Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley unveiled his policy plan to cut gun deaths in half by 2025 this week. As one might expect from an anti-gun candidate, it\u2019s an epic fail.<\/p>\n
I discuss why O\u2019Malley\u2019s plan is so deeply misguided down below, but first check out this op-ed, entitled \u201cMy Promise on Guns, NRA,\u201d the former Maryland governor wrote for CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n For far too long, Democrats have been too afraid to stand up to the gun lobby.<\/em><\/p>\n It’s time for that to change. If I am elected president, I will make reducing and preventing gun violence one of my 15 goals to rebuild the American dream. And right now, I am putting forward a comprehensive policy plan for cutting deaths from gun violence in half — homicides, suicides, and accidents — within 10 years.<\/em><\/p>\n My plan starts with expanding safeguards to all gun purchases, whether from a licensed dealer, online posting, or private sale. Under my plan, a background check would be required for each and every gun purchase. And every person seeking to purchase or transfer a gun would have to obtain a fingerprint-based license, including completing safety training and a waiting period. Without such protections, it will remain far too easy for criminals to legally buy guns.<\/em><\/p>\n My plan will also cut gun violence by focusing on the largest purchaser of firearms: our government. By adjusting federal procurement policies, the federal government can encourage both gun manufacturers and dealers to prevent trafficking and violence, while spurring innovations that improve gun safety. This means requiring agencies to purchase only cutting-edge guns, such as those that have hidden serial numbers that cannot be defaced.<\/em><\/p>\n Guns are now the second leading cause of death among children and teens, so I would take steps to require safe storage of guns at home. Because gun violence is committed disproportionately by young people, I would set a national age requirement of 21 for all handgun purchases and handgun possession. And because the U.S. is the most dangerous country in the developed world for women when it comes to gun violence, I would fight to close loopholes that allow domestic abusers to own and purchase guns.<\/em><\/p>\n Above all, law enforcement must be empowered to uphold these protective measures — by revoking the licenses of dealers whose guns routinely end up in the hands of criminals. And to shut down the pipeline of illegal guns that flow from states with weak gun laws to states with strong ones, we should establish strong federal penalties for gun traffickers. Possessing marijuana can be a felony under federal law; outrageously, trafficking guns is not.<\/em><\/p>\n Even as the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding, we know the immense harm that comes if guns end up in the wrong hands. By establishing a national firearms registry, we can track guns to the root cause of tragedies. By requiring all lost or stolen firearms to be reported to law enforcement, we can monitor the number of illegal guns in our communities.<\/em><\/p>\n My comprehensive plan will not stop every senseless gun death. But it will ensure that fewer families are needlessly torn apart by gun violence.<\/em><\/p>\n I am not new to this fight. In 2003, seeing the epidemic of gun violence wash over my city of Baltimore when I was mayor, I called for a ban on assault weapons in our state.<\/em><\/p>\n In 2013, after the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, I made passing comprehensive gun safety laws my No. 1 priority as governor. The National Rifle Association launched an all-out attack: It flooded the Maryland state house and threatened state legislators, who ended up enacting the strongest gun safety laws in the nation — including the assault weapons ban I had started fighting for 10 years before.<\/em><\/p>\n Even today, the NRA is targeting me as a “menace” to its cause. I’ve never given in to the NRA, and I certainly won’t as president. I believe that we shouldn’t be taking gun safety advice from groups that only exist to sell more guns.<\/em><\/p>\n This work is more urgent than ever. Eight law enforcement officers were shot and killed in the line of duty last month. Over Labor Day weekend alone, at least 145 people were killed by gunfire, and twice as many were injured. And yet, Washington still isn’t doing anything about it.<\/em><\/p>\n Gun violence can be stopped. As president, I will work with anyone, from any party, with the courage to put the right policies in place to do so. We know what works. We simply need the courage and leadership to act to save lives.<\/em><\/p>\n Federally licensed firearms dealers are already required to conduct background checks in order to keep firearms out of the hands of people who have committed violent felonies or domestic abuse. While this requirement has effectively prevented more than 2.4 million prohibited people from acquiring guns<\/a>, large loopholes allow others to easily purchase firearms.<\/p>\n The biggest and most dangerous loophole is that unlicensed sellers, who account for roughly 40 percent of all firearm sales<\/a>, are not required to run background checks. Closing this loophole has been proven to save lives: In the 18 states<\/a> that already require a criminal background check, the number of police officers shot and killed while on duty, the number of people who commit suicides with guns, and the number of women shot to death by their partners is nearly 50 percent lower<\/a> than in other states.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:<\/p>\n Beyond background checks, commonsense measures like mandatory gun licensing, waiting periods, and age restrictions have proven to dramatically reduce gun-related homicides<\/a>, suicides<\/a>, and trafficking<\/a>. Drawing from his experience in Maryland, where under his leadership the state successfully implemented important safety measures, the Governor will fight to ensure that all Americans benefit from the same basic protections.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:<\/p>\n America is the most dangerous country in the developed world<\/a> for women when it comes to gun violence. Domestic abusers can still easily purchase and own guns, and abused women are five times more likely<\/a> to be killed by their abuser if a firearm is present. Closing loopholes that allow people to buy guns from unlicensed sellers is an important first step<\/a> to keeping guns out of the hands of men who abuse or stalk women. But additional action must be taken to save women\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:<\/p>\n Firearm registration helps law enforcement officers identify and prosecute violent criminals, allowing them to quickly and reliably trace firearms recovered from crime scenes. Centralized registration systems and mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms also deter illegal sales, while encouraging gun owners to responsibly use and store their firearms.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Law enforcement faces additional barriers to regulating firearms dealers and preventing gun trafficking and crime. Industry-friendly laws limit federal inspections of firearm dealers and ensure toothless punishments for breaking the law. The National Rifle Association and its allies have prevented<\/a> the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) from having the resources it needs to enforce our nation\u2019s modest gun control laws. Law enforcement must have the tools required to ensure gun safety and hold bad actors accountable.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:<\/p>\n Government agencies are the largest purchaser of firearms, accounting for 40 percent of gun industry revenues<\/a>. By adjusting federal procurement policies, the federal government can encourage gun manufacturers and dealers to work to prevent trafficking and gun violence, while driving innovation that advances gun safety.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:<\/p>\n Holding gun manufacturers accountable when they contribute to gun violence can help break the pipeline through which criminals and dangerous individuals obtain and traffic guns. Yet, manufacturers have little incentive to encourage bad actors to reform: they continue to profit from dealers\u2019 unscrupulous sales, while Congress protects them from any liability for contributing to criminal or deadly behavior.<\/p>\n As president, Governor O\u2019Malley will:<\/p>\n I\u2019ll start by saying O\u2019Malley\u2019s policy plan does nothing to save lives and everything to chill the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.\u00a0 <\/span>Yes, as a gun-rights advocate I\u2019m a bit biased in my assessment, but just think about what he\u2019s proposing relative to the problem at hand.<\/p>\n Let me break it down, there are 32,000 gun deaths each year in the United States, almost two-thirds of which are suicides.\u00a0 <\/span>If O\u2019Malley was serious about cutting the number of gun deaths in half by 2025 his plan would include specific measures and detailed initiatives that focus on suicide prevention.\u00a0 <\/span>Right?\u00a0 <\/span>Think about it.\u00a0 <\/span>If approximately 20,000 people kill themselves each year with firearms, then one would assume tackling the issue of suicide by firearm would figure prominently in the plan.\u00a0 <\/span>But it doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 <\/span>In fact, the word \u201csuicide\u201d is rarely mentioned.<\/p>\n The only mention of suicide is in the context of policies relating to storage of guns at home, universal background checks and a national age (21) requirement for handgun possession.\u00a0 <\/span>But let\u2019s be honest about these measures, while they might help to keep guns out of the hands of young children, their ability to dissuade a suicidal individual from taking his own life are highly suspect.\u00a0 <\/span>To draw an analogy, it\u2019s like trying to prevent drunk driving by lowering speed limits or banning SUVs.<\/p>\n What O\u2019Malley is essentially doing is focusing on the rules of the road and the types of vehicles people drive instead of the drunkard behind the wheel.\u00a0 <\/span>It makes no sense.\u00a0 <\/span>If we want to lower the number of gun deaths we need to primarily focus on the man with suicidal ideations \u2014 not so much oblique concerns like background checks, age requirements for handguns and storage laws.\u00a0 <\/span>It seems obvious, but for some reason O\u2019Malley completely misses the mark.<\/p>\n But all of this speaks to a larger, fundamental problem with O\u2019Malley and his plan, which is that the problem is not gun<\/em> deaths or gun<\/em> violence \u2014 but death and violence.\u00a0 <\/span>People kill people.\u00a0 <\/span>People kill themselves.\u00a0 <\/span>Guns just happen to be one of the methods by which people kill other people and people kill themselves.\u00a0 O<\/span>ur policy solutions, therefore, ought to target people who have the intention to hurt themselves or others regardless of the tool or implement at their disposal.\u00a0 <\/span>To phrase it another way, we have a people problem \u2014 not a gun problem.\u00a0 <\/span>We need to find solutions to fix broken and dangerous people.<\/p>\n How do we fix broken and dangerous people?\u00a0 <\/span>There are many answers to that question (educational assistance, mental health treatment, job opportunities).\u00a0 <\/span>Of course, none of those answers include stripping away the freedoms and liberties of the law-abiding.\u00a0 <\/span>Sadly, that\u2019s exactly what O\u2019Malley is suggesting we do.\u00a0 <\/span>He wants to ban widely popular and commonly owned firearms (AR-15s) and accessories (magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds).\u00a0 <\/span>He wants to create a national gun owners registry.\u00a0 <\/span>He opposes a federal concealed carry standard so certain state\u2019s can maintain their Constitutionally dubious \u2018may-issue\u2019 practices.\u00a0 <\/span>He wants to terminate the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which safeguards gun manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits, among many other baleful policy objectives.<\/p>\n O’Malley’s plan is completely misguided. \u00a0It really is. \u00a0Any “gun violence prevention plan” that doesn’t seriously discuss suicide and ways to stop it is not worth the paper it’s printed on. \u00a0There are other big omissions too, like policy measures to target gang culture and widespread drug abuse both of which drive up the gun homicide and violent crime rates. \u00a0Anyways, you get my point. \u00a0It’s an epic fail. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley unveiled his policy plan to cut gun deaths in half by 2025 this week. As one might expect from an anti-gun candidate, it\u2019s an epic fail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":42823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[244,7,25,216,240],"tags":[132,122],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-42822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-2nd-amendment-r2kba","8":"category-gunsamerica-authors","9":"category-current-events","10":"category-s-h-blannelberry","11":"category-this-week","12":"tag-buzz","13":"tag-r2kba"},"yoast_head":"\nO’Malley Op-Ed<\/h2>\n
The O’Malley Plan<\/h2>\n
GOAL: CUT DEATHS FROM GUN VIOLENCE\u2014HOMICIDES, SUICIDES, AND ACCIDENTS\u2014IN HALF BY 2025<\/h3>\n
Expand Background Check Protections to All Sales<\/u><\/h4>\n
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Implement Commonsense Safeguards for Gun Purchases<\/u><\/h4>\n
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\nWhile licensed dealers are already required<\/a> to make sure that gun purchasers have safety devices, there is far more to be done to ensure responsible gun storage. O\u2019Malley will extend existing safety standards to all firearm sales. He will also issue federal rules clearly defining the gun locks and safes that meet safety standards.<\/li>\nProtect Women from Gun Violence<\/u><\/h4>\n
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Expand Reporting Requirements to Help Law Enforcement Fight Gun Crime<\/u><\/h4>\n
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Hold Bad Actors Accountable<\/u><\/h4>\n
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\nO\u2019Malley will ensure the ATF has the funding and authority it needs to do its job and keep the American people safe. This includes revising the standard by which dealers can have their licenses revoked, and increasing follow-up so that dealers who lose their licenses do not pass on their business to friends or relatives, or continue to sell guns as unlicensed sellers.<\/li>\nUse the Power of the Federal Purse to Advance Gun Safety<\/u><\/h4>\n
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Ensure Gun Manufacturers Act Responsibly<\/u><\/h4>\n
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Why It’s an Epic Fail<\/h2>\n