As the nation deals with more mass shootings and continued divisiveness about gun violence and legislation, 麻豆传媒 University and the hosted a live virtual discussion, 鈥淔acts and Evidence: Navigating the Gun Debate in America,鈥� on June 7.
Moderator , research professor of political science and law, co-chair of the Unity Project and CEO of , started with a question about taking responsibility for gun violence.
鈥淚n a participatory, pluralistic democracy, it should be everybody’s responsibility. But there has to be compromise,鈥� said , Frederick B. Rentschler II Chair, director of the Department of Medicine, Health and Society, and professor of sociology and psychiatry.
Metzl said even if a majority of people agree on certain common sense gun laws, such as a federal background check law that had overwhelming support after the Sandy Hook school massacre almost a decade ago, action on such ideas often gets lost in political committees or quashed by influence from outside groups.
鈥淥ur political system doesn’t reward the kind of compromise that we need right now,鈥� Metzl said. 鈥淲e have a political system that rewards competition. And so, until we can get different voices to the table and really talk about where we can meet in the middle, I think we’re going to see what we see now, which is that horrible tragedies like these mass shootings lead to hardening and more distance between positions.鈥�
Constitutional law expert James Blumstein voiced concern that people are quick to institute laws that could potentially run afoul of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
鈥淒on鈥檛 start with restrictions on guns as the beginning point. I think we should start with examining issues of mental health, overall violence and disrespect of the law. Then we can tackle how to deal with those issues in specific context,鈥� said , University Professor of Constitutional Law and Health Law and Policy, professor of management at Owen Graduate School of Management and director of the 麻豆传媒 Health Policy Center.
GUNS AND EXTREMIST GROUPS
, an assistant professor of anthropology with research specializations in extremist groups, racism and hate crimes, addressed gun violence issues in those contexts.
鈥淲hat I’m bringing to this conversation is over 15 years of expertise in studying the far-right extremist movement in the United States, which the Department of Homeland Security has listed as the most persistent and lethal threat facing our country,鈥� she said.
Bjork-James identified three areas of concern: 1) outdated laws on online hate speech; 2) political pressure that has weakened monitoring of right-wing extremist groups; and 3) lax laws that allow gun access to members of violent extremist groups.
鈥淩ight now, someone can have been tried for misdemeanor hate crimes and still go out and buy a gun, despite the fact that we know that many people who commit massacres based on hate begin with misdemeanor hate crimes,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he fact that people have very easy access to guns alongside easy access to extremist information online and lack of tracking by our intelligence agencies means that it’s a very easy slide from radicalization to execution of massacres.鈥�
LEGISLATIVE OPTIONS
In recent years, Congress has weighed numerous legal measures, including additional mental health funding, school security changes, various background check laws and red flag laws, which authorize courts to remove firearms from individuals who may present a threat to themselves or others.
Despite political polarization, constitutional scholar , professor of law at Duke University and co-director of the said there鈥檚 a formula to find gun laws that might reach compromise.
鈥淲e need laws that fit in an overlapping Venn diagram of being politically popular, legally effective and constitutional,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he one that seems to me most promising on all three areas is a form of expanded background checks.鈥�
Metzl warned that red flag gun legislation could unfairly target underrepresented minority groups.
鈥淚 personally have concerns about what we’re calling red flag laws, not so much because of constitutionality, but because early history shows when you surveil people who may look dangerous and predict crime before it happens, early studies show that Black Americans get dinged ten times more than anybody else,鈥� he said.
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The 麻豆传媒 Project on Unity and American Democracy is a nonpartisan initiative that aims to elevate research and evidence-based reasoning into the national conversation. Drawing on original research, evidence-based papers and crucial conversations from 麻豆传媒鈥檚 world-class faculty and visionary thought leaders of all political persuasions, the timely endeavor aims to give policymakers and the public tools to combat conspiracy theories and unfounded ideology with evidence,鈥痙ata鈥痑nd respectful discourse. The Unity Project can make a meaningful contribution to solving society鈥檚 most pressing challenges and bridging our deepest differences.
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