All Things Political: Can we stop mass shootings?

Adam Haber

While gun violence has been a problem for generations, few can deny the ugly truth: America has by far the highest rate of gun violence in the developed world. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate more than 33,000 Americans died at the hands of gun violence last year. 

In fact, according to a 2013 Politifact article, commentator Mark Shields stated that since 1968, “more Americans have died from gunfire than died in … all the wars of this country’s history.” 

In numbers, that’s more than 1.5 million deaths.

This issue hit close to home three years ago with the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. 

My brother is a public school teacher in Newtown, and it was hours before we knew he was safe. So I ask myself, how do we stop gun violence, especially mass murders like the ones in Newtown and more recently San Bernardino, Calif.?

 Here’s a thought; we could limit and monitor the purchase of ammunition. Without bullets, a gun is nothing more than a blunt object, less dangerous than a knife.

While I personally don’t own a gun, I support the Second Amendment right to own one. 

However, if someone amasses thousands of rounds of ammunition, enough to supply an armada, that’s a red flag for harm. 

The terrorists in San Bernardino had purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammo. The only thing they were hunting were humans.

Limiting the purchase of ammunition is not a new idea. In the mid 1990s Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan along with then Rep. (now U.S. Senator) Charles Schumer put forth a series of proposals that never made it into law. 

One of them was limiting the number of rounds of ammunition a person could own.

Consider this: if there were a legal limit of 100 bullets per purchase, it would have taken the San Bernardino terrorists at least 60 trips to amass that much ammo, clearly raising a red flag. 

Adam Lanza, the shooter at Sandy Hook, had more than 1,700 rounds of ammo at his home. That would have meant 17 trips to the gun store. 

Patterns can easily be detected by monitoring the time, place and quantity of ammunition purchases, thereby preventing future killings from happening.

On a separate but related note, New York State should raise the age an individual is allowed to possess ammunition from 16 to 21. 

The national drinking age is 21 and municipalities around the country are raising the age to purchase cigarettes to 21. This should apply to ammunition purchases as well.

In conclusion, the Second Amendment states, “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Perhaps increased restrictions and monitoring of ammunition purchases would be an effective approach to prevent future catastrophes.

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