A practical solution to the shameful and unacceptable shootouts in schools and other places, plaguin American cities.

Eugenio Magdalena
3 min readJul 22, 2023

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We are talking about a problem, semingly impossible to be solved in America. Diverse people have propossed a great variety of potential solutions, specially affecting shooters killing lives at schools, at towns, and at cities all over the country.

But, in most — if not in all — cases, those solutions were not considered appropiate, for they lacked effectiveness, or were considered too dangerous proposals, like the proposal to arm teachers at schools, which in fact really painted a mark on teachers (armed or not), who would become primary targets of shooters, if the unhappy final decision is to arm them (FGS !).

Alternatively, there were also potential solutions colliding directly with the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, like a total prohibition to possess an assault rifle, which were considered out of the question, as Americans seem to value more the 2nd Constitutional amendment, than the life of their own children/citizens. Personally, I refuse to believe it, altough time passes and … no solutions are implemented… and more and more shootings. More than ever before.

That unhappy and unacceptable situation, brought me to dig very deep into my mind, in search of a potential solution which helped to stop the almost daily carnage of lives, while satisfying the effectivenes condition, and ensuring that the beloved 2nd Amendment remains in place.

Here is what we propose:

  • Police to create and handle a database identifiying owners of existing and new purchases of assault weapons in public hands.
  • Minimum age control limitation dictated to legally buy an assault weapon: 21 (or even better: 25 years of age, if that age gains public support). That of course, in addition to all other requirements, like mental health, clean past records, etc.
  • Legal sellers to report new owners of assault weapons to the police and also to control (1 rifle+1 magazine), and report to the police requests to purchase additional rifles or cartridge magaziness (at any dealer). Police then to interwiew the potential buyer, who would need to justify — to the police satisfaction- the additional purchase.
  • Stiff penalties imposed on shooters: minimun of 15 years in jail, 30 years to life in prison, if deaths are caused. Not elegible for parole.
  • Legal owner of the assault weapon, if other than the shooter himself. ]egal owners to share, say, 50% of penalty imposed on shooter (except in cases of previously denounced robbery).
  • In case the shooter die, or in case of Life sentences imposed on shooters, legal owner of the weapon to spend a minimun of 10- 15 years in jail, with no parole.

These measures will definetely may serve as a deterrent to all people involved, and will also ensure that those dangerous assault weapons are kept safely.

Additionally, I think these measures will take care of new legal sales, and also ensure that legal owners take more responsibility, on the estimated 18–20 million dangerous assault weapons already sold in the U.S., ensuring that assault AR-15 rifles are kept out of the hands of anybody, other than U.S.’s soldiers and private legal owners of the weapon itself (or else !).

But, how about assault weapons purchased illegaly?

Well, the secret here is to penalize the seller (for illegal sales, as I think it is being done now), but also the buyer. Establishing harder penalties and extending them to buyers of illegal weapons, will reduce, or hopefully, eliminate those illegal sales .If no demand exits …

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Eugenio Magdalena

Eugenio is a disabled Economist (UCAB, Caracas), cursed a post-graduate Diploma in Marketing (Strathclyde University, Scotland, UK), and an MBA (England, UK).