Introduction
The current state of gun violence within the U.S. can be categorized as catastrophic. The rates and quantities of gun-related violent altercations and deaths surpass those in all other nations. Due to political and social divisions, the approach to reducing gun violence is fiercely debated. As such, it is vital to recognize the most effective measures that directly produce lower gun violence-related deaths and injuries.
Main Body
The U.S. observes at least 100 gun-related killings daily and has the highest gun ownership per capita. The frequent causes for such incidents of violence include intimate partner violence, socioeconomic factors, mental illness, suicidal ideation, childhood trauma, substance abuse, and firearm access (Sanchez et al., 2020). According to Bonne (2022), firearm access and carriage is the most crucial risk factor of 1-5 intimate partner homicides, 6-8 suicides, and 9-11 homicides between cohabitators. Major findings suggest that the state-level policies that are currently in place lack the necessary strength to reduce access, thereby limiting gun violence.
Gun buyback programs have been utilized in various nations. A rapid pace characterized the 1996 Gun Buyback in Australia and reached that involved almost all citizens (Bartos et al., 2020). The quasi-experimental design of the study reveals that the programs directly contributed to the reduction of gun violence in the following decades. According to Rosenberg (2019), specific policy alterations that would deeply affect gun violence include bans on high-capacity and assault weapon magazines, background checks, gun-free zones, licensing requirements, lost or stolen reporting, prohibitions in association with mental illness, the surrender of arms by prohibited owners, and waiting periods. Federal obstacles similarly limit the possibility of progress, such as the prior 1996 Dickey Amendment, which banned the CDC from researching or promoting gun control (Subbaraman, 2021).
Conclusion
The removal of such policies is vital in illuminating the severity of the issue and introducing possible solutions. Further research is necessary to establish the direct relationship between weak policy guidelines and the resulting gun violence. Similarly, current academic works require further assessment of models that aim to prevent gun violence.
References
Bartos, B. J., McCleary, R., Mazerolle, L., & Luengen, K. (2020). Controlling gun violence: Assessing the impact of Australia’s gun buyback program using a synthetic control group experiment. Prevention Science, 21(1), 131–136. Web.
Bonne, S. (2022). Promoting evidence-based policy solutions to the U.S. gun violence epidemic. American Journal of Public Health (1971), 112(12), 1705–1706. Web.
Rosenberg, M. L. (2019). Let’s bring the full power of science to gun violence prevention. American Journal of Public Health (1971), 109(3), 396–397. Web.
Sanchez, C., Jaguan, D., Shaikh, S., McKenney, M., & Elkbuli, A. (2020). A systematic review of the causes and prevention strategies in reducing gun violence in the United States. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 38(10), 2169–2178. Web.
Subbaraman, N. (2021). Gun violence is surging – Researchers finally have the money to ask why. Nature (London), 595(7868), 486–488. Web.