Gun Violence
The Left Says
We have a violence epidemic, and easy access to firearms fosters a culture of conflict escalation.
The Right Says
You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. The right to self-defense is sacrosanct, second only to the right of free speech. This is a founding principle of our country and will not be infringed.
The Solution
“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.” It seems like everything you need to know is right there. The right shall not be infringed, and regulating the militia is not an infringement. Trying to make distinctions about what is and isn’t an assault weapon is a waste of time. Guns are dangerous (on purpose), so treat them with respect, like motor vehicles or medicines. You must have a license, be insured, and the guns must be registered. If you want a “more dangerous” weapon, then the licensing and insurance requirements are more strict, just like getting a CDL, or a pilot’s license. If you want to fire a .50 caliber GAU-19 Gatling gun, well that is like a Formula One race car, and you need to go to a specialized location and meet even more stringent regulations to do that… but have fun! Or go join the National Guard or Army and really get trained up and do your country a favor.
Regulation (licensure, gun registration, and insurance) will make for more responsible gun ownership (through training and financial commitment), and will reduce gun violence (especially domestic violence), but will do little to address other criminal behavior that involves firearms. However, much of that crime stems from lack of opportunity, income disparity, and wealth inequality – the first is addressed on the Education page, the second on the Taxes page, and the last on the Wealth Inequality page. Lastly, we need to address mass shootings.
These events do have a mental health component, but not like you might think. People with mental health disorders are much more likely to be the victims of violence than the cause, and account for only about 1 in 5 mass shooters. More often, these people are operating out of a perceived racial or social injustice 1 2. In all cases, the normal modes of society have failed.
First of all, eliminate any and all forms of notoriety. Just like streaking at professional sporting events in the 70s stopped when the networks stopped televising it, we should never know their names. In fact, erase their names and faces from the public consciousness (other than for victims’ families, or during the manhunt – after that – unmake them). Secondly, let’s recognize that all disruptive behaviors – from the biting kindergartener to the snarky office worker to the mass murderer – are the result of people not feeling heard (or seen). Our hyper-connectivity has led to wide-spread disassociation from one another, and from larger societal ideals. Loss of faith in our institutions leaves people adrift, as stagnant wages literally leave whole segments of society behind; paycheck to paycheck – video game to fast food to reality TV – groping to find giving up on finding meaning in their lives. Cultural Polarization blurs our vision so that we don’t recognize the importance of humanity’s grand project – which is: a loyal learning from the lessons of the past, respecting the ever-improving authority of the scientific process, to enhance this sacred creation that we have been gifted; leaving it better for our children than we found it.
So, lastly, let’s think about that: Are we leaving it better than we found it? Through every act or omission, we either improve the world, leave it the same, or make it worse. Even a piece of chewing gum flung on the sidewalk is a tiny act of violence that makes the world just a fraction uglier. Every construction project that takes the cheapest approach, in order to maximize profit misses the opportunity for a work of art. Every Homeless person we ignore… Every time we use our mouths more than our ears – We slowly surround ourselves with the cheapest, ugliest, most disconnected world that money can buy. What it comes down to is this: If your success is dependent on the desperation of others, then you are the problem.
1 Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Future of Psychiatric Research into American Gun Violence