Guns and People

Part of why we can't talk to each other any more is that we rely on memes and slogans – particularly about guns.

We have a problem. It is not desirable that people walk into schools and massacre as many people as they can. I think we all agree on that. 

Traditionally, what a democracy does about a serious problem is discuss it and try to solve it. Many problems we can't solve. Some aren't sufficiently high-priority to solve without expenditures thought to be disproportionate. Others, while we can't completely solve them, we do what we sensibly can.

Too many gun “discussions” descend, on both sides, into slogans. The venerable “Guns Don't Kill People, People Do” sounds great. But it's a false dichotomy. Without a person, no gun can kill dozens of people. Without a gun no person can easily kill dozens of people. 

People also argue either that “we need a return to Christian values” or that “mental illness is the root problem.” A friend wrote today that the trend toward mass shootings coincided with a decline in disciplining children. Well, it's also coincided with technological improvements in weaponry and increased availability of especially deadly weapons. 

Yes, let's improve mental health treatment and prevention, for this and other reasons. And let's improve how we raise our kids, so that they are more tolerant, treat others as they'd like to be treated, and, above all, are not wounded creatures whose insecurities or parental abuse haven't primed them to seek revenge or fame (or acceptance by some hate group) by killing.

But those are challenging problems, and solving them wouldn't decrease school shootings anytime soon.

In the meantime, with any other problem, particularly a deadly one, we'd discuss what we can do to decrease the death toll.

Certainly banning some of the most deadly weapons could help.

If, as Mr. Trump suggests, mental illness is the key, changing the rules to let more known mentally-ill people get guns, as Trump did a year ago, probably won't help.

With other useful but dangerous tools (cars, trains, airplanes, maybe even pesticides) we are required to learn to use them competently and safely, demonstrate (repeatedly) some proficiency and an understanding of the rules. (My friends who use guns certainly train their kids.) We're also required to register our cars and motorcycles, so that if one gets misused or stolen there's accountability; and insurance is mandatory. 

Why do these requirements not apply to guns? Unlike cars and trains, guns are specifically designed to kill. Some will argue that such regulations would get violated; but people violate DWI and mandatory car insurance laws, yet those still have a positive impact. 

Last night at a public gathering, one speaker's young daughter asked to share her mom's two minutes at the microphone. She said her school had been “locked down twice this week. That was very scary for me, and I'm hoping that will get solved and our schools will be safer.” 

In Florida, grieving schoolmates asked Florida legislators to act. The vote was one-sided against even discussing the issue; and equally one-sided declaring pornography “dangerous to health” – and, reportedly, to require schools to post a sign saying “In God We Trust.” Thank God! That should take care of everything. (Violate the First Amendment – but never the Second!)

I don't claim to have answers; but I wish we could at least start asking the right questions.

                                                  -30-

[The column above appeared Sunday, 25February, in the Las Cruces Sun-News, as well as on the newspaper's website and KRWG's website.  A spoken version will air at times during the week on KRWG and KTAL, 101.5 FM.]

[This is a hell of a vibrant and interesting discussion -- when it actually gets discussed, not just speechified about.  I hope to discuss it a little Wednesday morning on my radio show, "Speak Up, Las Cruces," on 101.5 FM (Que Tal Community radio -- streaming on www.lccommunityradio.org) if some people call up, during the 8-9 hour. (9-10 we'll be talking about the Las Cruces International Film Festival)  Call us at 575-526KTAL, or 526 5825, to express your views on the air.  I'm also planning another show, with in-studio guests and pre-recorded short statements by people, to try to discuss the subject very fully, like a townhall on the air, sometime soon.]