In recent years, the United States has witnessed a steady drumbeat of gun violence– from high-profile mass shootings to rising firearm-related deaths in cities and rural communities alike. As policymakers debate red flag laws, expanded background checks and restrictions on assault-style weapons, Americans remain deeply divided on how best to respond while increasingly growing weary of this continuous scourge.

The national debate over guns often comes down to two words: rights and safety. One side argues the Second Amendment guarantees gun ownership as a check against tyranny and crime. The other points to the 40,000+ gun deaths a year as proof that America’s gun laws are broken. 

In this edition of “Across the Aisle,” BergVotes asked students across ideological lines how they would address the epidemic of gun violence while navigating competing visions of freedom.

Rights vs. Regulation: The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms. How should that right be interpreted in the twenty-first century? Do modern gun laws go too far–  or not far enough?

College Democrats: 

The Second Amendment was written at a time when the guns owned by Americans looked very different than they do today. There were no assault rifles in 1778. The shift in the accessibility and types of guns available to American citizens must lead to a shift in the way we view the Second Amendment. We feel we can all agree that a full ban on guns would be neither feasible or effective, but broadly sweeping implementation of proven to be effective gun control laws is necessary to protect American lives. 

In 2023, the most recent year for which complete data is available, 46,728 people died from gun-related injuries, according to the CDC. This is a significantly higher rate than many other nations, particularly developed nations. This can be attributed to lax gun control and high gun ownership in addition to other systemic issues such as lack of important public services.  America should be taking drastic steps in the form of legislative gun control and additional community focused resources to deal more directly with the root of the problem to escape this atrocious cycle of violence which currently plagues us. 

College Republicans:

American gun law reform should focus on targeted solutions rather than repeating failed strategies, such as Prohibition in the 1920s. People must be able to defend themselves, their families, and their property. While regulation is absolutely necessary, outright bans are unrealistic and ineffective. Focusing on solutions that strengthen enforcement, improve background checks, and address mental health would not take away our Second Amendment Right, but allow for necessary improvements to reduce violence at its root . 

Gun laws should emphasize common-sense reforms: enforcing existing rules, closing trafficking loopholes and strengthening background checks without penalizing responsible owners. Mental health and community safety must also be priorities. More rigorous background and mental-health screenings would reduce access for criminals or those unfit to own firearms. Like drugs, guns would still reach criminals through illegal markets, leaving law-abiding citizens disadvantaged. Prohibitions often increase panic buying and secondary-market sales. For example, Massachusetts’ 2016 assault-weapons enforcement notice led to a 616% spike in sales within five days. Similarly, the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban produced mixed, short-term results, with evidence on crime reduction largely inconclusive. Instead, it inflated black-market prices and encouraged illicit trade. These cases show that bans create perverse outcomes: criminals profit, enforcement weakens and demand persists. Ultimately, protecting the Second Amendment while implementing smart, enforceable reforms offers a more balanced path forward than outright prohibition.

Women in Politics: 

We believe modern gun laws do not go far enough. When the Second Amendment was written in 1787, firearms were drastically different from today’s technology. At the time, the standard weapon was the British Pattern 1769 Short Land Musket– a single-shot, muzzle-loaded firearm that weighed over ten pounds). The Founding Fathers could not have imagined the invention of semi-automatic assault rifles capable of rapid mass casualties.

Semi-automatic rifles have been involved in some of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Since 1982, there have been at least 65 mass shootings involving rifles, including the Las Vegas massacre, which killed 58 and injured 546. These tragedies show the danger of such powerful firearms in civilian hands. While the federal government requires background checks for gun sales by licensed dealers, it does not regulate private sales or ghost gun components. In Pennsylvania, background checks are required for handguns, but the state lacks laws on safe storage and does not regulate ghost guns or modifications. Gun dealers also lack authority to deny sales to dangerous buyers.

Though we support the Second Amendment, stronger federal regulations are needed. Guns should be tracked, stored safely and harder for dangerous individuals to access. The Constitution must evolve with the times to protect public safety. It is not about removing the right to bear arms but ensuring it doesn’t endanger others.

Policy Fixes: What reforms (if any) do you support to address gun violence in the United States?

College Democrats: 

We support gun reform which focuses on regulations proven to lower gun violence and gun related deaths. This includes universal background checks, Extreme Risk laws, conceal carry permit requirements and secure gun storage requirements.  Currently, gun control regulations are left mainly up to the states. There is significant evidence to suggest that states with stronger gun control laws experience lower rates of gun violence. The average firearm homicide rate in states without background checks is 58 percent higher than the average in states with background-check laws in place. Studies of states that weaken their permitting systems have shown an 11% increase in handgun homicide rates and a 13% to 15% increase in overall violent crime rates. We support federal intervention to implement these constructive policies nationwide.  Strong Bipartisan support has been found for congressional action to require universal background checks for all firearm sales and private transfers. 

We also support a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. From 2015 to 2022, mass shootings with four or more people killed where an assault weapon was used resulted in nearly six times as many people shot, more than twice as many people killed and 23 times as many people wounded on average compared to those that did not involve the use of one. Banning these weapons would decrease the possibility of high-casualty mass shootings that we currently experience far too often in this country.  

College Republicans: 

As College Republicans, we believe in ensuring that any reforms to address gun violence target criminals rather than law-abiding citizens. We support strengthening the enforcement of existing laws and improving background check systems to make sure that dangerous individuals cannot obtain firearms. Some Republican leaders such as Sen. Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey and Lindsey Graham have also expressed openness to extreme risk protection orders, or Red Flag Laws, provided that they include strong due process protections to prevent abuse. Addressing mental health is another priority, as increased access to care and early interventions can help reduce violence at its root. Additionally, in 2022 Republicans voted in support of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which implemented gun safety measures, expanded background checks, invested in mental health services and funded school safety initiatives. It was the first major federal gun legislation passed in nearly 30 years and followed mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y.  and Uvalde, Texas. 

Improving school safety is also a key reform, as this protects vulnerable communities without restricting rights. Safe storage measures that encourage responsible gun ownership can also prevent misuse and accidents, particularly among minors, without punishing responsible owners. Additionally, regulating untraceable ghost guns and cracking down on straw purchasers or firearms trafficking can help prevent guns from ending up in the hands of criminals while still protecting the rights of lawful owners. At the same time, we oppose sweeping restrictions that contradict Republican values and infringe on constitutional freedoms, such as broad bans on commonly owned rifles, arbitrary magazine limits or universal registration and licensing requirements. These policies often punish responsible owners rather than addressing criminal misuse. Instead, we favor reforms that are evidence-based, constitutionally sound and that uphold the principle of individual responsibility.

Women in Politics: 

Many scholarly studies support the idea for gun reform, but the data should be read carefully. First, the presence of more guns in a country doesn’t always equate to more violence as generally no strong nor consistent correlation has been found between the number of guns and violence rates. One study reveals that “gun control laws have a very mild effect on the number of gun related deaths while socioeconomic variables such as a state’s poverty level, unemployment rate and alcohol consumption, have significant impact on firearm related deaths.” A supporting study found that countries with stricter gun laws but continued gun violence faced secondary problems such as political turmoil, poor policing, deep criminal networks and economic inequity. 

In America, “states in the U.S. with strict licensing requirements for handgun purchasers are correlated with a 56% reduction in fatal mass shooting incidences and a 67% decrease in mass shooting victims.” Studies  suggest that implementing background checks, law enforcement and public education and government controlled sales have the greatest impact. For broader change however, lawmakers should go beyond individual policies and programs to consider improving broader economic, social, and cultural conditions that underlie violence. improving broader economic, social and cultural conditions that underlie violence.

Finding common Ground: Gun policy often seems like one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Why do you think political progress on this issue is so difficult– and are there areas where you think people across the political spectrum might agree? What, if anything, do you value in the opposing perspective?

College Democrats: 

Policies such as universal background checks have large bipartisan support.  Unfortunately, we have not recently seen nationwide congressional action to implement these policies that are favored by a majority of Americans. This can be attributed to the amount of money at play with the major gun lobbies, such as the National Rifle Association (NRA). Since 1998, the National Rifle Association has donated at least $4.1 million to current members of Congress. This deters many congress members from supporting these popular bipartisan initiatives, due to fears of losing financial support for their campaigns. This takes voice away from the people and hands it to these major lobbies which in many cases represent a minority interest. 

We understand the importance of gun ownership to many in this country and do not foresee any full ban on guns. We do however acknowledge that the current legislation around gun ownership and accessibility, simply is not doing enough. We should not have weapons of war circulating on city streets. In order to create a national environment where parents can send their kids to school without worry, where people can feel safe gathering to practice their religion and kindergartners don’t have to do lockdown drills, we need to focus legislative energy on effective gun reform. 

College Republicans:

Gun policy is a sensitive topic for many Americans. For years, gun violence has been a polarizing issue between Republicans and Democrats, making progress challenging. The polarization is present in nearly every conversation– from proposing stricter gun laws to differing beliefs about the relationship between gun ownership and public safety. 

Republicans tend to believe that responsible gun ownership increases safety. In contrast, many Democrats argue that increased access to guns correlates with higher risks of violence and advocate for tighter regulations. While both sides often focus on different solutions it’s important to recognize that both ultimately share a common goal. Protecting American lives.

However, it’s also important to acknowledge certain facts. Criminals, by definition, do not follow laws– including gun laws. The reality is, adding more gun laws often ends up putting more pressure on law-abiding citizens, while doing little to stop those who are already intent on breaking the law. In fact, some of the cities with the strictest gun control measures, such as Chicago and New York, continue to struggle with high levels of gun violence. This raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of stricter laws as a single solution. 

Ultimately, the Republican and Democrat parties both strive for the safety of the country’s citizens, but as Americans, it should be our duty to protect our God-given right to bear arms that was laid out by our country’s founders. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

Video Graphic by Kabir Burman ’27

Kabir Burman ’27 is an international student from India double majoring in media & communication and political science. He is constantly looking for new ways to bring you the stories that matter and feature different perspectives. If you can’t find him in the newsroom, you’ll find him playing the piano, taking a nap, or planning his next trip to NYC!