Top of the day to all...
Since the goings-on in Newtown, I have been giving a great deal of thought to the idea of gun control in the United States. Several distinct groups have emerged with clashing views on the nature of the problems.
Every single one of those groups is right.
The NRA is right. As a nation, we need to think about proper security in our schools. There are plenty of people out there who will happily stake out and then attack a school. A school is a soft target, filled with people who are prone to panic. Furthermore, the shooter in Connecticut was in violation of several laws, including one of possession by someone under the age of 21. Someone who will murder will likely not think highly of other laws.
Those pushing for tighter gun control laws are also right. It defies logic that it is possible in many places to purchase a weapon at a gun show without any sort of background check. I cannot even renew my license to drive without a look at unpaid tickets. This is basic.
Others have pointed to the makers of movies and video games as part of the problem. They too are right. To have Quentin Tarantino sign a petition about gun control laws is laughable after his most recent motion picture endeavour. The movie is a bloody mess. Furthermore, I just saw a study that says that long-term exposure to pornography has a noticeable effect on the brain. Watching people get shot too many times probably does also.
Last, we have properly heard concerns about mental health issues. We will never know what motivates shooters to do this. That is fine. I think it should be beyond our comprehension. Still, as we learn more about the individuals, we find more and more long-term problems. The shooter in Connecticut never cried or felt pain. That is a huge warning to anyone who has taken the most basic of psychology classes.
What all of the people who point fingers at others miss is that they also point the finger away from themselves. Trying to figure out the source of the problem is laudable and necessary. It should involve a look in the mirror to start.
If we only write stricter gun laws, if we only focus on the mental health issues, if we only focus on violence in movies and video games, we will not solve the problem at all. Instead, we will open up our newspapers in the very near future to yet another headline with an eerily familiar story. This is a multi-faceted issue that requires a multi-faceted response.
Good night all.
R/SCG
Good Morning Rav Sean I think I will respectfully have to agree to disagree with you on the whole gun control issue or at least some of what you posted. Guns are dangerous and should not be in the hands of anyone except those in the police or military. They are highly trained to use them and they go through psych evaluations and other various tests. In the States people have an easier time getting a gun than I do renewing my driver's license. Here in Canada where, for the most part, we don't have guns you don't see too many mass school shootings (thankfully). Sure the thugs have guns but that doesn't make we want to go out to my nearest Bass Pro shop and buy a gun to protect myself or my family. I'm going to leave the protecting to the police. That's what our tax dollars are paying for. The less people who have guns in this world the better.
ReplyDeleteDebbie - I agree with you in general that the fewer guns out there, the better. I probably should have made that more clear. I further agree with you that there is no purpose whatsoever to owning a weapon for personal protection. We have the police for that, and they do a fairly good job.
ReplyDeleteWhere the challenge develops is when guns are legal for a legitimate purpose.
I should have been more clear. Thank you for pointing out the shortfalls in my entry.
Rav Sean