livingston
20×102mm Vulcan
When President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June, it seemed the best Congress could do, given Republican opposition to new gun control laws. The bill includes the expansion of background checks for 18- to 21-year-old gun purchasers, closure of the so-called boyfriend loophole to block gun purchases by abusive partners, grants to states to enhance “red flag” laws, and funding for school safety and youth mental health programs.
But it could be time for a new approach to America’s gun problem: a national gun buyback program, paid for by higher excise taxes on gun purchases. For decades, federal and state gun policy has focused on regulation: banning private sales of some weapons, restricting who can buy specific weapons, controlling where guns can be carried or fired, and so on. Most of the proposals advocated by reform groups like the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Everytown for Gun Safety reflect this regulatory approach, which has yielded a significant body of laws, such as prohibiting the sale of automatic weapons. But in the modern context, it has three distinct limitations.
First, it is nearly impossible for Congress to enact major gun control legislation. Any gun control law must pass the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate. Since 1981, there have only been 133 days when the majority party had 60 or more votes, so as a practical matter, a reform bill needs at least some Republican support. Still, over the past decade, there have been very few Republican votes for any gun control measure.
Second, the Republican majority on the Supreme Court is skeptical of gun control laws. In June, for example, they struck down a New York law requiring state approval for citizens to carry a concealed weapon.
Third, no politically feasible restrictive gun law would address the enormous number of firearms already in circulation. A 2018 study found that Americans possess about 45 percent of all the privately owned firearms in the world. If Congress banned all gun sales today, the country would still have more guns than people.
washingtonmonthly.com
But it could be time for a new approach to America’s gun problem: a national gun buyback program, paid for by higher excise taxes on gun purchases. For decades, federal and state gun policy has focused on regulation: banning private sales of some weapons, restricting who can buy specific weapons, controlling where guns can be carried or fired, and so on. Most of the proposals advocated by reform groups like the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Everytown for Gun Safety reflect this regulatory approach, which has yielded a significant body of laws, such as prohibiting the sale of automatic weapons. But in the modern context, it has three distinct limitations.
First, it is nearly impossible for Congress to enact major gun control legislation. Any gun control law must pass the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate. Since 1981, there have only been 133 days when the majority party had 60 or more votes, so as a practical matter, a reform bill needs at least some Republican support. Still, over the past decade, there have been very few Republican votes for any gun control measure.
Second, the Republican majority on the Supreme Court is skeptical of gun control laws. In June, for example, they struck down a New York law requiring state approval for citizens to carry a concealed weapon.
Third, no politically feasible restrictive gun law would address the enormous number of firearms already in circulation. A 2018 study found that Americans possess about 45 percent of all the privately owned firearms in the world. If Congress banned all gun sales today, the country would still have more guns than people.
It's Time for a National Gun Buyback
The feds buying guns off the street isn’t an easy sell. But it can pass through reconciliation and survive judicial muster.
washingtonmonthly.com
