Introduction
The tragic killing of nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has profoundly shaken our nation and rekindled urgent calls for reform. HinduPACT mourns the loss of innocent lives and emphasizes that America must take decisive action to prevent such senseless violence.
Support for the Second Amendment
HinduPACT recognizes and affirms our belief in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, a cornerstone of the Bill of Rights that guarantees the individual right to bear arms. We believe this right is fundamental to liberty, including the right to self-defense.
As a Hindu faith-based organization, we are grounded in a civilizational ethos that champions the right to righteous defense. Hindu Dharma has never prohibited adherents from bearing arms, and among dharmic traditions, the Sikh Dharma even mandates the carrying of a symbolic weapon (the kirpan).
At the same time, dharma teaches responsibility, restraint, and the protection of the innocent. We believe that a balanced, bipartisan, and pragmatic approach is essential to addressing the crisis of gun violence while preserving constitutional liberties.
Key Policy Recommendations
- Support for Law Enforcement
◦ Increase funding for local and state law enforcement agencies.
◦ Enhance police training, response times, and morale.
◦ Restore the damage caused by demoralizing campaigns, such as “defund the police,” which have resulted in lower performance and public safety failures, including the delayed response in Uvalde. - Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines
Enact a ban on civilian ownership of military-grade automatic and semi-automatic rifles, such as AR-15-style weapons.
◦ Prohibit high-capacity magazines that enable mass shooters to inflict maximum harm in minimal time.
◦ Reinstate and strengthen provisions similar to the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which was correlated with a drop in mass shooting incidents before its expiration in 2004.
- Age Restrictions and Waiting Periods
Increase the minimum legal age for purchasing and owning semi-automatic rifles and other high-powered firearms to 21 years. ◦ Establish reasonable waiting periods for all firearm purchases, allowing exceptions only under clearly defined emergency or lawful self-defense circumstances.
- Red-Flag Laws and Background Checks
Implement Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) nationwide to enable courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals considered a threat to themselves or others.
◦ Empower family members and law enforcement to petition the courts for such orders, meeting appropriate evidence standards.
◦ Mandate thorough background checks and mental health evaluations before the purchase of firearms.
- Ban on Gun Ownership for Violent Offenders
Prohibit individuals with a history of violent criminal offenses from owning or accessing firearms.
◦ Establish national enforcement mechanisms and cross-state databases to ensure consistent application of this ban.
- Mental Health and Preventive Measures
Address the declining mental health of America’s youth through school-based interventions.
◦ Integrate yoga, meditation (dhyana), and physical postures (asanas) into public school curricula as a non-sectarian, scientifically supported method to promote emotional balance and mental well-being.
◦ HinduPACT offers its support in developing culturally competent teacher training and curricular materials for a future nationwide initiative.
Call for National Dialogue
HinduPACT calls on the U.S. Congress and all state legislatures to engage in a comprehensive, honest, and bipartisan dialogue on gun reform. We urge lawmakers to act in the interest of public safety, personal liberty, and dharmic responsibility, free from the influence of narrow special interests. America cannot afford to remain paralyzed. Year after year, lives are lost — in schools, in places of worship, and on the streets. A renewed social contract is needed: one that upholds our freedoms while affirming our collective duty to protect the innocent.
Conclusion
Our response must be grounded not only in policy but also in principle—rooted in liberty, guided by wisdom, and motivated by compassion.
