As some of my readership have noticed, I tend liberal on a lot of things. And as such a liberal, I have, in the past, opined on how the lack of gun control in the United States is a big problem. I get irritated when the NRA or other such groups deflect gun concerns, or worse, say that more guns in the mix would keep things safer. (Hard to stomach when every training about safety in a live shooter situation explicitly says that if you have a gun DO NOT BE HOLDING IT WHEN THE COPS COME.)
But there is a saying; "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." It is short and simple. Now, as Eddie Izzard pointed out, the gun most certainly helps. You don't hear of a lot of mass stabbings, for instance. But underneath everything else, beyond the question of gun control and background checks, there lies a simple truth that neither side spends all that much time looking at.
What is wrong with the United States that so many people have decided that grabbing a gun and shooting as many people as they can is the solution?
A friend once pointed out to me that during the recent deer hunting season, Wisconsin had more armed men, women, and children armed with fingers on the trigger than many nations have in their standing armies, and yet, no fatalities, or even gun-related accidents. I have before considered that if the local Wisconsin brand of the NRA (who are deeply committed to safety training and education) were to run the whole show, things would be better, but it still shows that there is something to that tired cliche.
So let's say it simply. There is something so wrong with us that, this year, on more occasions than we have had days, people have taken it upon themselves to arm, go out, and injure or kill multiple victims all at once. And sometimes, like today, I wonder if the argument around the gun isn't us beating around the bush, avoiding the real issue.
The issue is a simple question; "What is wrong with us," and the answer couldn't possibly simply that we are armed.
We leave the question at guns because they are loud and visible, and yes, without them, mass killing wouldn't get nearly as high a bodycount (unless they used bombs, or poison, or oh screw it.) Guns are cheap, as is the ammo, and you don't run the risk of blowing yourself up if you have any idea of what you are doing.
The noise is important because it makes us feel like we're doing something even though we're not. Cast the vote, post the meme, act all enraged and boom! You've done your part.
And the next day, another mass killing.
I don't buy the right's arguments on guns. They have extrapolated the 2nd amendment far beyond its language, a move they usually say the Left SHOULDN'T take. The government overthrow idea is basically farcical. The fear of the other (muslim, immigrant, whatever) has a bit more traction, but that is more for shock value.
The simple truth is that people fight to protect gun rights because Americans like owning guns. And so long as that remains true, the Constitutional Amendment that would be required to REALLY change the conversation won't ever happen. And no matter how strongly you feel about the issue, I am firm in my belief that only the people should be permitted to change OUR constitution.
So gun RIGHTS won't change for at least a long while. So how do WE need to change?
America is a nation that kills itself with greater efficiency than some nations fighting Civil wars do. Why? What is wrong with us?
The Right wants to claim that people are horrible, have always been horrible and will always be horrible. Hence our need for guns. The Left wants to claim that it's all the guns, take them away and the problem goes away. But take a toy from a misbehaving child and their behavior will not magically improve, and in many ways that is who we are where weapons are concerned, children who want our way no matter what.
I don't know what to do. Taking away the guns (or at least limiting access to them) may lower the body count (Australia seems to think so) but it doesn't change the underlying mental issues we face, the fact that we live in a nation that seems better at creating murderers than anyone else, and then proceeds to arm them.
We need to look at those who attack or otherwise persecute organizations like Planned Parenthood and start entertaining the possibility of looking at them as a terrorist movement, and treat that movement accordingly.
We need to look at killers and, instead of seeing them as isolated maniacs, see them as symptoms of a problem that we, as fellow Americans, are complicit in.
We need to look at our public discourse and see the firebrands who use violent rhetoric against ideological enemies as people who, even if they aren't directly ordering violence, are creating an environment that promotes it, and name them as a part of the problem, and deprive them of the public eye as we would someone who was cheering for a terrorist attack.
We will continue discussing guns. I don't see the debate going away anytime soon. But while that continues to spin its wheels, we also need to look deeper. We need to look past the gun... and at ourselves.
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