Benchmark Effective Solutions
We can reduce gun violence
As we mourn the recent mass shooting tragedies in the Buffalo New York Tops Friendly Markets store and the Uvalde Texas Robb Elementary School, the hand wringing and blaming continues while the common causes of gun violence remain unchanged. These tragedies were only two of the 254 mass shootings that occurred in the United States during the first five months of this year.
What can be done? Are thoughts and prayers the most effective responses we can employ to prevent these frequent tragedies? Perhaps we can learn from countries that have lower rates of gun violence.
The United States has the 11th highest rate of gun violence in the world and a gun homicide rate which is 25 times higher than the average respective rates of other high-income nations. The United States has a total rate of firearms death which is 50–100 times greater than that of many similarly wealthy nations with effective gun control laws, such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. Nearly all studies have found a positive correlation between gun ownership and gun-related homicide and suicide rates.
What do the countries with lower rates of gun violence do differently from the United States? What can we learn from their success in lowering gun violence?
Benchmarking is learning from others. More formally it is the practice of comparing business processes and performance metrics to best practices from other companies. Benchmarking techniques could be used to allow the United States to learn from the solutions that other countries have found to be successful in reducing gun violence.
Benchmarking requires humility. Learning from others requires admitting that others may know more than you do about some topic. This may be our biggest obstacle.
We can benchmark solutions that are effective in reducing gun violence. We can learn from approaches that are already proven effective.
The existing Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process suggests a path forward. The BRAC is an independent nine-member panel appointed by the President. They investigate and provide a recommended list of base closures. The president then approves their recommendation with the condition that the list of closures could only be approved or disapproved by congress in its entirety.
A BRAC-like commission could benchmark effective gun policies and provide a comprehensive recommendation on gun polices and related actions that would be approved or rejected in its entirety. Given the choice of adopting or rejecting the recommendations in full, members of congress can then vote to reduce gun violence or confirm they are satisfied with the present gun violence quagmire.
Call your elected official and ask them to:
Sponsor a benchmarking study to identify effective solutions to gun violence,
Create a comprehensive set of actions based on those benchmark findings, and
Vote for the recommendations in their entirety.
We can reduce gun violence in the United States.