The Elephant (Gun) in the Room

The horrible reality of the massacre in Aurora, Colorado this past week drives home once again the realization that America can be, and is, a very violent place. We have an unacceptably high number of gun-related deaths, year in, and year out. But there is nary a politician who will so much as hint that we should do more about regulating the purchase of firearms in this country. In the last six months, I have read countless stories in the local and regional news about angry spouses, and ex-spouses, who have shot estranged spouses, lovers and even their own children, to exact some kind of revenge. We are horrified at such occurrences, but we tend to shrug our shoulders, as if such violence is simply a part of our culture, and the price of living in a modern society. If it is the price of living in America today, it is a price we should not be willing to pay. I have several friends, and relatives, who either live abroad, or who grew up in another country before moving here. They tell me that folks in their native, or adopted homelands, such as Canada, England and the Scandinavian countries, perceive Americans as residents of the wild, wild west, where everyone owns guns and carries them everywhere. It's not difficult to figure out from whence such caricatures emerge. Take a look at the films we export and one cannot help but wonder if folks think we are obsessed with violence. But take a look at some of the rhetoric of the leadership of the National Rifle Association, and one can only marvel at how such extremist views became the tail that wags the political dog. I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania in the foothills of the Alleghenies, and most of my friends and neighbors were hunters. It was a rite of passage to go on one's first hunting excursion when once reached the magical age of twelve. Since my father was not a hunter, I planned to take that initial step into manhood with a kindly neighbor. However, the year before I would have been old enough, the neighbor brought home a deer he had bagged, and I decided that I could not kill a deer, or anything else. I grew up near a pond, and we went fishing almost everyday. I always threw any fish I caught back into the water, and felt guilty for causing it injury or, at the very least, a very sore mouth for a day or two. At Boy Scout camp we shot rifles on a firing range, and I enjoyed it. At a summer-long camp at a military school, I earned a medal in archery. But it never occurred to me to use my skills as a budding archer to bring down wild game. I just don't have it in me to kill animals. But I do not begrudge hunters or fishermen ( and women) who enjoy bringing home freshly caught game. I just don't want to see the quarry, thank you. The NRA used to focus its efforts on helping scouts and others learn how to practice gun safety, teaching us that guns are not toys and that we must always use great care when handling a weapon. Somehow, the NRA has gone from wise instructor to crazy second amendment advocate, holding gun ownership up as the true measure of what it means to be an American. Gun lobbies in some states and municipalities have attempted to force through legislation that requires citizens to carry weapons. Believe it or not, some churches in Texas encourage their members to bring guns with them to church on Sunday morning, because it is legal .The NRA fights against any and every measure that may come up in federal or state legislatures that seeks to impose common-sense limits on how many guns an individual may purchase in a month, or that attempts to remove so-called "cop-killer" bullets from the market. And the NRA is always successful in defeating such measures. Why? Because its leaders have learned that fear is the best recruiting tool, and that appeals to self-interest trumps the common good every time. The oft-repeated refrain they use as their call to arms (pardon the pun) is to simply enforce the laws on the books, not create new ones that will restrict the rights of gun owners. Well, the killer in Colorado bought all of his weapons legally at legitimate dealers. He was able, legally, to assemble an arsenal that enabled him to fire as many rounds as he could before the police could arrive and disarm him. I wonder if the NRA will aid in his legal defense? After all, in assembling his arsenal he was just exercising his second amendment rights as a law abiding American. Right? We have all seen the bumper sticker that states "I'm a Member of the NRA, and I Vote!" Well, guess what: "I Oppose the NRA, and I Vote!"