Common Sense Oversight / Gun Control Regulation Keeps Citizens Safe in Countries Where They Exist
by MICHAEL FLYNN , MD
SECOND OPINION
After reading Dr . Knutson ’ s diatribe on gun rights , the ideology of unrestricted access to guns is clear . Neither article in the August Louisville Medicine written by Dr . Tobin or me proposes “ banning all guns in America .” Both articles question the need for unrestricted access to weapons of war that are designed to kill and to maim and suggest common sense regulations to keep guns out of the hands of “ deranged individuals .” The purpose of gun regulation is not to take away people ’ s guns but rather to establish standards to allow responsible adults to own guns .
The AR-15 , M-16 , AK-47 and M-4 carbines are assault weapons of war designed to kill or at least inflict maximum damage on the human body . 1
The gory details of the damage to the human body from AR-15 rounds are clearly displayed in this video depicting the cavitation effect of AR-15 rounds entering the bodies of children . 2 Allowing access to the AR-15 by juveniles , the mentally ill , individuals with personality disorders or any person not in the military or law enforcement is a tragedy , demonstrated by the damage to the small bodies of children slaughtered in shootings in Uvalde , Nashville , Sandy Hook and elsewhere . Access to military assault weapons should be banned to individuals , not in the military or some aspect of law enforcement , or at least should be carefully limited by oversight , special training and background checks for mental health and legal issues , restraining orders and the like .
All of the common sense gun regulations that have been proposed ( serious background checks , delays between purchase and obtaining a gun , banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines and increasing gun purchase age to 21 ) simply put in place oversight to assure ( as much as possible ) that access to guns are limited to reasonably trained and vetted individuals and kept out of the hands of those with mental health issues and personality disorders .
The U . S . has gun violence and death rates that are many times higher than most first world / developed countries . 3 U . S . gun deaths are eight times higher than Canada and one hundred times higher
28 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE than the UK .
Switzerland has been a gun friendly country since the time of Napoleon and has a high gun ownership rate . 4 There have been no mass shootings in 21 years . The cantons ( states ) have specific rules and regulations for gun ownership , use and transport . The majority of firearm related deaths are suicides . Gun crime is relatively limited giving Switzerland one of the lowest homicide rates in the world .
Because of the political situation , Israel is a country where armed citizens are important for public safety . This does not mean that anyone can walk into a gun store to buy a gun . On the contrary , there are very specific criteria including age , military service , work / professional activity , location , etc . When the eligibility criteria are met an application process is completed which includes an interview . Assuming the application process does not identify any concerns , a license for a specific type of firearm is issued .
These are just a few examples of how other countries provide clear oversight and regulation of firearms .
As a country , we have to get past the ideologic stupidity of allowing the Second Amendment to the U . S . Constitution , written in 1791 , clearly focused on regulating an 18th century militia , to justify allowing access to weapons of war without any sort of regulation or oversight .
Lastly , my oldest daughter is a primary school teacher in the New York City public school system . She has made it very clear that she has no interest in being armed in her classroom and that this is the view of the majority of her teacher colleagues .
References
1 en . wikipedia . org / wiki / AR-15 _ style _ rifle
2 washintonpost . com / nation / interactive / 2023 / ar-15-damage-to-human-body
3 npr . org / sections / goatsandsoda / 2021 / 03 / 24 / 98083815 / gun-violence-deathshow-the-U-S-compares-to-the-rest-of the-world
4 wikipedia . org / wiki / Firearms _ regulation _ in _ Switzerland
5 jpost . com / Israel-news / article-729994
Dr . Flynn is an Emeritus Professor in the University of Louisville Surgery Department .