The Arkansas School Safety Commission has been discussing important steps that can be taken to keep students safe. It is considering factors like mental health, prevention programs and school infrastructure as part of a comprehensive plan. And while school security can help mitigate the crises we currently face, volunteers at Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America believe the key to preventing gun violence in our schools is to keep guns out of the hands of people with dangerous histories.

Requiring background checks for all gun sales, implementing and enforcing red-flag laws and enacting other common-sense gun laws would not only make our schools safer, but those positions enjoy broad support from the public, including gun owners. These are common sense solutions that don’t involve putting more guns into our schools and are much less controversial and proven to be effective. After all, if guns everywhere for everyone made us safer, we’d be among the safest states in the nation and safest countries in the world.

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Many people assume background checks are required on all gun sales, but this is not true. Criminal background checks are only required for sales conducted by licensed dealers. Often called “the gun show loophole,” this exception is easy to exploit. The loophole makes it easy for convicted felons or domestic abusers to acquire guns without a background check simply by finding an unlicensed seller online or at a gun show. When Connecticut passed a law requiring background checks for all handgun sales, the state saw a 40 percent reduction in gun homicides and a 15 percent reduction in gun suicides.

Requiring comprehensive background checks is not controversial; a poll in February found that 97 percent of voters support legislation to require criminal background checks on every gun sale. The foundation of any comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy must be background checks for all gun sales.

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The next step is for Arkansas to join the growing number of states with red-flag laws. This policy lets family members and law enforcement petition a judge to temporarily block a person from having guns if a court finds that they pose a danger to themselves or others. If Florida had a red-flag law, like they now do, the Parkland school shooter’s family or police could have asked a judge to order a temporary removal of his guns. Red-flag Laws make sense because they keep guns out of the hands of people who show warning signs of possible violent actions against others or themselves.

Red-flag laws — also known as Extreme Risk Protective Orders — can also help prevent suicide, which makes up nearly two-thirds of gun deaths in this country. Between 2012 and 2016, suicide by gun accounted for 61 percent of suicides in Arkansas, killing over 1,600 Arkansas residents. On average, one Arkansas resident dies by gun suicide every 21 hours. Since Connecticut passed a red-flag law, researchers estimate that the law has already averted an estimated 72 or more suicides.

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Red-flag bills have been introduced or carried over in 29 states and D.C. this year. Florida’s red-flag Law passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Gov. Rick Scott on March 9, 2018, in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting.

Since studies show most mass shootings involve domestic or family violence, another way to keep communities safe is to tighten laws to keep guns away from domestic abusers and to close the “boyfriend loophole.” By that I mean that when abusers are convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes or subject to final restraining orders, they should be blocked from purchasing guns and required to relinquish those they already own. We also need to close the “boyfriend loophole” — by making sure those laws apply to abusers regardless of whether the violence is directed towards a spouse.

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We know that when forming this commission, the governor wanted to take strengthening gun laws off the table. However, this commission is tasked with making recommendations to protect our students. We cannot, and should not have this conversation without discussing ways to effectively keep guns out of the hands of people who are known to be a risk of committing violent acts. These common-sense solutions are backed by evidence, unlike arming teachers and other school personnel. Enacting common-sense laws must be part of any comprehensive school safety plan.

Eve Jorgensen is the chapter lead for Arkansas Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

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