“THOUGHTS and PRAYERS” is not a plan. – Ken Hurley
Welcome to America. Aren’t we great!? School children hide under their desk while the GOP hides anywhere they can when it comes to a sensible approach to addressing America’s epidemic of school shootings. The attack at Robb Elementary School was the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.
It is striking that the mass murders we saw in Aurora (weapons obtained legally), Oak Creek (weapons obtained legally), Sandy Hook Elementary School (weapons obtained legally), Las Vegas (weapons obtained legally), Pulse Nightclub, (weapons obtained legally), Broward County (weapons obtained legally), Robb Elementary (weapons obtainted legally) were committed by pro-gun ‘enthusiasts’ against unarmed, unsuspecting, peaceful, groups of people including children. Rather than work to find new solutions, ‘gun-enthusiasts’ seem to yearn for the time when we each carried a six-shooter or today’s equivalent. We’ve tried that. That worldview has proven to yield only more blood in the streets. That worldview is not what I believe most people want. We’ve been there and don’t want to go back. I believe most people want peace among each other and therefore desire to seek ways to minimize the tragedies of Aurora, Oak Creek, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, Pulse, Broward, Buffalo, Uvalde, and more.
To that end, we must continue the discussion about weapons manufacture, sale, ownership, and use.
The question isn’t whether or not we’re all going to die . . . from illness, car accident, bathtub drowning, or something else. The question is how do we want to live?
The question is what is your worldview and how do you work to make it better? I remain an advocate to seek better ways. It is also striking how fearful and angry the ‘gun-enthusiasts’ seem to get at the suggestion of entering a civil discussion about how to live better lives with and among each other, especially if the discussion involves weapons restrictions.
The discussion has to be more encompassing than assault weapons. The discussion should be can we do better? Pointing to other areas where people are unkind and violent doesn’t help answer how we can improve. How can we do better? How can we find a balanced solution?
My hope is maybe others reading this might be provoked into thought and then into responsible action. But I’ll wager most have drifted away long ago.
This problem is far greater than guns, the 2nd Amendment, and political ideologies. This problem is underscored by intense hostility or to use another word – hate. What is more troubling than dealing with people who hate, for seemingly inexplicable reasons, is learning that too often their hate is born from ignorance, maleducation, and an aversion to engage in civil discourse in an effort to find solutions. The easy availability of weapons only serves to help those who hate act out in horrible ways. Ways that we can do better to prevent.
The Harvard School for Public Health concludes: More guns means more homicides. A review of the academic literature indicates that gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries. Moreover, in homes, cities, states and regions in the US, where there are more guns, people are at higher risk for homicide, particularly firearm homicide.
The United States is the world’s most heavily-armed civilian population. One out of every three Americans knows someone who has been shot. The U.S. has three gun homicides per 100,000 people. That’s four times as many as Switzerland, ten times as many as India, 20 times as many as Australia and England. Whatever you think of gun rights and gun control, the numbers don’t flatter America.
My point remains we can and should do better. The car / gun analogy serves a reasonable purpose. Wanting sensible gun laws doesn’t make me anti-gun any more than wanting sensible traffic laws makes me anti-car. We can make it more difficult for guns to be purchased, including:
1. Written aptitude tests
2. Health examinations
3. Better and more effective background checks
4. Weapons competency tests
5. Raise age to purchase assault weapons and ammunition from 18 to 21 including tiered licensing dependent upon type of weapon and age
6. Liability insurance
7. Better oversight of gun shows
8. Stiffer penalties for those who sell weapons indiscriminately
9. A database that tracks large purchases
10. Repeal liability immunity for gun manufacturers
11. Renew the assault rifle ban which includes minimizing the number of rounds in a magazine.
12. Outlaw bump stocks
13. Offer continuous education campaigns to foster greater understanding in an effort to minimize irrational hateful behavior
14. Continue a meaningful discussion
15. States and Congress Take action now
The argument that criminals will always break the law so why bother looking for better laws is self-defeating and barely worth commenting about. It’s like saying why have laws about murder, or driver’s licenses, or the air we breathe, or the food we eat, or any laws at all? I continue to be surprised at how many gun advocates seem so easily upset and seem to be only a ‘hair-trigger’ pull from violent outbursts. We can’t stop all senseless deaths. To not try to do better is even more senseless.
