The U.S.

Should Expand Background Checks & Make Mental Health Services

More Available Professor Bee, Conflict and Conflict Resolution, March 26th
2013
I. Background and Context:
In 1934, in response to increased violence during the prohibition era,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed the National Firearms Act. The act
attempted to eradicate specific firearms including, machine guns, shortbarreled rifles, and silencers by placing a tax on the manufacturing and sale
of firearms and requiring the registration of firearms with the Secretary of the
Treasury.

In 1968, following the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert

Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, President Lyndon Johnson passed the Gun
Control Act. The act banned mail-order-sales of firearms and placed further
restrictions on those who could not buy or register firearms. People denied
included convicted felons, illegal immigrants, and the mentally ill.

After the assassinations and increased violence, America responded.

The pattern of after-the-fact-response still holds true. In the 2007 Virginia
Tech Massacre Seung-Hui Cho murdered 32 and wounded 17 with the use of
semi-automatic weapons. In the 2012 Movie Theatre Massacre of Aurora,
James Eagan Holmes murdered 12 and wounded 58 with the use of a
handgun, a shotgun, and a semi-automatic rifle. Most recently, in the 2013
Sandy Hook Elementary Massacre, Adam Lanza murdered twenty children
and six adults with the use of semi-automatic weapons.3 All of the shootings
revived the debate on gun control, yet no effective reform of the sale and

registration of firearms occurred. The bans previously put in place are not
stopping tragedies. The mentally ill continue to acquire and use firearms,
while America continues debate instead of act. With a divided nation, a
divided Washington, and powerful organizations including the National Rifle
Association lobbying against President Barack Obamas gun control
initiatives, the issue of gun reform remains at a standstill. With such division,
legislation is nearly impossible to pass.
II. Stakes:
Economic: Greater restrictions placed on the sale of guns and more
stringent background checks would lead to less demand for guns. Less
supply and demand would hurt gun manufacturer profits. Local areas that
house the gun manufactures would be impacted; potentially available jobs in
the area would decrease. However, on a national scale, the impact on the
Gross Domestic Product would be negligible.
Military: The supply of weapons to the military would not be affected.
Assault and automatic weapons would still be supplied for military purposes.
Political: Obama does not have to worry about reelection. However, the
president has the responsibility of protecting the American people and a duty
to defend their rights as outlined by the U.S. Constitution. Pleasing both
sides of gun control would be a feat, but would be lasting legacy for Obama.
III. Options
Option 1: Provide More Security: While more security in schools and
other public arenas could deter potential shooters and comfort citizens, more

security would not guarantee safety. Even though a security guard patrolled
the campus of Columbine High School, thirteen students were killed at the
hands of two gunmen.4 Training and allocating more guards would be costly
for not guaranteeing results.
Option 2: Ban More Weapons: Banning assault weapons would stop the
increase of such guns in circulation and increase the price of the weapons.
However, the gun market is already heavily saturated with assault weapons,
and there are plenty of other guns available for potential shooters to acquire
and use.
Option 3: Focus On Prevention: By making mental health services more
accessible and reforming background and registration checks, tragic
shootings could be prevented. More available services and a more watchful
eye on potential threats could help stop shootings before they happen.
IV. Recommendation:
Option 3: Focus On Prevention: By focusing on prevention, through
bolstering mental health services and expanding background checks,
communities, the government, and the nation could stop more deaths and
more tragedies from happening. Although banning assault weapons would
have the immediate effect of preventing larger massacres, other guns are
available to commit smaller scale shootings. Accessibility is the main
problem facing the prevention of any size shooting. Ultimately, the mentally
ill have greater access to guns than to mental health services.5 In the past
few years, States have cut down on non-essential services, which includes

mental health programs.6 Everyone is shocked and dismayed after a

shooting; yet preventative services are labeled non-essential. Both the
government and its citizens need to start paying attention to the mentally ill,
unstable, and depressed. Instead of focusing solely on minimizing the size of
shooting, the U.S. should also focus on stopping shootings before they
happen. This is not an easy task; the government must expand background
checks and keep more thorough records of those banned from gun
ownership. By investing more effort in thorough background checks and
reforming the system of registration, America can stop the next
heartbreaking headline.

Sources

1 "National Firearms Act." ATF Online. The Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives,
n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/>.
2 "Bill Summary & Status 93rd Congress (1973 - 1974) H.R.2148CRS Summary." Bill Summary &
Status. The Library Of Congress, 15 Jan. 1973. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgibin/bdquery/z?d093:HR02148:@@@D>.
3 "Deadliest U.S. Shootings." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/deadliest-us-shootings/
4 Terkel, Amanda. "Columbine High School Had Armed Guard During Massacre In 1999." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/columbine-armed-guards_n_2347096.html>.
5 "Stopping The Spread Of Deadly Assault Weapons." Dianne Feinstein: United States Senator of
California. Dianne Feinstein, 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/assault-weapons>.
6 Rolfes, Ellen. "Medicaid Expansion to Boost Access to Mental Health Services." PBS. PBS, 22 Feb.
2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/02/medicaid-expansion-willexpand-access-to-mental-illness-treatment.html>.