On May 24th, 2022, Uvalde, Texas, experienced the most devastating school shooting that had ever occurred in the state of Texas. Nineteen elementary-age students and two teachers were killed, with eighteen others being seriously injured. People cannot ignore the human pressing the trigger, yet the gunman’s actions were made possible by the lethal efficiency of his semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle.
In the United States of America, gun ownership has become an issue of contention. People with different political orientations, from different backgrounds, and who have specific beliefs based on things such as personal morals and religion often dispute when it comes to guns. A frequent point of disagreement is what should be prioritized in gun policy: safety or freedom.
Americans should retain the right to bear arms, a freedom guaranteed by the 2nd amendment in the United States Constitution. But does the right to defend oneself come in the form of owning military-grade assault weapons? No, it does not. The writers of the Constitution’s intent was to promote public safety through self-defense, not to create greater conflict. This was because automatic weapons did not exist when they implemented this amendment. Therefore, the average citizen in the United States should not be permitted to own any form of automatic or semi-automatic weaponry.
An automatic weapon is defined by Joshua Gillin, staff writer for Politifact, as “[a gun where] squeezing the trigger once fires cartridges repeatedly until the shooter releases [the trigger].” Similar in the threat posed but different in design, a semi-automatic weapon, Gillin defines as “any firearm designed to fire one bullet with one trigger squeeze, and then automatically reload the chamber with a cartridge… and be ready to fire again.”
In recent years, gun violence rates have only increased across the U.S. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2010, there were 27 active shooter-related incidents, a number that has only increased, with 50 recorded in 2022.
As of 2024, the Rockefeller Institute of Government developed a list addressing the number of mass shootings in countries that are economically and politically similar to the United States. Topping this list was the U.S., with one hundred and nine recorded mass shootings. The next highest country on this list was France, with only six mass shootings.
What can be drawn from this is that on a national scale, the number of mass shootings in the United States far surpasses that of comparable nations. These higher rates can be attributed to differences in gun policy between the United States and these other nations.
A common thread shared by the vast majority of the nations in the study is that they are located in Europe. According to the European Union, a political union of a collection of European nations, the Firearms Directive (EU) 2021/555 imposed a ban on several varieties of semi-automatic firearms, including but not limited to: long semi-automatic firearms of length less than 60cm, long semi-automatic firearms with loading devices of more than 10 rounds, and short semi-automatic firearms with a loading device of more than 20 rounds.
The U.S., while having some restrictions when purchasing guns, such as brief background checks and taxes upon buying specific varieties of weaponry, does not permanently ban many of these guns.
This means that the accessibility of semi-automatic weapons in the United States, as opposed to other countries, is what is causing the United States to have higher automatic and semi-automatic gun violence rates.
According to Gillin, “semi-automatic rifles are widely available… [and] you can still buy an automatic weapon, but their sale and ownership is highly regulated and exceptionally expensive.”
Because automatic weapons are still accessible, nearly anyone can acquire one, so long as they are willing to pay. This presents a great danger because in the United States, the number of mass shootings has only been increasing from year-to-year. And by giving potential shooters a more efficient means of causing widespread harm, the number of shootings in the United States will only continue to rise.
Those who disagree with banning automatic weapons argue the same thing that pro-gun activists have argued for centuries, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. According to this amendment, individuals living within the United States have the right to “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.”
And while this is true, automatic weapons present an obvious harm in the form of enabling mass shooters to cause widespread destruction. Additionally, automatic and semi-automatic weaponry can be counterproductive when it comes to actual reasons someone may need to use a gun, such as self-defense and hunting. This highlights how this issue goes beyond gun ownership and becomes an issue of increased violence and decreased practicality.
As stated by Brady Kirkpatrick, a firearms expert for We Are The Mighty, “…automatic weapons are difficult to use effectively in real life.”
According to Pew Research Center, 72% of gun owners say the primary reason they own a gun is for protection, with 32% saying that hunting is another major reason and 15% considering collection a major reason. In none of these scenarios is it more beneficial for a weapon to be semi-automatic.
If someone is breaking into your home, protecting yourself with an automatic weapon is inconvenient. According to Kirkpatrick, “If you actually held your finger down on the trigger for, let’s say, five seconds – the barrel of your gun would move upwards, and you would have to physically push your gun down. Because of this, you’re not going to hit anything – you will simply lose control of your weapon.”
This means that owning an automatic or semi-automatic weapon frequently equates to being unable to adequately defend yourself. You would be just as likely to destroy your home as you would be to fend off an intruder. This is because automatic weapons are designed for a higher volume of shots fired rather than shot quality.
This holds true in regard to hunting as well. After one shot, your target will either be caught or have escaped. Repeated shots will only serve to damage the ecosystem in which you are hunting, as opposed to giving you a second chance of hitting the desired prey.
Lastly, when it comes to collection, automatic weapons should not be legalized for the sole purpose of being on display. They present too great a threat to leave out idly and risk falling into the wrong hands.
One clear theme that can be drawn is that automatic and semi-automatic weapons can and do cause immense harm. Their use yields no benefits in the daily lives of average American citizens; therefore, they should be outlawed.
Despite this, under the Trump Administration, policies have been enacted that legalized “forced reset triggers”, which are parts of guns that effectively turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns.
GIFFORDS, a national gun violence prevention organization, is seeking to reverse these changes to US policy.
According to Vanessa Gonzalez, GIFFORDS Vice President of Government and Political affairs, “This is an incredibly dangerous move that will enable shooters to inflict horrific damage. The only people who benefit from these being on the market are the people who make money from selling them; everyone else will suffer the consequences.”
In America, automatic gun usage has become an increasingly dangerous problem, resulting in greater amounts of mass shootings and guns falling into irresponsible hands. It is the duty of every American citizen to support gun violence prevention organizations, such as GIFFORDS, to work towards an America that won’t face the consequences of the misuse of automatic weapons.
This will only change if citizens become proactive and reach out to individuals with power who can provide assistance. If you care about the impact automatic and semi-automatic weapons have on the United States and our country’s legacy, join GIFFORDS and reach out to representatives to promote anti-automatic rifle legislation.
