News flash: Americans still love guns
Getting real about firearm safety
On November 30th, the nation marked 30 years since the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which established a system of federal background checks for gun buyers. The goal of the bill was to curb gun violence, which had hit record levels in the 10 years prior to its passage. Gun homicides have declined since the law took effect, but there’s certainly more work to be done. Gun death rates began to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, with suicides by firearm now at record levels.
One thing the Brady Bill hasn’t affected is Americans’ interest in guns. The FBI, which oversees the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), reported a record number of checks on Black Friday 2023. This year’s 214,913 checks are up 5.5% from the previous record set in 2017 and 10% from last year, making it the third-busiest day in the history of the FBI’s background check system.
Whether they own guns for personal protection, hunting, or collecting, an NBC News survey shows that a majority of U.S. households (52%) possess at least one firearm. That figure includes 66% of Republicans, 45% of independents, and 41% of Democrats, all three of which have witnessed a net increase in gun ownership since 2004. Gun ownership isn’t just a conservative, white, rural or suburban thing, either. It’s rising in urban populations, the Black community, and, more recently, among Jewish people, largely in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict and increased incidents of antisemitism at home.
If firearms are so ubiquitous throughout American society, how can we stem gun violence? Two things stand out. First, getting serious about keeping guns out of the wrong hands. Currently, only five states impose some form of a gun ban after an emergency mental health hospitalization that’s not followed by a court-ordered commitment. Over the past 20 years, at least 13 high-profile shootings—including the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine in October—were carried out by perpetrators who were able to legally buy guns after being released from such a hospitalization.
Second, keeping guns away from children. Firearms are now the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens under age 18, and having firearms in the home increases the risk of unintentional shootings, suicide, and homicide. Handguns obtained from the home account for the most school shootings perpetrated by adolescents.
With better implementation and enforcement of background checks, red flag laws, and reporting protocols, as well as the development of innovative technologies that help gun owners secure weapons safely away from children, the spirit of the Brady Bill can continue in the 21st century. And as our research clearly shows, finding the common ground is not only necessary but achievable.