A new judicial ruling is set to legalize a whole lot of weapons.
And a family member nearly became a victim of a tragedy.
I just pray it never happens to you. It’s a story that’s going to be a familiar refrain until we return to saner firearm policies of earlier generations.
This week, I read about a new ruling, where a judge “out of the Northern District of Texas invalidated key components of the nearly 100-year-old National Firearm Act (NFA) in more than a dozen states,” according to National Public Radio. NPR also reports “the agency has made a wider push to restore gun rights to people with felony convictions, with exceptions, including violence and gang-related offenses, according to a fatal rule published Monday.”
The NFA was passed in the wake of the wave of violence started during the gang violence of the Prohibition Era. It required certain rifles and shotguns (the short-barreled and sawed-off variety) and suppressors to be taxed and registered with the Federal Government. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act got rid of the tax last year.
Also reported by NPR is that “some Americans can now buy and sell those silencers and weapons without first registering them with the federal government or submitting photos of themselves or fingerprints.” But it also applies to more than these gang weapons. “They can include gadget guns like pen guns or umbrella guns” wrote Jaclyn Diaz with NPR.
Also this week, I learned that a family member narrowly missed being one of those recipients of “thoughts and prayers” as law enforcement was luckily able to stop a suspect from committing another mass casualty event. That’s our new reality.
As a Republican growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, we supported what was considered “reasonable gun regulations,” where our focus was to allow people without felonies to legally possess firearms. And I’m happy to have Remington come to my hometown of LaGrange. But I don’t know why we’re making it easier for people who are lawbreakers, or others who may have had mental problems, to become fully armed. I would not be surprised if submachine guns, rocket launchers and M60s were to be legalized.
I also happen to research gun violence. Whether it’s red flag laws or the assault weapons ban, we’ve found strong evidence that such policies save a lot of lives. Those that claim that the AWB didn’t work look only at the years before to during the AWB, finding no significant difference un mass shootings or gun deaths So have I. But after the bill was allowed to lapse in 2004, the mass shootings and gun deaths from them have skyrocketed from 1.5 per year from 1982-94 to 1.6 from 1995-2004 to 5.1 mass shootings per year from 2005-2021.
Twice I’ve had to call the police when my son’s been at a practice and shots were fired right near where he and the other kids were playing baseball or stretching to go for running practice. One of those times involved automatic weapons being discharged.
I’m increasingly convinced that it’s no longer a matter or if, but when, you and I join the growing number of Americans who lose a spouse, son or daughter to gun violence. And they include people who vote Republican, Democrats, or choose to be independent. Those who have increasing access to firearms, and an ax to grind, really don’t care when they open fire.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia. His first book, “Branded”, is available on Amazon. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.