Tonight, at a party, I chatted up the chairman of the Maine House of Representatives committee on Health and Human Services.
I asked her what she thought we ought to do about guns and she started talking about mass shootings.
Then she talked about the level of gun violence in our country.
Then she mentioned we are #1 in the number of guns per capita in the world.
Then I asked her again what we ought to do about guns.
She said she didn't know.
A refreshingly honest answer.
The "gun problem" is actually at least four different problems:
1. Mass shootings with guns by homicidal maniacs.
2. Street shootings with guns unrelated to robberies or other crimes, where men get into arguments at dance clubs, or one kid insults another kid's sneakers.
3. The number of deaths by gun, which includes suicides and accidents at home, where some kids shoots his brother while playing with a gun, or household disputes.
4. The use of guns in commission of crimes.
Trying to stop the mass shooter may have you looking at identifying psychos by various means, but trying to stop street shootings might mean you can't allow handguns to be sold to just any kid with $50 at the local Walmart. Accidental shootings of kids by kids might require some sort of fingerprint recognition system on triggers. The use of guns in crimes is likely insoluble. Read "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" and you know that there is a whole underground industry, generations old, devoted to providing working tools to America's street criminals.
Whatever legislatures do, I doubt America would be successful in a gun usurpation/confiscation program. You can bury guns in your back yard and dig it up a year later and go shoot your wife, no matter what the local police do.
I do not have the answers.
But neither do those who reflexively cry out for "gun control" after every mass shooting.
I asked her what she thought we ought to do about guns and she started talking about mass shootings.
Then she talked about the level of gun violence in our country.
Then she mentioned we are #1 in the number of guns per capita in the world.
Then I asked her again what we ought to do about guns.
She said she didn't know.
A refreshingly honest answer.
The "gun problem" is actually at least four different problems:
1. Mass shootings with guns by homicidal maniacs.
2. Street shootings with guns unrelated to robberies or other crimes, where men get into arguments at dance clubs, or one kid insults another kid's sneakers.
3. The number of deaths by gun, which includes suicides and accidents at home, where some kids shoots his brother while playing with a gun, or household disputes.
4. The use of guns in commission of crimes.
Trying to stop the mass shooter may have you looking at identifying psychos by various means, but trying to stop street shootings might mean you can't allow handguns to be sold to just any kid with $50 at the local Walmart. Accidental shootings of kids by kids might require some sort of fingerprint recognition system on triggers. The use of guns in crimes is likely insoluble. Read "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" and you know that there is a whole underground industry, generations old, devoted to providing working tools to America's street criminals.
Whatever legislatures do, I doubt America would be successful in a gun usurpation/confiscation program. You can bury guns in your back yard and dig it up a year later and go shoot your wife, no matter what the local police do.
I do not have the answers.
But neither do those who reflexively cry out for "gun control" after every mass shooting.
Maybe we could try what every other civilized nation on Earth has done and reduce/eliminate the number of guns in this country. If they can do it in England, Germany, France and Australia, why not here?! Do we really have more to fear from our government and/fellow citizens than they do? Failing that, how about keeping military weapons out of civilian hands? Keep a normal rifle or pistol at home for security or hunting. Automatic weapons kill too many, too fast - just check out the last couple of mass shootings! This is crazy - we need to confront the nut cases among us and put an end to this!!
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be more agreement about restricting machine guns, AK 47's and bump stocks, howitzers. But even the automatic weapons which require a trigger pull to fire a shot seem to allow for Columbine, Aurora, Sandy Hook.
We are not Europe and getting rural Americans to give up their guns is different. In Europe, you've got every citizen on the government payroll--health care, child care, education all free. Over there, you are part of the state and the community because you want to be and you give up some independence for that security.
Here, we do nothing for people; you can starve, die for want of medical care, but at least you can have your gun.
Mad Dog
Australia managed to make meaningful change in gun control following a mass shooting there. In many ways they are similar to the US in terms of open terrain, wild animals, etc. If they can do it, so can we. We just have to learn from them how to go about it. Unfortunately, we seem to believe no other country has anything they can teach us.
ReplyDeleteTo do what Australia did requires a strong moral compass and political conviction - which of our elected leaders have that? At this point, seemingly none! SAD!!
ReplyDelete