CAN WE TALK?

So, can we talk about gun safety, now? We keep hearing that it isn’t the right time to talk about gun legislation in the middle of a gun tragedy. But, then, of course … the news moves on and the short attention span of the American people leads our nation to just keep kicking the can down the road. So, I propose that we start to talk about gun safety legislation NOW, following two back-to-back mass gun murders within two weeks.

To begin with, the Supreme Court has decided that the 2nd Amendment guarantees that the individual citizen has the right to bear arms. While I don’t agree with their interpretation, I do accept it. So let’s move on. Let’s start with the regulations that we actually agree on.

1) We pretty much agree that the Constitution does not guarantee citizens the right to own nuclear bombs, bazookas, machine guns, missiles, mustard gas, and other weapons of mass destruction. We agree that the government has the right to prevent anyone from acquiring any of those weapons.

2) We agree that crazy people should not have the right to bear arms.

3) While the National Rifle Association doesn’t agree, most Americans do not want people on the terrorist watch list to be able to buy arms.

4) The majority of Americans do want the Assault Weapons Ban reinstated.

So there is agreement that there are limitations to “the right to bear arms.” As reasonable people, we should talk about these issues, and decide on reasonable gun-safety legislation. We all have the right to bear arms, but does that include shoulder fired missles that can bring down airplanes?

How can we decide these life and death decisions if we can’t even talk about the issue?

There have been many studies comparing gun deaths in America with 22 other high income countries. In 2002, there were 30,136 firearm-related deaths in the United States. While our neighbor to the north, Canada, reports that 816 people died of firearms-related injuries in Canada that year. Of all the firearm deaths in these 23 high-income countries in 2002, 80% occurred in the US.

What accounts for the unbelievably high number of gun deaths in our country? To what do we attribute the high number of mass killings in America? To listen to the right-wingers the cause of these violent mass murders is attributable only to crazy people — “because guns don’t kill people, people do!”

So, do we assume that America just has more nut-cases than Canada? More crazies than 22 other high income countries — COMBINED? Why would that be? That’s a patently ridiculous assertion.

We simply must face the fact that while there are certainly examples of crazies committing mass murder around the world — the recent Norwegian killer of young campers, for example — that it is very rare in other nations.

Is it possible that the reason that America has so many more gun deaths is because we have basically armed everyone in the country — with many people owning multiple guns and weapons of mass destruction?

In 22 other high income countries it is safe to walk down the street and to go to church. That is a freedom which must be defended.

CAN WE TALK NOW?