In light of the recent shootings that took place in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, lawmakers have rushed to find a solution and prevent further atrocities from happening.
One side of the political landscape has amped up their argument about stricter gun control policies, and the other side continues to argue that taking away guns from law-abiding citizens is not the answer to the problem.
In response to the problem, freshman Florida Rep. Michael Waltz (R) is engaging in the national conversation, pushing forward the national service initiative to combat mass gun violence.
In an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, Waltz explained that the national service initiative would be an effective way to address mass gun violence, arguing that “the answer is not broad bans on firearms for all law-abiding Americans.”
Waltz added that “the Second Amendment is a fundamental right in our Constitution… and it absolutely has to be protected. If we want to look at different ways we should to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill… or people that shouldn’t have them, absolutely.”
Waltz advocated for the national service program, which he argues will incentivize young men to reintegrate into their communities.
Waltz explained that “we have to get at the deeper ills here of why these young men are committing these heinous acts. We’ve had guns in our history – our entire history – but these shootings are new and it’s this generation. I think we have to take a strategic look at how we get these young men off their couch, off their video games and out serving in their communities again.”
A study conducted by the University of Nevada-Reno found that young people who volunteer one hour a week or more are 50% less likely to abuse alcohol or engage in other destructive behavior.
