Terps Demand Action hosts Ladd Everitt for discussion on gun control
Gun control activist Ladd Everitt speaking at a Terps Demand Action meeting on October 19, 2023. (Liya Osiyemi/ The Black Explosion)
Terps Demand Action hosted gun control activist Ladd Everitt at McKeldin Mall on October 19 to discuss ways to improve gun control in America.
According to the CDC, there were 48,830 firearm deaths in the United States in 2021. This number is at an all time high due to requirements and background check process to purchase a firearm being too easy, according to Everitt.
Everitt worked for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, One Pulse and the Million Mom March. He is now a consultant who talks about the impact of gun violence and how people can get involved in the fight for gun control.
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in order to be disqualified from buying a firearm you must have one of the following; a conviction of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding a year, a misdemeanor in domestic violence, an active restraining order, be a fugitive of justice, be an illegal alien, have renounced their U.S. citizenship, or have been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility.
“So, the person who is severely mentally ill and has been harming himself but he voluntarily went into a facility, he can buy and own all of the guns he wants,” said Everitt, “The guy who has been under eight prior restraining orders for beating up women, but his last one just expired, he can buy and own all of the guns he wants.”
Background checks for firearms go through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is the FBI’s national system that checks records of people who may be disqualified from owning or purchasing a firearm.
Everitt said the current background check system for purchasing a firearm is not restrictive enough. He suggested it should be changed to a national gun licensing and registration system where there is a more comprehensive background check and interview process to obtain a firearm.
He added that the recent Supreme Court case decision of New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen will have a large impact on activists’ abilities to enact stricter gun control.
Conservative Supreme Court justices concluded in 2022 that laws like New York's proper cause law violated the second amendment right to bear arms for self protection because it requires a person to show a special need for self protection to receive an unrestricted concealed-carry license according to Oyez.
“Up until now states have been able to implement ‘may issue’ licensing systems where you go through the typical background check and screening process but at the end of the day, law enforcement would have discretion to prevent someone from getting a permit if they say other factors in their background that were troublesome,” said Everitt.
“May issue” licensing means firearm issuing authorities, like law enforcement agencies, can use their discretion when issuing or denying a firearm permit.
After the ruling in the Supreme Court case, these “may issue” licensing systems may become illegal. Meaning states would have to allow qualified citizens to obtain concealed carry permits, said Everitt.
Terps Demand Action is a bipartisan organization that strives to educate students on the impact of gun violence, Co-Presidents Bella Socha-Soares and Bella Bright reestablished the organization one year ago. Socha-Soares said they host guest speakers, like Ladd Everitt, to show students how to get involved in gun control activism.
“We just really want to raise awareness about gun violence, gun safety, and gun education,” said Socha-Soares, “There’s nothing on campus that talks about it in a way that is conversational besides us.”