Very few issues have generated as much
emotion on both sides as the issue of gun regulation. After 10 hours
of debate last Friday, the House amended Senate bill S.55 dealing
with firearms regulations. S.55 passed the
Senate with
- a provision related to the disposition of firearms that have been seized by law enforcement, and
- an expanded background check requirement for unlicensed (private) firearm sales, with exceptions for law enforcement, military and immediate family members.
The House
Judiciary Committee after weeks of testimony voted 6 to 5 to include
- a 21-year old age requirement for purchase of long guns (the purchase of handguns to those under 21 is already barred by federal law), with an exception for law enforcement, military and 18 to 20 yearolds who have taken a hunter safety course,
- a ban on bump stocks, and
- a ban on high-capacity magazines (more than 10 shot capacity).
The provisions of
S.55 help protect the safety of the general public. Expanding
background checks makes sense because it is too easy for criminals to
get their hands on guns if they can bypass the background check
system in place for federally licensed firearms dealers. Responsible
gun owners who want to sell one of their guns now have the backup to
ask the purchaser to go through a background check. Transfers of
firearms between immediate family members are not affected.
The rationale for
prohibiting sales to under-21-year-olds is based on data showing that
almost all completed
teen suicides involve the use of guns. Teens are more likely to be
impulsive when dealing with adversity. There have been many instances
of Vermont teens taking their own lives that way including a
Charlotte teen, a classmate of one of my daughters, who committed
suicide by handgun. If we at least require the consent of a parent or
the taking of a safety course, we can reduce the impulsivity factor
in cases like these.
The bill does not
ban any types of firearms, but does address accessories that can make
semi-automatic firearms, like the AR-15 used so notoriously in the
mass shootings we have become too familiar with since the Columbine
High School massacre, more lethal. One of the most notorious was the
Las Vegas massacre where a bump stock device was used to effectively
turn a semi-automatic rifle into a virtual automatic rifle. In
combination with high capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds were
able to be fired into the crowd of concert-goers, killing 52 and
wounding hundreds of others. If such weapons are to be available,
then we have to move the odds of survival in favor of potential
victims. The ban of bump stocks and limiting magazines to 10 shots
does this. The bill prohibits the sale, purchase, import and
transfer of these items going forward. The primary goal of this bill
is to save lives. Will it prevent all future shootings? No, but it
will put a few more barriers in place and provide a few more
opportunities to short-circuit attempts.
None of these
provisions violate the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
These provisions have been in place in other states for years and
have withstood challenges all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. I
recognize the right of citizens to own firearms for legitimate
purposes like hunting, sport shooting, and self-defense. However,
some opponents of S.55 that I spoke to feel they need the ability to
resist a future dictatorship by our national government. When the
Second Amendment was passed, our country did not have a standing army
and the defense of our country relied on every able-bodied man being
“all-in”, ready to be called up to form “well regulated”
citizen militias. Today we have our armed forces and a national guard
of citizen soldiers, all sworn to uphold the Constitution. We have
the ballot box which is and has been the most effective bulwark of
our democracy. I am much more inclined to put my trust in our
democratic institutions than in the idea that we need to rely on guns
to protect ourselves from a rogue government. While some may differ
with this philosophy, it is the one that I choose to embrace.
