On 02/10/2015, I did a piece called Under the Gun in which I didn't even scratch the surface of mass shootings, in the wake of the Umpqua Community College shooting. I also looked at some of the reactions of Congress members. The reaction that resonated with me the most was the following noted in the Huffington Post :
This is on us. Silence from Congress has become quiet endorsement of those whose minds unhinge and veer toward mass violence.
From Mother Jones
Without doubt, the gun rights lobby is a formidable force. It is backed by a truly grassroots network of committed and well-organized supporters who are willing to make calls to legislators and turn out in even low-turnout elections to back pro-gun candidates. This "intensity gap" bedevils gun control groups, which, however well some of their proposals poll, have trouble getting voters to agitate and to prioritize the gun issue the way gun rights defenders do.
Mr Obama recently said in response to the Umpqua tragedy that it is up to each individual to ensure their vote reflects their views on the seemingly continuous carnage of the deaths of innocent people, no matter the political stripe.
So what is the problem? Are the tragedies of mass shootings too removed from reality for most . . . the 'I don't know anybody there' response? Will it take many more deaths of innocent people including young children before the gun control groups muster their voices to "out yell" the NRA? Is paranoia rampant in American society? Some respond that this is just how it is. Its part of American culture.
On the same day as the Umpqua Community College shooting, there was another shooting in Inglis, Florida. Four people were killed. Read how townsfolk reacted . . . they went for their guns.
Alternet — It’s not hard to get your hands on illegal guns and rifles in America. It took me about two hours. I called a guy from the old neighborhood in LA, said something about a “piece”, and, hours later, I was staring at an AK-47 and an illegally modified AR-15, which were sitting on a kitchen table. Welcome to America.
Two hours later, two hours, the author is looking at assault rifles, military grade assault rifles. Why are these weapons so easy to come by? Why do some people feel the need for them? In my mind, it is one thing to have a hand gun,quite another to have an assault rifle.
And the candidates for the Republican nomination for POTUS aren't shying away from the fray.
This report from Alternet shows Ben Carson's thoughts on the issue.
In the same interview, he suggested the president can just skip visiting the family members of the victims, because there’s always “the next one”.
He’s not wrong that it’s a regular event, but his wording certainly suggested that he doesn’t really think of it as a big deal. His next appearance on Fox, on Tuesday night, confirmed this impression. ““I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away,” …
I have not once heard any mention of taking away the right to own a gun, despite what Republicans and many of their fevered base proclaim. What I have heard is talk from people who would like to see assault weapons and high capacity ammunition cartridges banned. I have heard of having common sense gun control laws that protect the public and the gun enthusiast. Read the rest of the article to see the comments from many of the other candidates.
I think there should be gun control laws that provide for the following:
- closing of the gun show loop hole;
- rigorous background checks for all prospective purchasers;
- mandatory training for all purchasers with some exemptions for military and police officers;
- a license similar to a drivers' license which has a five year renewal clause;
- mandatory liability insurance much like car insurance; and
- strict guidelines on storage of the gun so unauthorised people (children) cannot access them.
This won't solve the issue of gun deaths, but it would reduce them.
5 Responses to “Guns In America”
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We – the human race – really don't know how to deal with delusions. Of course so many mass delusions throughout history have not been as disturbing or dangerous as what we are dealing with now. The earth is flat. The sun goes around the earth. The moon is made of green cheese. Not too many people have been hurt or killed by those.
But there have been delusions even long ago that are more dangerous. The Jews killed Christ. White people are superior in every way to all people of any other color.
Within the last century we have started to see some delusions that stake out new territory. The Holocaust never happened. The moon landing never happened. The previous delusions presumed anyone who didn't agree didn't understand. These delusions presume that people who don't agree are deliberately lying. Our own government is deliberately lying. No one can be trusted.
How in the world, if we can't deal with those, are we going to deal with: I have a gun. I can shoot it and never miss. I have complete knowledge of who is good and who is evil.
And this delusion is compellingly reinforced by manufacturers of guns, using virtually unlimited money and terrifying numbers of people to push it.
That list is quite modest and would prevent an awful lot of deaths…requiring liability insurance on guns like on cars might take it further.
Homeowners (and renters, and mobile home, and so on) insurance policies already cover personal liability, though they exclude coverage for criminal acts. So there could already be coverage in place for an accidental shooting or self defense. In stand your ground states, I suspect P&C insurance companies might have a different definitiion of self-sefense than the law does, but I don't know that. No insurer is going to write a policy that provides coverage for criminal/illegal acts.
In earlier comments I've been bold enough to say I believe the many mass-shootings (1000 now since Sandy Hook), or any shooting for that matter, is part of American culture, and so is the absurd power of the NRA; but the inability to do something about it, to shrug it off as something that just is, to limit any reduction plans to mass shootings only, to carefully suggest only a few more backup checks, to point to more responsible ownership… also is very definitely part of that same American culture. The culture of fear. The culture of feeling more adequate, of having some power through a weapon.
There are two kinds of fear in America now: the fear Americans with a gun have for "bad guys", or for those who might take their gun away, and the fear Americans have for those fellow Americans with a gun. I've never seen a gun up close and I'd run a mile if someone took out a gun anywhere near me. But I've never felt the need for a gun, because I don't have this fear for "bad guys" and I don't have to fear other people with a gun. Not many people here have those fears, because there are so few guns around and those that are, are well regulated. Of course we have the same percentage of nut cases here, but we've only had one mass-shooting a few years back when the cops let things slip terribly when they gave a license to a mentally disturbed young man to join a shooting-club. We have had a fraction of American shootings, ONLY because we have a fraction of American guns in private possession. We're not better people, we don't have less "bad guys", we just have very few guns guns.
Frankly, based on the numbers in other countries, I think that is the only way to reduce these utterly devastating numbers of people killed or injured by guns in America is to take them all in and start all over. And do I think that will ever happen in America? Again frankly: NO.
Chris Murphy: Congress is terrified of the NRA, and until we get new people there, they will keep knuckling under to the gun nuts.
Inglis, Fl.: I have a friend who lived in that town several years ago. Apparently, Wal Mart is the largest business in town. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.
Alternet: That article is frightening because it shows how easy it is to obtain a "weapon of mass destruction" in this country today. I agree with your assesment of what needs to be done.