In a poll recently released by the Quinnipiac University[1],
advocates in Virginia of tighter gun control had reason to lament and to gloat.
According to the results of the poll, 66 to 29 percent of
Virginians favor an armed officer in every school. For advocates of gun
control, this is a clear setback. However, Virginians also favor, 92-7,
conducting background checks on individuals who purchase guns at gun shows, a
big plus for gun control advocates.
At present, private vendors can sell guns at gun shows
without conducting a background check on the buyer, a clearly problematic and
meteorically sized loophole in Virginia’s gun laws. Only guns bought from
federally licensed sellers at gun shows are required to perform background
checks.
Even after the mass killing at Virginia Tech in 2007, guns
rights groups like the NRA[2]
effectively blocked attempts to close this loophole in Virginia’s gun laws.
This year, however, the anger following the mass killings of elementary school
children in Connecticut has been stronger than at any other time in recent
memory. But it still may not be enough to cajole the Republican Party
controlled House of Delegates to take meaningful steps to close the gun show
loophole.
Another interesting finding from the Quinnipiac University
poll is that 49% of Virginians believe that there should be stricter gun
control laws. In particular, Virginians strongly favor a ban on the sale of
assault-style weapons. And not surprisingly, city residents and suburban
residents are more supportive of gun control than their rural neighbors.
Gun control advocates and opponents are both aware that if
meaningful gun control laws are not passed soon, they probably won’t be at all.
The American public has proven, time and again, that even the greatest
tragedies that befall our country have a short collective shelf-life. Thus the
reason why President Obama is already beginning to step away from the
relatively aggressive position he took on gun control in the immediate
aftermath of the Connecticut shootings.[3]
In all fairness, both sides have exaggerated their cases.
Yes, guns DO kill people but it isn’t clear that taking away assault weapons
will solve the problem of mass killings even if it may well reduce the numbers
of those killed.
Regardless of where anyone stands on the issue of gun
control, most of us can at least agree that Virginia’s and America’s health
care system is not doing its job. Even if the Second Amendment were nullified
and guns were taken away from every American, it wouldn’t solve the problem or
come close to addressing the issue of mental illness. It is a real problem and
it requires more than quick fixes to find a long-lasting solution.
[1] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/va-poll-finds-support-for-armed-school-officers-gun-show/article_9c70f024-5b17-11e2-b812-001a4bcf6878.html
[2] http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2007/04/nras-response-virginia-tech-shootings-stand-your-ground
[3] http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/chances-of-gun-control-dim-in-washington
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