A common denominator runs through a
sickness that continues to fill American cemeteries with innocent
victims. Whether driven by selfish desires or by uncontrollable
fears, people turn to a gun to gain the upper hand. The firearm, once
considered a necessity on the wild frontier, now, once again,
represents a popular mechanism of deadly force used by everyday
people in every conceivable confrontation involving emotion and
anger. The truth is that the finality afforded by a gun appeals to a
violent nation.
The violence recurs with absolute
regularity. The gun, the bullet, the riddled body – the dead lies
silent while once again, a violence-anesthetized America determines
whether the kill was worth the expense, whether the offense was
warranted by the defense, whether the deceased was a criminal or a
helpless victim.
Almost instantaneously, news crews feed
the public interest. Cameras and eye-witness testimonies reveal
shot-to-shot details of circumstance as news channels endlessly
debate the causes of another tragic event and the liability of the
tragedy.
Although the media never puts the
viewer close enough to the bloody carnage to see the mangled body
parts, smell the stench of death, and touch the cold flesh of the
lifeless victim, reporters do their best to stir the distant emotions
of the viewers while bringing them titillating updates. And, the
media vows to linger on the scene until every drop of investigation
delivers their sterilized and politically-spun vision of the tragedy.
Once again, in the wake of the violent
act, a large segment of the public will steadfastly maintain that a
gun cannot shoot a victim by itself. As the gun smoke clears, they
will say that the perpetrator is always at fault and that the gun is
the great equalizer for caring Americans. In fact, they will
assuredly declare once more that “the
only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun
is a good guy with a
gun.” And, so,
the war zones continue to rage with new firefights and new victims of
gun violence. The killing fields grow with the bodies of the good,
the bad, and the innocent.
As more and more
die, more and more firearms advocates purchase guns and, thus, assure
that violence begets violence. The deadly engagements now are
becoming increasingly more difficult to understand as issues like
conceal-and-carry, standing your ground, and achieving the point of
employing deadly force mix together with rage and prejudice during
split-second decisions to fire or to retreat.
Adding to the fear
of armed criminals is a bitter distaste by many for political
correctness. These conditions have created a society that lacks
sufficient civility. Race, nationalities, political affiliations,
sexual identities become victims of this discontent. Rejecting
different views, scores of people simply vow “they aren't going to
take any more assaults on their beliefs and liberties.” And, many
in their anger, turn to the great and final equalizer of gun violence
to solve their problems. They believe the best defense involves
stockpiling offensive, assault-ready firepower.
The nation is
impatient. It is angry. It is violent. And, it is armed. It is armed
by those with bad intentions, and it is armed by those with good
intentions. Gun advocates contend that no amount of control or
compromise can affect the slaughter directly associated by firearms.
They say the high rates of murders and suicides will occur no matter
how much new firearms legislation or firearms change.
Their fatalistic
view is dedicated to the proposition that shooting their way out of
threats and fear will somehow stop gun violence. To maximize their
defense, they openly carry or conceal their weapons while taking
family trips to the supermarket, to the mall, to church, or to school
events. They believe they stand ready to eliminate terrorists,
criminals, or even officials who threaten their existence. The
frontier of the 21st century is infused with distrust, so
much so that gun advocates rally behind their Second Amendment right
to maintain armed militias, and many of these groups adopt
philosophies that challenge any government control or restriction.
If the blame for gun
violence is justly placed on individuals who employ guns to maim and
murder others, one still cannot ignore the faults in the delivery
system – the entire process that places weapons in the hands of irresponsible people and criminals. Also, one still cannot deny
that owning firearms presents a common danger – especially owning
guns whose purpose is to effectively assault large numbers of people.
The shooter
perpetrates gun violence, yet the firearm, like any other dangerous
object or substance, is the means by which the shooter executes the
carnage. A nation whose populace arms itself against itself has
serious issues that threaten its existence. Usurping power and
authority from police and other enforcement officials and replacing
it with millions of guns in the hands of a frightened and aggressive
public will never tame the new frontier that is filled with overwhelming
violence.
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