Every time we have to endure another senseless tragedy involving the use of guns to take innocent lives, the fringe elements on both ends of the spectrum find their way to the microphone. From the left we hear statistics and pleas for some form of controls to make it more difficult to get ahold of guns. On the right we hear the all too familiar phrase that “Guns don’t kill people – people kill people.” Of course there is merit to both arguments and all those arguments in between, but that is no comfort to the families who are grieving over such an immense loss.
Guns have always been part of our American culture. Without them, the whole notion of a Revolutionary War would have been laughable folly so we probably should start by admitting to ourselves that guns are part of our American heritage. Of course, the well-known “2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution” always invokes discussion at times like this not because of what it says, but because of what people think it says. It is only one sentence and it reads as follows: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” We can’t ignore our Constitution, we can’t ignore our culture, and we can’t ignore the part that guns have played in creating the United States of America as we know it today.
That said, I think it is time to tell our elected leaders to have a serious and public debate on the topic of guns in America. Don’t let the debate get hung up by any of the current notions of what is right and what is wrong about guns. Instead, keep the debate broad and find an understanding of who we are as Americans and how guns are part of that identity today. Let the debate explain just what the 2nd Amendment is telling us. We shouldn’t want a fast debate – No, we should want the debate to be thorough and be sensitive to priorities of all our citizens. The debate should not threaten any particular stance on the topic, but rather seek to understand the reasons that Americans feel the way they do about guns. Coming out of the debate we will easily recognize whether any changes are appropriate.
The Sausage Grinder is Broken – Will you help to fix it?