Let’s talk about guns…And by that, I mean, let’s engage in a meaningful, productive discussion about guns.
Unfortunately, the times when people are most eager to “talk” about guns are right after a mass shooting event like the one that just took the lives of 58 people in Las Vegas on October 1st. Many argue this is the best time to “talk” about the issue, while others say that it is the absolute worst time. I tend to agree with the latter and it’s for the same reason that I keep putting “talk” in quotes throughout this paragraph.
Following any mass shooting event (and this one is no different), there is a flurry of activity in the traditional media and on social media. And this activity largely consists of people yelling about the event, condemning those who don’t share their sociopolitical views, and putting everyone’s backs up. At this point, all you are accomplishing is screaming into your own echo chamber.
The only way to make progress on this issue is for both sides to be willing to admit there is a problem and be willing to listen to the other side’s rational arguments. As a 2nd Amendment proponent, let me start by addressing the people on “my side” of the issue:
We must acknowledge that there is a problem. It is not normal for these types of grotesque mass murders to just happen. At best, our society allows for these types of events to occur, but at worst, our society CAUSES these types of events. As much as any of us loves our guns, none of us wants to be on the receiving end of those muzzles. We must be willing to search out the root cause(s) and contributing factors of such violence. We must be willing to address these with more than a hand wave and a, “You can’t legislate away evil.”
We must be careful. We typically voice the dangerous slippery slope argument – once there is some concession to gun control, it’s only a matter of time before they take more and more away. However, there is also the real concern that if we appear unwilling to compromise, then we look evil and self-serving to a growing majority of Americans who don’t make guns a part of their lives. There may eventually come an event so traumatic that “they” really will come for our guns.
To those on the other side of the argument:
You must know your facts about guns and the laws that are currently in place. When you conflate semiautomatic with fully automatic, when you throw around the term “assault weapon” or “assault rifle” without knowing these are arbitrary terms with varying definitions, when you speak of the need to pass gun control laws that are already on the books, you only demonstrate an ignorance of the subject and therefore de-legitimize your position.
What do you wish to accomplish? Some are calling for a relatively small change to existing gun laws; some are calling for an outright ban on all firearms. When you say “common sense gun laws,” what does that mean exactly? What is common sense to me is not necessarily common sense to you (which is why we find ourselves on opposite ends of this argument to begin with). Whatever laws are proposed should be able to easily answer the question, “Would this law have prevented this tragedy from happening?”
Recognize that the 2nd Amendment is a very real part of our Constitution. This is not trivial. A Constitutional Right is defined as “a right that has been guaranteed by the United States Constitution that cannot be violated by laws or by Congress.” It is not a privilege granted by the government; it is a right that the government may not take away. Whether you agree with it or not, it was something so important to our Founding Fathers that it was incorporated into the highest law in the country from almost the very beginning. There is a process for changing this document; use this process if you wish to repeal the Amendment.
For both sides:
Take a step back and remember that the people involved in this tragedy are PEOPLE. Almost 60 sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters lost their lives recently. Several hundred more were injured. And several thousand more people are still reeling from the shock of their losses.
This is the perfect time for us to talk about guns, but only if we are willing to both listen and discuss a way ahead. Get out from behind the keyboard and have this discussion IRL. Come face to face with people who hold a different opinion… Come face to face with the fact that your ideological opponent is a person like you, who is also trying to come to grips with tragedy.