A pragmatic plan to reduce gun violence

As a municipal police chief, I am very concerned about the trauma and the cost of gun violence to our community and my officers. After two recent shootings in Palm Springs, your patrol officers stopped four men associated with a local gang and seized four guns. They are among six guns seized that week and more than 250 guns seized in the past 18 months. Taking guns out of the hands of criminals is essential for a safe Palm Springs.

Each year, the number of gun deaths in America matches a city the size of Palm Springs. According to Pew research, in 2021, 48,800 people were killed by firearms. The National Institute of Health reports that each murder costs taxpayers $1.28 million. This cost includes police, fire, medical resources, the courts and jail. Fifty-four percent of those killed were suicides, 43% were murders and the rest were accidental, selfdefense or police shootings.

Trite slogans and political partisanship have not reduced gun violence. We need a pragmatic plan. Here is what America can do:

Rigorously enforce and prosecute existing gun laws. The courts must enforce current laws. If one is prohibited from having a firearm and the person is caught with a gun again, the punishment must be certain and swift. The penalty must be an extremely high price. People make a rational choice based on risk and reward. They can choose to stop carrying guns illegally. Some people carry guns illegally because gun laws are often treated as a nuisance rather than an indicator of imminent violence.

Use and enforce red flag laws. Based on threat management research, we can proactively take guns from those likely to inflict violence on others. California implemented Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO). GVROs are a positive first step. These laws can take guns out of the hands of those likely to harm others. We know that taking guns from unstable people has prevented acts of mass violence in California.

The police and courts must use them.

Ban those on the terrorist watch list from owning, buying or possessing a firearm. If you cannot be trusted to fly on a commercial aircraft, how can you be trusted with a gun? In one Government Accountability study, 2,200 of the 2,400 on the Watch List passed a firearm background check. Preventing violence means modernizing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They conduct firearm traces by hand. There are 300-plus million guns in the U.S. ATFE is overwhelmed, understaffed and without modern computerization.

Enforce current gun safety regulations. When a gun is not being used, the owner must lock it up and make it inaccessible to others. Guns used in crime are often stolen. A firearm stolen from a car puts that gun directly into a criminal’s hands. Careless gun ownership should never happen. Doing so, by definition, arms criminals.

Mandate insurance for those who carry concealed firearms and own military-type rifles. The cost of gun violence to society is extraordinarily high. Personal responsibility includes bearing the costs and consequences of gun ownership. The courts and legislature must create balanced legislation that protects the Second Amendment, by rewarding responsible gun ownership and penalizing irresponsible owners. Insurance creates liability and a check and balance for those who carry concealed or own military-style rifles.

Prosecute those who furnish firearms intentionally or recklessly that result in death. Prosecute gun distributors when they carelessly give or sell firearms to a person who uses the gun illegally. Just as drug dealers are charged with homicide for providing Fentanyl when it results in a death, gun distributors can be held to account for risky behavior involving firearms.

America has a deep history of fierce independence and a culture of gun ownership. Guns are part of our national DNA. That will not change. Millions of Americans responsibly own guns, but not everyone. Keeping people safe from those likely to use them illegally is an obtainable goal. We can reduce firearm violence while protecting the Constitution.

Andy Mills is Palm Springs’ Police Chief. His email is Andrew.Mills@palmspringsca.gov.