The harsh reality of gun violence is that we are okay with it. In the aftermath of a shooting, we feel something for a while, but three weeks later, the immediacy of a particular event has passed and we go about our daily routine. Our culture seems to say that it is acceptable to kill people. Ironically, we can use the death penalty to punish people who commit these crimes, but we are unwilling to take preemptive action. In other words, it is okay if we are unwilling to take back our power to change this and let the status quo and carnage remain in place.
We protest such a view responding that we support government action such as enhanced background checks, assault weapon bans, magazine limits, robust mental health services, training, and other measures. All of these are both legitimate and important, but we are still part of the problem if we do not demand these changes from our politicians! If stores like Walmart can hear us and limit ammunition sales and eliminating automatic weapons from the shelves, then why are the politicians deaf to us? Perhaps it is because we tacitly permit them to be so.
Our politicians are unwilling to engage in the debate on the issues, both root causes and how to effectively counteract them. The red flag laws and the Toomey-Manchin Bill have died ignominious deaths due to feckless politicians. The power is ours and we can demand action using this issue as a litmus test. But that is not enough. Keeping ourselves safer also requires that we act now until such time as we get that comprehensive and thoughtful action from our government officials. There are things we can do immediately that can substantially reduce gun violence right now.
The sad facts are that most gun deaths are caused by suicide, inner-city warfare, and crimes of passion and accidents. Curtailing these require enforcement of laws and providing the resources to make that possible. We need to demand our politicians are responsive but also more closely watch the debate and how our tax dollars are spent. We need to thoughtfully spend more to do the things we want to be done.
Public shootings would be substantially reduced by creating substantive security measures in public places. Detectors and security guards at the entry points of schools, malls, hotels, and all other places where people congregate. Israel had great success controlling terror through employing such measures. The only thing keeping us from similar success is an unwillingness to pay for it as well as the perceived discomfort these checkpoints might create. And we also need to remember that despite every effort, some incidents cannot be prevented. But we must try in order to protect our people.
It is up to us. We have the power to change this if we have the courage to do the things that need to be done. The polls say we are a substantial majority. Let’s use the power we the people have.