A tragic school shooting has left more than twenty dead, including 19 children. Lawmakers, both at the local and federal level, are grappling with the political fallout from an event that is often repeated in this country, with no solution in sight. Recently, though, there seems to have been a breakthrough in the icy relations between the two parties on this particular issue, in the form of a bipartisan gun control bill. According to the New York Times, it would enhance background checks on those under 21 who wish to purchase a gun, “for the first time, extend to dating partners a prohibition on domestic abusers having guns”, and allow states to set up red flag laws to “confiscate guns from people” with mental health issues, for example.
This bill, in my opinion, would probably not solve the gun violence problem we currently face, which seems almost like an institution these days. But I also support any effort to break the partisan gridlock on such an issue, given how little progress there has been in this issue.
What could be the solution to the issue? Many have emphasized the importance of mental health treatment, and I agree, to an extent. Many of the recent shootings have been caused by people who might have not had the treatment they needed. However, I also believe that more concrete results could be achieved by limiting those who need treatment from obtaining guns, possibly by implementing a large tax, like what is currently being discussed in Congress.
Would this bill lead us on a path to more concrete gun reform? For now, I’m optimistic, but the Senate’s filibuster almost guarantees the existence of a gridlock – so in a way, our failure to move forward on gun violence is emblematic of a more general problem in our political system.