The following post shares my comments from a correspondence with a dear friend regarding the horror that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I include it here because I think it’s relevant to our Village.
My initial reply:
I agree with you on almost everything you’ve written, and the part with which I somewhat disagree is, I think, mostly a matter of clarification.
To wit, the point about guns not being the problem. My clarification consists of two parts:
1. You’ve been granted the privilege to carry a concealed weapon for personal protection. (I’ve carried in the past, too.) To obtain that privilege, you agreed to a no holds barred investigation of your public and private past, along with a significant character evaluation. (I’ve endured both as well.) You also had to pass a mandatory course on the safe operation and storage of firearms. In other words, a gauntlet. Add to that your understanding of and compliance with requirements to keep weapons safe when not in your immediate possession. (I taught all my kids that every gun is loaded until proven otherwise.) And because I know you, I’m certain your weapons are always beyond the curious reach of unauthorized, untrained hands. Forgive me for stating something so personal, but the possibility of a mentally unstable (or any unauthorized) family member even getting near a weapon belonging to you is impossible for me to imagine. (We know, as of this morning, that the shooter had a developmental disorder, and a history of struggling to cope. We also know that his mother—the first victim in the nightmare—was a gun enthusiast and the owner of the weapons used in the slaughter. I don’t mean to disparage the dead, but this woman was tragically irresponsible in allowing a mentally unstable person . . . her son . . . access to her guns.
My point here is simple. You are an excellent example of a responsible gun owner; trained, regulated and authorized to possess and carry a device that has the capability of killing large numbers of humans up close, and also at a significant distance. Knives can’t do that. Hammers can’t do that. Chain saws can’t do that. Only guns can do that. And people who possess guns need to be trained and regulated.
2. Guns are not the problem? I partly agree, within reason. Regardless of how they might be used, (i.e. for target shooting or display), guns are tools expertly designed to kill things. They have no other purpose. The Second Amendment’s reference to a well regulated militia and “arms” would be meaningless if the words weren’t referring to guns that could be used to kill other humans.
We have hundreds of millions of guns in this country. Hundreds of millions.
That means they’re damnably easy to acquire.
Why? What is the need? (And you know I’m not talking about hunting rifles with limited capacities.) Why do so many Americans have this gut-felt need to be weaponed up? I admit, this country doesn’t seem to be as safe as it once was, but c’mon . . . we don’t live in What-the-fuck-istan.
It is simply too damn easy for untrained, unauthorized or just plain unstable people to get their hands on a gun. Guns have one purpose and one purpose only. Because of that, they need to be regulated, and the people who own them must be trained and certified in their proper use and storage. And Internet sales of guns, clips and ammunition must be prohibited. Guns are in a class unlike anything else, and guns need to be regulated like nothing else.
I should add, I’m not opposed to gun ownership. I’m not even opposed to CCW privileges under similar circumstances as yours. I AM earnestly opposed to allowing the sale of military-style guns, clips and any other gun-related item that has no necessary hunting application.
Autopsies from the elementary school shooting show the weapon caliber was .223, which means the killer used his mother’s AR-15 assault rifle to gun down little children. And every child was shot multiple times. (This is the same model weapon, with a 100-round clip, that was used in the Aurora theater shooting.) As you and I know, the AR-15 is the “civilian” version of the M-16, which was developed for, and remains in use by military and police forces around the world. The fundamental difference between the legal, civilian weapon and its military counterpart is a switch that allows a soldier to fire in full automatic mode. Both versions use the same bullets. Interestingly, American soldiers are trained — at least back when I was in the Army — to not use the fully automatic (machine gun) mode because it’s incredibly inaccurate and wastes bullets. So the reality is, even though a soldier’s weapon has a fully automatic capability, the soldier is trained to fire independent bursts because that is how the most damage against an enemy is delivered.
So specifically in that regard, there is no “Real Life” operational difference between the two weapon versions. But one is authorized for the military, and one is authorized for civilians.
When it comes to guns and slaughter, there isn’t just one problem. It isn’t just the ready availability of guns. It isn’t just the mental instability of our fellow citizens. It’s a combination of a number of things, and that combination is killing us.
I don’t know the solution, but I’m confident the problem isn’t what the NRA says it is.
From a subsequent email:
. . . you know my sincerity when I mention my inability to square a “heavily armed” mentality with the teachings of the Prince of Peace. I know “Praise God and pass the ammunition” is a popular meme in evangelical, American churches, but it remains far from my understanding. That mindset is the antithesis of Jesus’ example, and the examples of early disciples.
I’m not a pacifist, by any stretch, but I refuse to be identified with the NRA types who seem to insist that survival, at any and every cost, is the most important thing in the universe. And apparently many of those folks consider themselves “God-fearing” Christians. How they’re able to integrate bloody survival at any cost, with the teachings of Jesus is beyond my ken.
And subsequently:
I have to think most Americans share your gut-wrenching sorrow at this tragedy. This one really got to me, too. More than I care to admit. I was just out shopping, and I honestly caught myself choking back tears as I watched little kids walking around with their parents. I thought often of my own kids when they were that age, and I sincerely can’t go to the place in my mind where I imagine them involved in something like that. I just can’t go there.
Regarding those in need of mental or emotional therapy. I remember that during Reagan’s first term, many mental facilities suddenly became under-or-un-funded, and had no option but to close their doors. I believe the rapid rise of our homeless population was due in great part to that. And I tremble when I consider the horribly broken minds that have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans, trained in the expert use of military grade weapons, who aren’t getting the proper treatment.
But concerning gun control, if I became Emperor for one day, I would do the following:
1. Immediately ban and prohibit the import, purchase and possession of any and all assault rifles. Those who already own one would have a fixed timetable to relinquish their weapon to proper authorities. Those who can prove legal ownership of the weapon would be reimbursed a fair market amount for that weapon. Anyone who refused to turn in their weapon at the end of that timetable would be treated the same as someone possessing an illegal machine gun, bazooka, hand grenade, or similar military weapon. In other words, assault weapons would now be considered just as dangerous and illegal to possess as a goddamn bazooka. Hide one in your closet at your own risk.
2. Immediately prohibit the import, purchase and possession of any pistol and rifle clips that hold more than seven rounds. A similar turn-in program would exist.
3. Initiate a federal registration process that would coordinate mandatory training for all gun purchases, to include the safeguarding of all weapons not in the immediate possession of the registered, legal owner.
4. Dramatically increase the penalties for all gun-related crimes, including illegal sales.
5. Prohibit any and all same day sales. Nobody buys a gun of any type without passing a mandatory, in-depth background investigation, at the buyer’s expense. Gun ownership will still be legal, but not cheap.
Of course none of these things, or the combined force of all, will stop every goddamn monster intent on killing someone. No set of laws or regulations can do that. But I firmly believe they can help. And it should almost go without saying, we need to provide treatment for those among us who are in need of mental care.
