As I sit here, putting off getting ready for work, I came to a realization. There is too much shouting and not enough listening.
The shooting in Parkland, FL and its aftermath will hopefully be the watershed event that makes the listening start. The student survivors and families of the fallen have taken up the mantle of gun control advocacy. The movement a week after that horrible day has brought a fresh, pained voice to the chorus of chatter. The difference is kids organizing marches and die-ins are turning into a force to be reckoned with. They have a growing support base. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel even called BS on anyone who thinks we don’t need gun control laws. George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey have thrown in a ton of money and Barack Obama tweets “More Young people have helped lead all our great movements. How inspiring to see it again in so many smart, fearless students standing up for their right to be safe; marching and organizing to remake the world as it should be. We've been waiting for you. And we've got your backs.”, real change may actually happen.
The question that comes to my mind is “when?”. I’m afraid the answer isn’t going to come soon. Not when elected officials are in the hip pocket of organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA).
NRA CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre says owning guns is a right “granted by God,” and “an American birthright”, and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch says “crying white mothers is rating gold”, to legacy media, it looks pretty hopeless. They are experts at pushing the pro-gun agenda. They are the organization fueled by the Second Amendment. Their pockets run deep and their tentacles reach out with little gems like this one I pulled off my Twitter feed.
“If you choose not to return a position letter, you may
be assigned a ‘?’ rating, which can be interpreted by our membership as indifference, if not outright hostility, toward Second Amendment-related issues”. Wow. You're either with us or against us.
These are the same folks who have 10 Reasons to Own an AR-15 on their website. The article talks about how easy it is to modify, how gentle its recoil is, and how great it is for women to shoot. Suggested uses are hunting, predator control for farmers and home defense. The article makes no mention of Aurora, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Las Vegas or Parkland. All of the mass shootings in those cities were carried out with an AR-15.
They also sell concealed carry denim jackets and hoodies as well as a slew of holsters and other gear. The niftiest item though is the Tactical Ballistic Panel -- perfect for a purse of a backpack.
It’s the one-stop shop for all your gun totin’ needs. Naturally, proceeds from the store go to support their initiatives. So by filling your online cart with your favorite gun stuff, you’re helping pay for them to put pressure on political candidates and elected officials.
Not all of the NRA’s programs are about political muscle. One of them is National School Shield. The program is designed to help schools protect themselves with a comprehensive plan. I wonder if schools get a deal on those tactical ballistic panels.
While I disagree with the NRA’s stance on gun control, I’m not against the Second Amendment to our Constitution. For a refresher here it is:
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
It’s a simple and elegant piece of writing. It’s also 227 years old. In 1791, muskets and flintlock pistols were state of the art. The AR-15 wouldn’t come around until around 1958. Had the writers known about high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, would they have left the amendment so broadly written? I can’t really answer that.
The idea of citizens taking up arms to face a tyrannical government would be a definitive example of asymmetric warfare. A citizen militia squaring off against the best-trained, best-equipped military in the world would be put down in short order.
That being said, I still believe in the spirit of the amendment. Citizens should have the right to keep and bear arms. While I choose not to own one, I believe those who want to should be able to. I also believe in a reasonable approach to gun ownership.
Should a person with a felony conviction be able to buy any type of firearm? No. Should there be a background check for everyone who wants to buy a gun? Absolutely. Should a domestic abuser be allowed to buy a gun? Nope. Should someone be able to go to a gun show and walk out that day with a firearm? No. Should all firearms be registered and owners required to take certification and safety courses? Of course. Should folks with a history of mental illness be allowed to have firearms? No. That last one is a sticky wicket. Privacy laws make it hard to access citizens’ medical records.
The problem we face is law-abiding citizens aren’t the ones who are the problem. It’s those who are out to commit crimes that are. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. A person determined to get a fun will find one. When we figure out a solution to that problem, the world will be a safer place.
President Trump was one of the first to call the Parkland shooter mentally ill. There’s a stigma that any mass shooter has to be mentally ill. The mainstream media likes to throw the mental illness card every time there’s a mass shooter. The idea that someone with a rational mind could slaughter a group of innocent victims seems impossible. Here’s what a 2016 American Psychiatric Association study says about it:
“Mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represents less than 1% of all yearly gun-related homicides. In contrast, death by suicide using firearms account for the majority of yearly gun-related deaths.”
“Overall contribution of people with serious mental illness to violent crimes is only about 3%. When examined in detail, an even smaller percentage of them are found to involve firearms.”
I found that here: https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/appi.books.9781615371099.
Should the federal government leave regulating guns to the states? What’s to stop someone from getting a gun at a show in a state where regulation’s lax and bringing it home to their highly-regulated state? Do we put arms inspection checkpoints at every state border? I don’t see it happening. I don’t see an outright ban on firearms happening either.
How about another ban on weapons like the AR-15. Maybe POTUS could whip up an executive order outlawing them. Oh, wait. He’s leaving himself notes to tell the kids from Parkland he hears them.
What about television, movies and videogames? Don’t they play a role in shaping violent behavior? I wonder.
In 1977, a 15-year-old named Ronny Zamora shot and killed Elinor Haggart as he robbed her Miami home. Ellis Rubin, Zamora’s attorney defended him using “TV intoxication” as the cause. He argued shows like “Kojak” had corrupted Zamora’s mind and desensitized him to violence. Zamora served the minimum 25 years of a life sentence and was deported back to his native Costa Rica. I was unable to find a case where “TV intoxication” or exposure to violence in entertainment was used as a successful defense.
Since then, the argument about violence in movies, music, television and video games training kids to kill has been brought up every time a mass shooting occurs. The systems of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), National Motion Picture Association of America (NMPAA), Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the Television parental guidelines seem to be useless when it comes to keeping violent content away from kids. It’s a conundrum for the producers. Do they produce stuff that’s kid-friendly and non-violent? Or do they produce stuff that’s going to make them money? It seems there’s little middle ground.
I think our society’s looking around for someone to blame. Is it the gun manufacturers? Is it the NRA? Is it mental illness? Is it the government? Is it the entertainment industry? Is it video games? Is it the breakdown of the family unit? Is it because God isn’t in our schools anymore? Most likely a little bit of all of the above.
So what do we do? I’d like to see common sense gun laws enacted nationwide. I’d like to see the gun lobby booted out of Washington. I’d also like to see access to semi-automatic weapons restricted. What I wouldn’t like to see is more teachers toting guns. Trump would like to see trained teachers and coaches as an in-school security force. I’d like to see teachers allowed to teach in well-funded, safe schools. Then again, it’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment