CAR, in a violent culture, people will arm themselves. That’s only natural, and I would do the same. But are we living in a violent culture? This is the US, which has major problems, but it is stable politically and economically. Some urban areas have horrific crime, but you have a choice where to live. Owning a gun is a palliative, not a cure. Is the only, or best way to defend yourself with a gun? Should we wait for the more complex socio-economic causes to be righted, before we start to deal with gun proliferation and the disproportionately high loss of life it causes.
I understand where you are coming from, and yes I have been threatened by criminals, been burgled while at home, been to South Central and witnessed a shooting, walked and driven through some dangerous parts of South Africa, worked in a fortress type environment in Moscow, been lifted off my feet by my lapels, was born into a gun owning family, but have never contemplated carrying or using a gun. I would not want to go through the revenge process that usually follows the shooting of a criminal, and I would not want to go through the judicial process with the possibility of manslaughter charges if the defense was strong, or the emotional strain that is inevitable. Instead, I would do what I could to defend myself, and take preventative measures rather than take my chances with a shoot out. That for me is the rational and logical course to take.
Now let me ask you a question. Have any of your children been killed in a Sandy Hook type incident? Forgive me, it’s a rhetorical question, but we all know the answer is not to arm schools that could explode into war zones. Less guns and not more guns will reduce gun violence. Something has to give. There has to be a starting point for that process to begin, and responsible citizens would inevitably lead by example. Why should it be the good guys? That is the sacrifice (of feeling exposed) for the betterment of society.
Part of the problem is the ingrained culture of fear that has been instilled into everyone which is to an extent illusory. It is the result of carefully targeted actions of organizations like the NRA, who is in the business of selling guns, and they are overly influential both in a political sense and with inculcating this cultural mindset. It has been spectacularly successful with the 2nd Amendment argument.
I’m not an idealist, but a realist. I don’t believe the problem of gun related deaths will go away completely. When you consider the impasses over more benign legislation, it’s a wonder anything gets done in Washington. But I do think it is possible to reduce gun violence. Who knows, may be even to tolerable levels, and a very tangible way to do that is by a reduction in gun ownership, whether legitimate of otherwise. I also believe there needs to be a process before that. People are not going to give up their guns unless they know why, and that boils down to education and research into causes. Once the problem is better understood, and explained scientifically with irrefutable evidence, half that battle is over.
Many of the underlying causes of gun crime have their roots in socio-economic problems. Terrorism shares similar characteristics. These are societal issues, often with centuries of evolution going into their making, and are therefore highly complex in their formation. We simply don’t understand these things well enough. Mental illness can produce violent behavior, and many causes of those illnesses are environmental, which again are complex and research is still in its infancy. There is an argument that while we don’t understand everything, we understand enough to make things better, but the political will seems to be absent, or political structures, by their nature incapable of acting efficiently. That of course begs the question of why, and I’m sure a lot of research delves into those issues.
So what are we left with? The easiest, most practical solutions with tangible results? Or a protracted continuation of the status quo, in the hope an act of God will produce a beacon if light, and lead the way? For every argument that seeks to find an obstacle to this process, another life is lost pointlessly. We live in a society, and it is therefore for society to seek solutions to our problems. Individual initiatives have their place, but should act within reasonable confines that do not put others at risk, or be deemed selfish. Self defense is not selfish, but denying a truth is.
