Pursue Stricter Gun Control

In the wake of last week’s horrific shooting spree at Virginia Tech, which left 32 victims dead along with their killer, analyses of what went wrong have proliferated almost as quickly as solemn condolences. Blogs, newspapers, and television talk shows are abuzz with discussions about critical failings on the part of school and government officials.

One of the most damning revelations, reported by The New York Times on April 21, revealed that federal regulations ought to have prohibited the killer, Seung-Hui Cho—who had previously been ordered by a judge to receive psychiatric treatment—from purchasing the two firearms, but a misstep on the part of Virginia authorities allowed him to make the purchase nonetheless. Suddenly, gun control was once again the focus of national debate.

While no amount of foresight—or legislation—could ever completely prevent a tragedy like the one Virginia Tech witnessed last Monday, more effective gun controls can at the very least make such an event more difficult to execute. We believe that the stricter control of firearms is imperative.

Pundits have suggested that more minimal gun controls—specifically the elimination of gun-free zones like college campuses—could have reduced the likelihood of such a killing spree. We believe, however, that having fewer guns in school zones specifically and in the public arena at large will make for a safer and less violent society. To work towards this goal, states must work more closely with the federal government to ensure that federal gun regulations are correctly enforced. Gun control laws that states misinterpret or ignore do little to make America safer.

But federal and state governments need to do more than simply ensure that their laws are in sync. They also must make it more difficult and more time-consuming to obtain a gun in the first place. Buying a gun should not be a convenient process. At the absolute minimum, the federal government should impose a waiting period of at least seven days before a gun can be purchased. The government also should severely limit the quantity of firearms, especially handguns, that a customer can obtain in a given period of time—it is difficult to conceive of a legitimate circumstance that would call for the simultaneous purchase of multiple handguns.

Similarly difficult to comprehend is the need for personal ownership of assault weapons; renewing the federal ban on such weapons should be a Congressional priority. Background checks must be thorough and make use of all available resources—they should not be “instant” enough to be completed in 15 minutes. Finally, the federal government must end the indefensible exceptions that surround gun shows, where in many states there is no waiting period.

At this critical juncture, it is essential that Democrats in the House and the Senate not back down from pursuing tougher gun control legislation. The killings at Virginia Tech have shown us the costs of a society awash in guns; now is not the time to allow pressure groups and political considerations to derail such important, commonsense measures.