A fortnight ago, one man ended 58 lives, injured over 500
others, and altered those of a multitude of family and friends. Even if you were not directly or indirectly
scathed by the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas tragedy, you may still feel numb,
shocked, sickened, outraged, and incredulous.
You should. We all should. But we should do more than think about it
while life goes on in all its myriad forms from the mundane to the profound. We will walk the dog, prepare the food, and get
up and go to work a week later, a month later, a year later. So too, women will give birth, the clergy
will preach, artists will create, and we will raise and dedicate monuments. But, will we take meaningful action to
prevent another such tragedy? Or, will the
hideousness of America’s infatuation with guns continue to accumulate bloody
statistics like the compounding scars of Dorian Gray’s decaying portrait that
remains hidden from public view?
What catharsis is required to awaken us from our collective
stupor and re-establish a sane, rational, and humane society in America? Will this be the 9/11 equivalent for gun
violence in America? The answer can be
yes if we don’t just think about it, wring our hands, shake our heads, and don
our bulletproof garments to head out the door – packing heat, just in case.
Instead of accepting that this pattern must inevitably
continue, will you engage in a meaningful conversation with your neighbors and
elected officials on the topic? Will you
ask questions such as:
·
Can this behavior be stopped?
·
Is it the fault of the gun manufacturers?
·
Is it the fault of the ammunition manufacturers?
·
Is it the fault of the industries that thrive on
our fears and vulnerabilities?
·
Is it the fault of the consumers?
·
Should there be a limit on the number of
firearms one person can own?
·
Should there be a limit on the number of
firearms that can be purchased within a given period of time?
·
How are mental illness records used to control
gun purchases?
What questions do you
have? If Americans are going to retain
the “right to bear arms” why not be
public about it? Hell, there’s a website
to show where the child molesters live in your neighborhood – why not include
anyone with an arsenal on that list too?
Of course, law-abiding gun owners are not criminals but isn’t it time we
acknowledge that firearms in America pose a unique and recurring threat to every
community where they are owned? If people
choose to have guns, then let’s make it public knowledge. My neighbors know I have a licensed and
registered car - what do gun owners have to hide?
The conventional argument suggests that when law-abiding
citizens don’t have arms, then only criminals will. Conversely, when law-abiding citizens have
arms, they acquire the potential to become mass murderers. Some may say there’s no reason to limit the
number of guns one owns because only one can be used at a time. Right, use one and then start using another,
just like what happened in Las Vegas where at least 10 weapons were found at
the scene.
Are we doomed as a society to accept that any moment in any
public place our lives may be taken by a bullet? I urge
you to read the October 5, 2017 Washington
Post update to its original December 2015 listing of mass killings in the
United States since 1966 here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/mass-shootings-in-america/ Tragically, there have been 131 events when
four or more people were murdered by one or more gunmen since 1966. The toll has now reached 948 victims
including 145 children and teenagers.
Any one of us could be next on the list. Help rid us of the rot of gun violence in
America and restore our nation’s portrait to the virtuous ideal to which we
aspire as a society.
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