A New Approach to Addressing the Rampant Gun Violence in the United States

This paper identifies the fundamental reason why the United States has been unable to curb the rampant gun violence: gun ownership and shooting have become an inalienable basic necessity of life for the American people. Since public interest in and demand for ammunition are far less than those for firearms, an ammunition ban is the only viable policy to fundamentally resolve the rampant gun violence. Such a policy would prohibit the private possession of ammunition and specialized components for its manufacture, while allowing government-authorized and regulated commercial shooting ranges and hunting outfitter to possess ammunition and conduct lawful shooting activities. It would also permit the collection of certified top-tier antique ammunition by collectors, allows reloading enthusiasts to reload ammunition in government-authorized and regulated reloading workshops, and provides a service to deliver the reloaded ammunition to their designated commercial shooting ranges or hunting outfitter for future use. The government subsidizes commercial shooting ranges, hunting outfitter, and reloading workshops, making their primary services free to consumers. The government will also purchase assets at fair market value or provide transition subsidies to businesses in industries suffering revenue losses due to the new policy, as needed, and offer generous unemployment benefits to affected workers. The new policy implements a series of robust regulatory measures for ammunition in civilian circulation, including authorizing law enforcement agencies to search for ammunition carried on persons or stored in residences without cause during the first year of implementation, and mandating the installation of integrated firing counters on newly manufactured firearms. These measures ensure that ammunition is not lost or stolen, thereby protecting law-abiding citizens from harm by criminals. The new policy does not substantially infringe upon the American people’s right to shoot, while significantly reducing the cost of shooting for the public. Consequently, it is certain to gain the support of the vast majority of gun owners, thereby overcoming the obstacles posed by the Second Amendment and ensuring smooth implementation. The new policy has little impact on the firearms industry’s revenue and does not increase the government’s fiscal burden, making it entirely feasible.