Opinion: The most popular and justifiable gun law we should pass

As we all knew it would, it has happened again. A mass shooting occurred on the Fourth of July, in Highland Park, Illinois. Six dead, dozens wounded, and a young white male arrested. How much does anyone want to bet that the assault weapon from which the bullets sprayed into the crowd was legally purchased and owned by the perpetrator? 

Because that is how it works in America. If you want a gun, almost any gun, you get one. And that’s why over the past month I have been writing about gun safety laws that need to be passed by referendum to make Maine safer. As the state with the highest per-capita gun death rate in the northeast, our only real hope of avoiding more domestic violence murders, lowering our almost tops in the nation “suicide-by-gun” rate, and preventing a mass shooting in one of our schools or at one of our parades is to take the matter into our own hands. 

So far this series of columns have focused on banning assault weapons, limiting magazine sizes, permitting handguns, and imposing a waiting period on all purchases.

In this final installment, I look at perhaps the most popular and justifiable law we could pass: Universal Background Checks [UBC] on all gun purchases and transfers. UBC is simply a requirement that every time a gun changes hands, whether by purchase or by gift, whether on-line or through Uncle Henry’s, whether purchased at a gun show or in the parking lot outside a gun show, a background check will occur. And if it doesn’t the seller is liable for what happens next.

Your first question might be, “Wait a minute, I thought we already had universal background checks. At least that’s what the NRA claims.”

Far from it, sadly. The truth is that the current background check law only applies when you purchase a gun from a federally licensed firearm dealer. While that likely includes a majority of gun sales (I say “likely” because the NRA has blocked the federal government from tracking such things), it does not include any private sales that happen over the internet, any unlicensed dealers at gun shows, or any private purchases in person. It also doesn’t include “gifts.” 

Estimates show that anywhere from 22% to 40% of guns are being purchased with no background check.  

Along with a lot of gun laws we do not have, this is virtually unheard of in other industrial countries.

Your second question might be, “Wait a minute, if this law is so popular, why did Maine voters vote it down in 2016?”

Fair question. First of all, it barely lost (less than 4%). Second, that was the year former President Donald Trump was on the ballot and every progressive initiative in Maine that year was much closer than expected, except raising the minimum wage. Thirdly, the campaign messaging was less than inspiring, while the other side did a masterful job confusing voters on what the bill would or wouldn’t do.

But even if all of that were sour grapes and excuses, there is no doubt that in the six years since that bill failed, support has only grown stronger across the United States, including Maine. 

Currently, UBC has an unmatched 90% approval rating across the country. No other issue considered this controversial comes even close. And there’s a reason for that.

Besides the fact that everyone agrees that a person with a violent past or apotential or suicidal history should not get a gun, UBC is actually measurably effective at reducing firearm deaths. An analysis by the RAND Corporation of known data shows that suicides, homicides, and gun trafficking are all reduced when a rigorous federal background check is applied.

It’s popular. It’s effective. But sadly our elected officials are beholden to the gun lobby, as I outlined in my original column. Let’s take it to the people.

Photo: Sergio Flores, Getty Images