Mass shootings in US: Time to take a leaf out of India's book while selling firearms to civilians?

The California shooting that killed five people, including the gunman, is now the fifteenth case of mass shootings in the United States in 2017. One of them, the Las Vegas shootout, is considered the biggest mass shooting in United States history.

When you look at data available, it appears that an individual can walk into a Wal-Mart to buy a gun. There is a background check done if you do end up purchasing a gun from a store, with the shopkeeper asking the buyer to fill out a form, and then conducting a background check with the FBI, which takes a matter of minutes. However, denials are rare, occurring less than 1% of the time. "More than 100 million such checks have been made in the last decade, leading to more than 700,000 denials," the FBI says on its web site.

There has already been some research on state-level gun control policies, as Vox reported in 2016, citing a research paper published by the University of California in Berkley. The paper shows how the state of Connecticut in the north-east part of the United States, passed a law requiring gun purchasers to first obtain a license, thereby resulting in 40% reduction of gun-related crimes.

But such research papers are debatable, and actual data to corroborate whether the gun used in the crime is legal or illegally acquired remains a huge mystery.

In June this year, PEW Research Centre put out data on the procurement of guns in the United States. According to data available, three-in-ten American adults say they currently own a gun, and another 11% say they don’t personally own a gun but live with someone who does. Among those who don’t currently own a gun, about half say they could see themselves owning one in the future.

 “Most gun owners cite multiple reasons for owning a gun. In fact, eight-in-ten say they have more than one reason for owning, and 44% have more than one major reason. Still, protection tops the list, with 67% of current gun owners saying this is a major reason they personally own a gun. About four-in-ten say the same about hunting (38%), while three-in-ten say sport shooting, including target, trap and skeet shooting is a major reason they own a gun. Fewer cite a gun collection (13%) or their job (8%) as major reasons for owning a gun,” the report added.

Although the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, it has anything between 35% and 50% of the world’s civilian-owned guns, according to a 2007 report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey. Not surprisingly, the nation has the unenviable record of highest homicide-by-firearm rate among the world’s most developed nations.

When you draw parallels between the United States and India when it comes to gun-related violence, the numbers are staggering. According to gunpolicy.org, a source for published evidence on armed violence, firearm law and gun control, 33,599 people died in the United States due to gun violence in 2014. During the same time, the number in India was 3,655.

India, too, has stricter laws to procure a gun licence. One has to first fill out a form, following which a thorough background check is conducted, where people in the neighbourhood are questioned about the buyer’s temperament. Following this, the buyer is then asked why s/he wants to buy a firearm and if the responses are satisfactory, then a licence is provided. While the  government has mulled a lifetime validity for the licence, it hasn’t been implemented as yet.

One could argue that the United States needs to impose new laws when it comes to buying a gun to reduce the firearm-related crime levels in the country. The National Rifle Association may or may not agree, saying that possessing arms is a fundamental right, as per the United States Constitution.

The United States will never ban civilians from buying guns. However, it’s up to the Congress to pass a law directing agencies to gather more data pertaining to gun purchase. Maybe they can even follow India’s rule and ensure thorough background checks before giving someone a firearms licence. Furthermore, follow-ups to check if the owner still has the gun or has sold it to someone else may play a role in curbing the use of firearms in mass shootings.