July, 2018: Dr. Ian Anson’s article on democratic support in America in The Conversation

The shooting at the Capital Gazette offices in late June of this year was surprising and devastating. The shooter* from Laurel, Maryland, killed five people and injured others. He targeted the Capital Gazette because of an incident and subsequent lawsuit in 2011.

The Baltimore Sun reports that, despite the shooter spending almost a decade harassing a woman online and fighting a defamation case against the Capital Gazette for writing about his stalking case, he was able to purchase a shotgun legally in 2017. This is a direct failure of gun safety laws in America.

People who are critical of restricting gun laws often talk about keeping assault rifles legal to own. According to the National Rifle Association, rifles and shotguns can be purchased and carried without a permit in Maryland. This opens up access to people who intend to use their weapons on innocent people. Many of the mass shootings in schools and workplaces reported in 2018 have been carried out by perpetrators using rifles.

Rifles, shotguns and handguns should be held to the same standard in every state. Assault rifles and other military-grade weapons’ legality would be much less of an issue if they all required stringent background checks and permit laws. Anyone who desires a firearm for self defense over a specific age limit would be allowed to apply for a permit, just like the issuance of driving permits.

Another common argument from pro-gun advocates is that guns are not the problem, mental illness is. This argument still ties back to the need for stronger background checks. If people really cared about the mental health of shooters and potential shooters, they would also be proponents of free mental health care services, which they often are not.

Because the change to gun permit laws has been slow, there are other actions that citizens should take. Wendi Winters, one of the victims of the Capital Gazette shooting, had participated in active shooter training at her church a few weeks before the attack. More places of worship, workplaces and schools should offer classes on surviving an active shooter situation.

UMBC has an official Emergency Response Plan for generalized “hostile intruders.” Alerts via phone and email are also broadcast in case of an emergency. However, there is no mandatory, in-person emergency preparation for students and staff at the school.

Unfortunately, it is a reality of American society that mass shootings will continue to take innocent lives. Through advocacy for stronger background check and permit laws and an increase in formal shooter preparation, hopefully the amount of shootings and fatalities will decrease.

*We have deliberately chosen not to identify the shooter by name.

Flashy suits, hopeful faces and anticipation of achieving a life dream fill the arena each year as NBA hopefuls wait to hear their names called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in the NBA draft.

But, that was not the case for former UMBC star Jairus Lyles. Rather, Lyles decided to stay home on the night of the draft and work on his game.

It is that commitment to improvement that has put Lyles in the position that he is in today. Lyles has always been a gifted shooter, earning a three-star prospect rating when he graduated from high school. But, it took Lyles four years to transform himself into an all-around basketball player.

Throughout the 2017-2018 season, coach Ryan Odom routinely raved about Lyles’ growth as a player, particularly on defense. Lyles was able to set a career high in steals, and alongside fellow guard KJ Maura, they created the pesky defense that drove opponents crazy during the season, and allowed UMBC basketball to transform itself to a threat in the America East Conference.

But, as the 60 names called during the NBA draft found their way to the video board atop the stage in Brooklyn, New York a nervous feeling began to spread through the hopeful UMBC fans. As the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors all surpassed Jairus for their second round picks, Lyles’s future in the NBA looked bleak.

But, a few days after the draft, UMBC fans would rejoice as Lyles was invited by the Utah Jazz to play for their summer league team. After two decent games off of the bench in Utah, Lyles would travel with the team to Las Vegas for the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League. In his first game in Vegas, Lyles would score 11 points, displaying some of the scoring prowess that he demonstrated for two and a half years at UMBC.

Thanks in part to his dominant performance in that game, Lyles hit the jackpot, though it was a slightly different prize than most visitors of Sin City come to expect. The Jazz awarded Lyles for his performance with an NBA contract, making him the first UMBC basketball alumni to sign an NBA deal.

Per team policy, the Jazz did not release the details of the contract. But according to sources Lyles signed an Exhibit 10 contract. An Exhibit 10 contract is a deal that allows a player to participate in training camp with an NBA team. With this contract, players can earn up to $50,000 as a bonus for making it to a G-League team after training camp. After that, if the player stays in the G-League for 60-days, they become eligible for another bonus of up to $50,000. Teams can also change Exhibit 10 deals into two-way contracts if they find a players performance to be exceptional.

A two-way contract dictates a players salary based on what league they play in. For example, if Lyles were to play with the Jazz during the season, he would make more money than if he were playing for their G-League affiliate. During the 2017-2018 season, players with two-way contracts make $74,000 a year in the G-League, and $204,000 if they make the NBA roster for at least 45 days.

As an undersized Point-Guard, Lyles has already accomplished many things, but he will have to continue his uphill journey to become an NBA player. But the future is now in his hands.