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The constantly evolving debate on gun control

  • Photo by CONTRIBUTED PHOTO •
Dr. Gino Tozzi
  • BY GINO TOZZI, PH.D.
  • Originally published July 29, 2012 at 11:18 p.m., updated July 29, 2012 at 11:18 p.m.

Little more than a week ago, James Holmes went to see the midnight premiere of the popular movie franchise for Batman, "The Dark Knight Rises," and massacred his fellow move-goers with a hailstorm of gunfire. In contemporary America, where most are not all too unfamiliar with this through the well publicized spate of mass shootings, along with gratuitous violence in movies, music, and videogames there are whispers of trying to restrict the ownership of different types of guns. The whispers emanate not from those governing us, but those involved in the media, interest groups, among other elites. The public, divided along its ideological lines, has sought to buy more guns out of fear of them being regulated or sought to push for more regulations on gun ownership. However, there is no clear push for more gun control from our elected leaders. Why?

There are several reasons why gun violence no longer elicits the response in favor of gun control it once did from elected officials. First, it is an election year and those up for reelection are reluctant to push for any significant changes to their preexisting agenda. No leaders have had gun control on their agenda since the Clinton Administration gun control bill in 1999. Since that time, the Supreme Court has upheld the 2nd Amendment as the justification for the individual ownership of firearms at the federal level in the District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) case and at the state level with McDonald v. Chicago (2010) case. Second, the National Rifle Association, the main pro-gun ownership interest organization, reorganized and innovated in the 1970s to the present day and has become one of the most effective interest groups in the United States by protecting the interests of gun owners. Third, American public opinion is currently not in favor of gun control legislation. According to the Gallup Organization the public's support for more gun control has decreased from 70 percent in the early 1990s to 45 percent. This makes endorsing gun control regulations for most Senators and President a risky proposition. A fourth and fifth reason, both proposed by political scientist Patrick Egan, is that gun violence and gun ownership have decreased markedly over the past twenty years. These changes in the frequency of gun violence and ownership have accompanied the declining support in public opinion for more gun control regulations.

It is very unlikely that any new gun control regulations will be introduced in the near future for these reasons. Politicians usually look to public opinion to decide what to do on hot button issues like these, but there is also an ideological component where those on the left and right will not negotiate on this matter due to their respective commitments toward more and less gun control. When gun control legislation happens, it will be because public opinion has changed to be in favor of gun control, but legislators must be wary of going overboard on this matter because of the Supreme Court's recent rulings on this issue.

The evolving debate on gun control affects Texas and the Crossroads because many Texans favor fewer gun control regulations. There are also Texans who favor banning certain types of guns or all guns in a certain geographical area. One thing is for sure; Texas is a microcosm of the national debate and is no stranger to acts of gun violence. As Texas has grown in national prominence, so will its influence on a whole host of issues. Texas will continue to influence this debate into the near future and likely continue the trend in favor of the status quo of avoiding new regulations on guns. Instead, Texas will likely push for harsher penalties for those who commits acts of violence. The political culture in Texas is to focus on the individual as the one at fault for the crime instead of environmental factors that influence one to murder and kill others. Don't forget that the U.S. Government currently has little appetite for new gun control legislation. Since that is the case, Texans can rest assured that new gun control regulations will not take effect at the state or national levels.

Dr. Gino Tozzi is a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Houston-Victoria. He can be reached for questions or comments at tozzig@uhv.edu.