Is it shock and horror, or is it weariness? Are we finally
done with tolerating gun violence? And when will we stop going around this same
tragic circle? It’s assault weapons and gun shows. No, it’s mental health. Arm
teachers, etc.
Tackling this problem won’t be a one-shot deal, and needs
approach from all sides. Yes, we have to tighten gun laws, close the gun-show loophole
and insist on a gun-purchase waiting period. Yes, we have to do something about
mental health, especially that of isolated young males. Yes, the media have to re-invent
the coverage of mass-shooting incidents. We even have to change how guns work:
owner-recognition technology, etc. And we may have to spend big bucks buying
back guns and destroying them.
The experts seem to agree that more guns, more armed
Americans, will make the problem worse, not better. Many people still don’t
accept that, notably Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson. But one
professor of sociology, interviewed on NPR, likened this debate to the one on
climate change. How can there be less violence with more guns?
We do have to recognize that guns are part of our culture.
This country was born amid gun violence. There was a good reason for the Second
Amendment. The Wild West was preceded by the Wild East. But that was then. Guns
have been a time-tested means of resolving conflicts here. Does it always have
to be that way?
Guns are almost a fashion accessory. American men of a
certain age all had cowboy outfits as kids, complete with two silver toy guns.
The cigarette was also a fashion accessory for decades, but now it’s fading, as
the forces of disapproval are winning the battle. The tobacco lobby was once as
powerful as the NRA, but we have evolved.
Evolution is the time-consuming part. Prohibition seemed
like a good idea to many in the 1920s, but the general population wasn’t ready to
accept it. The abolition of slavery, the arrival of women’s suffrage, and the
acceptance of gay marriage all took time, and a shifting of cultural tectonic
plates is sometimes violent. But the inevitability finally becomes clear.
So what do we do about guns now? The first thing, IMHO, an obvious
one, is for those of us who want tougher laws to elect people to Congress who
support the legislation desired and replace those who won’t. But it goes way
beyond that. What attitudes about guns do we have in our own families? How are
children being raised to view this issue? What kinds of movies, TV and video
games do we all-too-casually consume? There’s pornography -- and then there’s
pornography.
The good news is, sea changes do happen. Those of us who’ve
been around a little bit have seen them in our lives many times over now, and
they don’t take nearly as long as they once did. But we’re the ones who have to
make the waves.
