More Gun Violence

Nearly every day this week and last, reports of gun violence have been steady. Multiple shooting deaths. Rampages at entertainment sites. Gun fights counterpointing arguments – among both friends and strangers. This is a picture of a nation run amok in gun violence.

Is this an expected outcome of gun ownership? Is this what we get with broad freedoms to own, carry and use guns? Is this the price we are willing to pay for freedom?

I doubt Americans think the price is worth it. I think Americans are willing to clamp down on gun ownership rights to secure the peace. Peace and tranquility. Peace for the rest of us to pursue life, liberty and happiness.

The well-being of a society relies on many things. Freedom is one of those things. Duty another. Responsibility yet another. Yes, the commonweal relies on all of us acting together to protect and nurture society to valued ends. It does impose restrictions on some behavior to ensure that peace and public safety is obtained for the benefit of all.

This means that we all must give up some things to gain others. This is a basic tenet of all social orders. Through all of human history, this tenet has existed. Why should Americans do otherwise? Why would they allow gun rights to trump all other rights? To what end?

The only end I can conjure is the right of our people to take up arms so that government does not do that against us. The American Revolution is a case in point. Everyday citizens had guns on their farms, in their businesses, out on the frontiers. They needed those guns to protect themselves and family from animal attacks, violence from strangers, and so much more. But that population was able to gather together and defend its nation against England. We earned our independence, our nationhood from this freedom of gun ownership.

I get it. But then we didn’t have advanced weaponry. Nor did we have a national army, navy, and air force. We didn’t have police forces in towns and cities, we didn’t have county sheriff police, or the national guard. All of these are citizen ‘armies’ to protect us from many harms. Why then do we need complete freedom of gun ownership?

I think the time has arrived to restrict gun ownership to protect those of us without guns. I am not suggesting removing the right to bear arms. I am not suggesting confiscating guns.

I am saying it is time we limited the depth and range of gun ownership so the public is protected from aberrant gun owner behavior. The restrictions should be logical and easily enforced.

If you doubt that, then turn on your TV and radio and listen to the violence reports. That should be the alarm siren we hear. And act on. If gun owners won’t act to improve public safety, it remains the task for the rest of us to see the task done.

April 8, 2022

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