Would a waiting period reduce shootings and suicides?

The mass shootings in Atlanta on March 16 were committed by a 21-year old man who bought his gun on the day of the shootings.

While a background check was performed, the short interval between the check and the purchase raises the issue of the value of a waiting period between the background check and the purchase. It would give the purchaser time to reconsider an impulse and think of possible consequences. It would also give the government more time to look into the background of the purchaser.

The mass shooting in Boulder on March 22, taking 10 lives, was done with an AR-15 pistol, modeled after the rifle.

Since then, there have been shootings in Virginia Beach on March 26, with at least three shooters, two dead, and eight wounded. One of the shooters was killed by an officer. In Baltimore on March 28, five were killed, with the shooter killing his parents, two others and then himself. There is no easy answer to all of this.

In Iowa suicide is the most common form of gun death (79 percent), with homicides second (17 percent, Everytown for Gun Safety). Mass killings get our attention, because they are shocking, but suicide by gun is much more frequent. If a gun was not available, the suicide would be much less likely, because suicides are usually done impulsively. Will recent legislation increase the likelihood of suicide and homicide in Iowa?

Leon Schmidt

Cedar Rapids