gun violence are actually increasing.
5.1.1. Gun ownership is more common among men than women, and white men are particularly likely to be gun owners. Among those who live in rural areas, 46% say they are gun owners, compared with 28% of those who live in the suburbs and 19% in urban areas.
5.2. Most gun owners cite more than one reason for owning a gun, but protection tops the list, with 67% of gun owners saying this is a major reason they personally own a gun. About four-in-ten (38%) say hunting is a major reason they own a gun, while three-in-ten cite sport shooting, including target, trap and skeet shooting. Fewer gun owners cite a gun collection (13%) or their job (8%) as major reasons.
5.2.1. large majorities of both groups favor restricting access to guns for individuals with mental illnesses and those who are on federal no-fly or watch lists.
5.3. Legislative proposals that prevent law-abiding adults aged 18-20 years old from acquiring rifles and shotguns effectively prohibits them for purchasing any firearm, thus depriving them of their constitutional right to self-protection
6. Education
6.1. And activists aren’t the only ones supporting gun education. Spurred by the series of school shootings in recent years, school districts and state legislatures across the country are pushing for gun education in the classroom.
6.1.1. Three weeks after a first grade boy brought to school a gun he found at home and shot his 6-year-old classmate in Mount Morris Township, Mich., the state Legislature passed a gun safety education provision with strong bipartisan support.
6.1.1.1. There was a time in America where firearm safety was routinely taught in U.S. schools and the concept is coming back. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed legislation last year that offered $75,000 in funding to schools to implement gun safety courses at public schools.
6.2. Eddie Eagle has reached more than 13 million kids since 1988, said Cifelli. Eddie Eagle is usually taught by local police departments, some schools have incorporated it into their regular health curriculums along with drug and alcohol education and sex education.
6.2.1. Keeping youngsters in the dark only insures that they will not understand the potential danger and increases the likelihood that they will seek to satisfy their curiosity without proper supervision, the DNR says.