Thoughts on Guns in the Wake of the Uvalde, Texas School Massacre
On Tuesday, May 24th, 2022 a terrible massacre occurred in Uvalde, Texas when a young gunman opened fire on two classrooms of 4th graders just as the school year was coming to a close.
It was an unspeakable tragedy. How did this happen? How could we prevent it from happening again? And again?
Four days later, on Saturday, May 28th, I woke up with thoughts about Uvalde, which I quickly wrote down in a spiral notebook, then typed into an ever-growing Word document this week titled “Gun Violence Notes.” [I have such ongoing notes for a variety of subjects.]
I am not an expert, of course - not even close - but like everyone else, I have ideas for things that might work or might serve to reduce gun violence. A constituent asked me to put those ideas in writing, which is why I am posting them here. I’m also working on a bill for the 2023 General Session that addresses mental health and guns.
I believe we must find a solution to gun violence without jeopardizing the rights so succinctly stated in the 2nd Amendment - rights that “shall not be infringed.” We have more guns than people in this country, which is a good thing from a national security perspective. The Emperor of Japan famously explained that it was our armed citizenry that prevented him from invading America’s west coast during World War II. Did you know that gun owners in the state of Texas alone would comprise the world’s largest standing army?
Criminals and those bent on destruction are not going to obey gun laws. If criminals are willing to kill innocent people, they’re certainly willing to run afoul of the law procedurely as well.
Here are the ideas I wrote down that Saturday morning:
1. Harden the targets. Every school should be as secure as every bank, jewelry store, etc. b/c children are our most precious commodity (for lack of a better term.)
a. Study how Israel hardens its targets, especially schools
b. Learn more about the Russian school attack (absolutely horrifying!)
2. Eliminate gun-free zones, which might just as well be called “sitting duck zones.” Make it illegal to forbid the carrying of a gun in a law-abiding manner. Criminals must know that someone may have a gun, which they will use to defend themselves and others. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH..
3. Establish age requirements for assault weapons.
a. An 18yo in 2022 is not = to an 18yo in 1980, because culturally things have changed.
i. Most 18 year olds today were raised on homicidal entertainment.
b. We restrict smoking and drinking to 21 – why not go full ATF (alcohol, tobacco, and firearms - all three) and limit non-hunting guns to 21?
4. Instantaneous restrictions on anyone admitted to/released from a psychiatric treatment center – for their own protection and the protection of others.
a. BCI should not be required to share the restriction with the national database, because the national database may never clear it, even after the mental health episode is resolved.
b. Could also require centers to notify families at time of release for extra protection of the individual and others.
c. Maybe empower facilities to place the individual under a temporary protective order, which would prevent the purchase of a weapon temporarily only – for one month - to stabilize with new meds and therapies.
5. Enforce mandatory minimums for murder or attempted murder with a gun.
a. No early release if a gun was wielded in the commission of a crime.
b. The gun = nonstarter for early release.
c. Remove illegal gun caches regularly from gang member strongholds.
d. Parolees found with a gun will be immediately incarcerated.