After the recent horrific
massacres in Aurora, Colorado and Oak Creek, Wisconsin to write that gun violence has become a part of
our everyday experience is an understatement. As a young boy I grew up watching Hopalong Cassidy and Roy
Rogers and continued with 77 Sunset Strip, and
Gun Smoke as an adolescent. Today gun story lines continue with television programs like Criminal Minds and CSI.
Guns, stories with guns and gun
violence have become a common and ever increasing part of our lives. Add to
this the popularity of televised out of control behavior as seen on various
reality programs and the glamorization of gun play and violence in popular
alternative music and film and we have a
gun saturated environment. Unfortunately tragic events like the massacres
in Colorado and Wisconsin have happened before and will no doubt happen again.
The second amendment to our
Constitution states: "A
well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the
right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. " These words by our Founding Fathers will
continue to be interpreted and debated ad nauseum. Interestingly, one of the
only other countries with a higher gun owner per capita rate than the United States is Switzerland and the
Swiss have virtually no gun crime. Of course those who believe in a well armed
populace like to cite Switzerland as a shining example of a well armed populace.
However; countries like
Switzerland with a homogenous, well educated population and an unemployment
rate under 4% are hardly similar to the demographics of the United
States. While our cultural, racial and ethnic diversity are viewed as a source
of strength and vitality by many, for others this diversity is a source of
fear, loathing and hostility. What some do not understand, tolerate or even
accept, the second amendment guarantees a tangible margin of safety ... a gun. Add to this
scenario the perception that our justice system and various police agencies no
longer have the ability to protect and serve; but have deteriorated to function
merely as administrators and after the fact clean up specialists. It is not
surprising that more and more Americans find it desirable and in some
communities necessary to possess a gun in some shape or form.
In 1791, 221 years ago, when the
second amendment was passed, the
Founding Fathers had in mind a "well regulated militia". Today after
years of Supreme Court interpretations and rulings we may not have a "well
regulated militia" but we do have a well armed population. Both law
abiding citizens as well as this country's criminal element are armed and ready
for action. Unfortunately the incidences of gun violence we have seen in this
country seems to be increasing and these episodes have been getting
increasingly more deadly.
Some believe that if we can't
keep guns out of the hands of the criminal element then maybe it is time to
more visibly arm the police and others. Of course we then run the risk of
having characters like George Zimmerman playing vigilante with a 9 mm
semi-automatic pistol. At present the playing field is not level and it seems
it is time for the criminal element to be as concerned and fearful of being
shot as the rest of us. The current philosophy of gun control has failed and it
may be time to consider alternative solutions ... if indeed there are
solutions.
The NRA's 4.3 million members
exert a powerful influence on this country's political scene. To take a position for any
level of gun control could spell the end for an elected official. In 1970
Democratic Sen. Joe Tydings of Maryland with a 3-1 advantage with registered
Democrats was defeated by a Republican in his bid for re-election because he
proposed firearms registration. Today
many members of Congress and the Senate avoid any and all discussion and debate
on the proliferation of firearms in this country fearing voter backlash. Like
with so many other pressing problems our elected representatives are more
concerned with their own re-election and gun control is not a safe talking
point.
Bottom line is that we will never
remove guns from our society but we should be able to control who can own a gun
and what type of gun can be owned. I am not interested in infringing on the
rights of citizens to hunt, own and fire guns for sport or recreation and
insure their own personal safety; but how does a semi-automatic rifle capable
of firing 100 rounds in a minute fit in here? Does my right to be safe and
secure walking the streets, sitting in a restaurant or movie theatre come in
second after the right of others to own guns?
Our Declaration of Independence
states: "We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness." A
lone heavily armed gunman in both
Colorado and Wisconsin denied innocent
men, women and children of their right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness" and for some this denial is permanent.
In the 1850's vigilantes were
active in San Francisco as a result of the inability of the police to rid the
city's streets of criminals. If our elected representatives and the criminal
justice system continue to fail to protect all of us and see that we are not
denied "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" we may see a
return to a form of vigilantism as seen in San Francisco 150 years ago. It is
time for the NRA, both houses of Congress and the President to "man
up" and see that no one suffers or dies as a result of the current
endorsement and interpretation of the second amendment. It is time for those in charge to lead, follow
or get out of the way.
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