Local opinion: What we can do to decrease firearm-related violence in Tucson

Witnessing the daily reports of gun violence both locally and across the United States, it is easy to become discouraged about our ability to reduce firearm-related violence in our own community. Despite the restrictions placed on local governments by federal and state laws, there remain opportunities for us to take locally that have the potential of reducing the level of gun violence.

Some suggested recommendations that fall within our power to create include:

1. Encourage property owners/managers at local gun shows and other sites where firearms are bought and sold to work with event operators to either, one, allow only Federal Firearm Licensees (FFL's), who are required to perform National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) on potential buyers; or two, require private sellers to make arrangements with on-site FFL’s to utilize their access to the NICS on those sales to help ensure that prohibited possessors of firearms are not able to purchase them. This process has become necessary due to the absence of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents at these events, which in the past, helped ensure that private sellers did not inadvertently sell firearms to prohibited possessors or straw purchasers.

2. Continue and expand the important work of the Tucson City Court's Domestic Violence Firearm Transfer Program, which protects high-risk survivors of domestic violence by transferring the firearms of their abusers to local law enforcement as part of the order of protection process. This program also provides survivors with additional support services. This program is a collaborative effort of the Tucson City DV Court, Tucson Police Department and the Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse. This program's grant funding is scheduled to end on January 31st, so we should find a way to maintain and expand its services to not only Tucson but other local jurisdictions.

3. Establish a multi-jurisdictional task force to hold accountable those persons found trying to illegally sell or transfer firearms (i.e., straw purchaser) to prohibited possessors. The purchase of a firearm with the intent to sell or transfer a firearm(s) to a prohibited possessor is a felony offense under the provisions of Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3102 A (5), which is current state law. Persons attempting to straw purchase firearms in local gun shops have been reported as a routine occurrence. Active enforcement of ARS 13-3102 A (5) will help discourage those individuals engaging in this activity who either know that what they are doing is illegal and try to do it anyway or if they somehow have the mistaken belief that it is not illegal to do so.

4. Along with suggestion 3, both public and private gun violence prevention programs could collaborate on a community-wide education campaign with local gun shops, gun shows, pawn shops and other venues where firearms are bought and sold to educate and warn persons contemplating the straw purchase of firearms with the legal and financial risks involved in this activity. As noted above, some persons engaged in this activity may be unaware that their actions are illegal. Once educated, they may be discouraged from continuing to buy firearms for those who cannot legally own them.

5. Support the establishment of additional local indoor gun ranges to allow legal gun owners in our community more opportunities to be trained on the safe handling and storage of their weapons. On-site NRA-certified safety training could be supported by discount vouchers provided through private and public sources. Additional training would hopefully reduce the number of accidental shootings. These locations could also serve as distribution points for suicide prevention materials to address one of the major causes of firearm-related mortality.

We can make it more difficult for prohibited possessors to obtain firearms to do harm in our community. We can better protect survivors of domestic violence from firearm violence. Finally, we can provide legal firearm owners with additional opportunities to receive gun safety training and risk reduction education and information. These actions are within our local power to implement. Let’s give them a try.