Friday I was planning to post a light little article about some frivolous aspect of the holiday season. Before I could start the news about the mass shooting in Newtown Connecticut came on the radio. As reporters updated the story, it felt like a nightmare that became darker and more depressing as the day went on. My two sons are on the edge of adulthood but it wasn't that long ago that they were in grade school. The schools in my middle-class suburban town are already security conscious, how much more like a fort or a prison will we have build our schools to keep our children safe?
This tragedy the shooter forced his way in, he wore body armor, he had enough legally purchased firepower to kill many more children and school staff if the police didn't arrive as quickly as they did. Will schools have to be built with heavier doors and anti-ballistic glass? And will we pay for these "improvements" by paying teachers less? Are any of us really safe when just about anybody can legally and almost anonymously buy the kinds of weapons that are only marginally less effective than front line military hardware.
I'm not sure how provocative I want to be about this. Already people are hiding behind the same old rhetoric and bullshit arguments that keep any kind of gun reform from happening. Really if we are Democracy then let's really talk about gun ownership openly -I can't think of anything that is more of a political issue than this.
If mass shootings are the price we have to pay for the absolute right of every citizen to own a gun, then the NRA and every opponent to gun reform should stand up say that. Of course no one would dare say those children died as martyrs for the Second Amendment but maybe something is very wrong in a society where it's easy to buy a gun than health insurance.
I know many gun owners and I'm not opposed to gun ownership. Though I am for a much higher level of gun responsibility. It's clear that the vast majority of gun owners in America follow the law, safely handle their weapons and pose no danger to the community. But there is that small minority, maybe 1%, maybe only a fraction of a percent, who will methodically plan out the next mass shooting and most likely do it with legally purchased weapons. If this was done by a foreign government we would have no problem declaring it as an act of war. But if it's an event that forces the public to re-examine the logic behind the Second Amendment -then the tragedy is being unfairly politicized. How do we keep guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous?
Some of my pro-gun neighbors like to bring up the example of Switzerland where there is a high percentage of gun ownership and very low crime rate -actually almost no gun related crimes to speak of . The Swiss have the very "well regulated militia" that the US constitution originally tried to set up in the Second Amendment. The gun culture of Switzerland is entirely different than here, actually everything is different in Switzerland starting with things like universal health care and a progressive education system. The Swiss people don't seem to be at odds with their government, they participate in their government so the people and the government are one in the same. I'm sure in Switzerland people have problems, there is dis-harmony and everyone doesn't get along -but it seems when people in Switzerland have problems they don't go for their guns as a solution.
The bumper sticker mantra that "guns don't kill people, people kill people" is one of those stupid half truths that ignores the tremendous amount of lethal force that's easily available to almost anyone. You can legally buy a gun without training, without showing you're physically or mentally fit and anonymously disappear into the community until unthinkable happens.
As another one of my pro-gun neighbors had said "no one with the spirit of Jesus ever tried to shoot him". Which made wonder how many weapons did Jesus own? I know several devote Christians who fish and hunt. The guns they own are mostly hunting rifles, shot guns and a maybe a target pistol -I've never seen any of them carry an automatic pistol with an extended ammo clip or an semi-automatic assault rifle. As one very devote Christian said to me "I don't own a gun because I'm in God's hands. When it's my time a gun isn't going to save me -only my faith can do that". I wish people had less faith in guns.
I don't care which side of this issue you are on -tell me what you think. If you have an idea of how to stop the carnage, then feel free to speak up.
No comments:
Post a Comment