OPINION
We currently live in a country governed by a large proportion of politicians and legislators who live in the ideologic fog of a Second Amendment which allows unrestricted access to all sorts of weapons by individuals without an awareness of age, mental health, background status, occupation or weapons training. Children are being shot in schools, frequently by assault weapons in the hands of people too young to rent a car or hotel room or buy a beer. There were more mass shootings in the U. S. in 2024 than there were days in 2024. Children in schools go through the stressful experience of active-shooter drills on a regular basis. In addition to the level of gun violence in the U. S., American guns acquired by drug smuggling cartels have killed and injured untold numbers of Central and South Americans.
Access to assault weapons should be restricted to the military, law enforcement, those in security positions or at the very least, available only to individuals with serious background checks and special training. All gun sales should involve background checks, registration and a mandatory delay between purchase and obtaining the firearm. Red flag laws will prevent individuals with mental health, domestic violence and other personality issues from obtaining a firearm. Bump stocks must be banned. The iron river of weapons crossing the southern border and the unregulated gun industry needs to be addressed. These are all commonsense steps that should be taken to reduce the high rate of gun deaths and gun violence in this country. Sadly, the political environment in this country makes it unlikely that these steps will be taken anytime soon.
Lastly, let me make my motivation clear. I am a registered Republican, a gun owner and a retired Naval Officer. During my years in the Navy, I received weapons training and was given marksmanship awards for the M-16 rifle and the 9mm &. 45 semi-automatic handguns. This is not bragging. I want to make it clear that I am not a radical leftist wanting to take away access to guns. I simply want this country to put in place the basic common sense gun laws that other first world / developed countries have, to keep their citizens safe.
References
1
pewresearch. org / short-reads / 2025 / 03 / 05-what-the-data-says-about-gun-deathsin the-US
2 publichealth. jhu. edu / 2024 / guns-remain-leading-cause-of-death-for-childrenand-teens
3 giffords. org / lawcenter / gun-laws / policy-areas / other-laws-policies / gun-industry-immunity
4 stopusarmstomexico. org / wp-content / uploads / 2024 / 06 / iron-river-of-weaponsweb-pdf
5 everytownresearch. org / rankings / state / Kentucky
6 en. wikipedia. org / wiki / 2023 _ Louisville _ bank _ shooting
7
Britannica. com / event / District-of Columbia-v-Heller
Dr. Flynn is an Emeritus Professor in the University of Louisville Surgery Department.
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OPINION January 2026 33