Last Wednesday a 19-year old man entered into Parkland, Florida high school, shooting and killing 17 people and wounding many others. This event has once again sparked a national debate about how easy it is to buy guns in the United States.
The United States, which has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, makes it surprisingly easy to buy an assault weapon. The state of Florida is an excellent example of how buying a gun is much easier than doing some other key things that American citizens should have an easier time doing, namely: voting.
Florida requires you to have proof of ID to register to vote, however, they do not require firearm dealers to obtain a state license nor do they license firearm owners, require the registration of firearms, regulate assault weapons, 50 caliber rifles, or large capacity ammunition magazines, or limit the number of firearms that may be purchased at one time. You also do not need a permit to conceal carry a rifle or shotgun.
Yet Florida continues to make it more difficult for people to vote. Florida is one of the few states that permanently bars felons from voting and continues to implement things like reduced early voting hours and voting purges to further restrict voter registration and turnout.
Florida is not the only state for this to be the case. As of 2013 there were 39 states that required you to have proof of ID to vote, but allow you to buy an assault rifle at a gun show or online without proof of ID – or a background check. Nearly 40 percent of gun purchases in the United States happen through this one loophole.
Further, private sellers of firearms are not required to complete a background check before selling a gun, both in Florida and nationally.
Currently it is easier to purchase an assault weapon than it is to get birth control, and purchase some over the counter medications, such as Sudafed. Head over to Mashable to see 100 total things that are harder to do than buy a gun in America.
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