The History of Gun Violence

Has gun violence always been a big issue in America? What events caused gun violence to be as big of a problem as it is today. The history of gun violence in America is very important due to the fact that gun violence is so common today, in fact, about 200 people have to go to the hospital for non-fatal firearm injuries a day in America. We have tens of thousands gun deaths a year, and that number is likely going to grow over time, but how did we get here? In this informational essay, I am going to discuss key events regarding gun violence, some events working to reduce gun violence, some increasing the issue, giving a clearer answer to this blurry question.

July 4th, 1776, The Declaration of Independence was adopted, creating The United States of America. In early America, many houses owned firearms for protection, often seen as a necessity for protection, especially since America had just ended a violent revolutionary war. However, at this time there were gun restrictions for free and enslaved black people. These regulations also involved discrimination based on religious, racial and political reasons. In 1715, Maryland prohibited slaves from “carrying any guns, or any other offensive weapon, from off their master’s land, without license from their said master.” Then, in 1742, Pennsylvania enacted a law that prohibited slaves in Philadelphia from carrying any weapons without the permission of their “masters”. As you can see, a lot of gun laws had discriminative motivations, prohibiting anybody seen as “different” from carrying or having access to a firearm of any sort.

Many state-laws were created in this time regarding guns, specifically in Massachusetts. Massachusetts enacted a law that prohibited storing a loaded weapon in a home. According to an article from the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, “In 1792, Massachusetts passed a regulation against transporting and storing gunpowder in Boston exceeding 25 pounds, unless supervised by the Board of Firewards (predecessor of the Boston Fire Department).” Massachusetts then enacted a law in 1727 that prohibited dueling. Anyone engaging in a duel with a “rapier or small-sword, backsword, pistol, or any other dangerous weapon” would be transported in a cart to the gallows with a rope placed around his neck and forced to sit there for one hour. Afterward, he would be imprisoned for 12 months. Then, in 1713, Massachusetts also restricted Bostonians from firing a gun on Boston Neck within 10 rods of the road and highway. Boston Neck was a narrow strip of land that served as the only access point to Boston from the mainland. A gate and guardhouse were strategically placed there to protect the city from attacks. Due to geographical changes resulting from reclamation projects, Boston Neck no longer exists. Many of these state-laws affected how gun-use was handled in the state, working to either increase or decrease gun usage.

Later in the century, the second amendment was ratified, meaning that it was formally approved and made legally valid, signifying that the document was finalized. It states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This gives citizens the right to bear arms (guns) in America, which cannot be changed.

This decade largely set up America’s system, giving you a clearer sight of the origins of America's handling of weapons, but how did the following centuries expand on this?

Industrialization, civil wars and social changes are all things that took place in the shifting period known as the 1800s. What happened with gun violence this century? The first major event in the century was when an army company created a new rifle, The Henry Riffle, the first gun ever to have a capacity greater than 10 rounds. This gun was designed and introduced by Benjamin Tyler Henry in 1860. It was produced from 1860 until 1866 in the United States by the New Haven Arms Company. While never issued on a large scale, the Henry rifle demonstrated its advantages of rapid fire at close range several times in the American Civil War and later during the wars between the United States and the Plains Indians. Later on the fourteenth amendment was ratified. The 14th amendment grants citizenship to all people born in the U.S. Over time, this amendment applies to the Bill of Rights, including the second amendment to states. This means that no states could violate these individual liberties.

Later on, there were multiple state laws created. For example, Texas prohibited carrying firearms under most circumstances. Missouri restricted carrying hand guns in St. Louis without a permit from local authorities. Post Civil-war, southern states passed discriminatory laws that restricted former slaves from carrying guns. Most of these laws still exist today due to the fact that the state government faces legal and political limitations. 

In 1884, Hiram Maxim developed the first truly automatic machine gun. The Maxim gun is a recoil-operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world that fired 600-1200 rounds per minute. 

Many laws created during the century are still around, while many aren’t. How did the following decade handle this topic?

The 1900s was a decade of technological, social, and political advancements. This decade highlights a lot of what gun violence looks like today. In this decade, the first major federal gun control law was created. The National Firearms Act, seeking to end gang violence by regulating weapons deemed particularly dangerous. In 1930, the Federal Firearms Act banned gun sales to people convicted of felonies and required gun dealers and manufacturers to be licensed. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, “The National Firearms Act was originally enacted in 1934. Similar to the current NFA, the original Act imposed a tax on the making and transfer of firearms defined by the Act, as well as a special (occupational) tax on persons and entities engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing, and dealing in NFA firearms. The law also required the registration of all NFA firearms with the Secretary of the Treasury. Firearms subject to the 1934 Act included shotguns and rifles having barrels less than 18 inches in length, certain firearms described as “any other weapons,” machine guns, and firearm mufflers and silencers.” For registered highly regulated firearms, such as machine guns, short barreled rifles, short barreled hand guns, required a $200 tax stamp, fingerprints, and extensive background checks. This act is still in effect, but with significant changes.

In an unanimous decision, the Supreme Court holds in United States v. Miller that the Second Amendment doesn’t confer an individual right to guns and protect ownership of guns only if they have a “reasonable relationship” to militia service. Another Supreme Court case confirmed that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an individual right to short-barreled or “sawed-off” shotguns.

Another act, The Gun Control Act, extensively regulated interstate gun commerce and prohibited sales to people adjudicated as mentally ill, users of illegal drugs, undocumented immigrants, and people dishonorally discharged from the military. This Legislation regulated interstate and foreign commerce in firearms, including importation, “prohibited persons”, and licensing provisions. After the assassinations of President John Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Gun Control Act is passed and imposes stricter licensing and regulation on the firearms industry, establishes new categories or firearms offenses and, and prohibits the sale of firearms and ammunition to felons and certain other prohibited persons.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, known as the Brady Bill, mandated federal background checks for firearm purchases from licensed sellers. On November 30, 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was enacted, amending the Gun Control Act of 1968. The Brady Law imposed as an interim measure a waiting period of 5 days before a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer may sell, deliver, or transfer a handgun to an unlicensed individual. While the interim provisions of the Brady Law apply only to handguns, the permanent provisions of the Brady Law apply to all firearms.

Many of these acts are still in effect, with many changes. This decade helped shape the current state we are in. How did gun violence change since then? How much of the century really shapes gun violence today?

In this essay, I discussed how different centuries dealt with gun violence leading up to today's time. Do you think it was handled well? How should we go about gun violence today?