Like millions of Americans, I sat agape as I watched National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre’s stunning response to the slaughter of 26 innocent people, including 20 small children, at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., just before Christmas. My mother used to tell me not to sit around with my mouth open because a bug might fly into it. As I listened to the nonsense that issued forth from the Head Gun Nut—equal parts bluster and paranoia—my mouth was so wide open, an eagle could have flown into it. Apparently, LaPierre is French for tone deaf.
God help me, but all I kept thinking of as he spoke was, “This guy had better hope that there’s no video (or photos, for that matter) of what went on in that school.”
Two day later, just in case there were people out there who hadn’t caught Crazy, Act I, he went on Meet the Press and solidified his legacy by quibbling over the reported muzzle velocity of the multiple bullets that ripped through each of those little kids’ bodies. How is it even possible to be that out of touch?
A few days after the shooting, Arizona Daily Star cartoonist Dave Fitzsimmons had a brilliant cartoon depicting Uncle Sam and a guy in an NRA cap, both chest-deep in guns. The NRA guys says, “The answer is more guns.” The next morning, on his local radio show, Jon Justice ripped into Fitz for what Justice considered to be an unfair representation of the NRA and gun-rights advocates. Not long after that, Justice came up with his own solution—more guns, this time in the schools, in the hands of janitors and teachers and whomever.
Amazingly, Justice was himself trumped by several dim-bulb members of the Arizona Legislature who, over the past few years, have taken a few days off from the gutting of Arizona’s public-education system to try to see to it that Arizona is wall-to-wall guns, everywhere, all the time. They want guns in churches, in court, in bars and, especially, in schools. Here’s a really frightening thought: The only thing standing between us and the implementation of some of the crazier guns über alles ideas is Gov. Jan Brewer. If that doesn’t send a shudder through you, nothing will.
As I listened to the NRA press conference that first day, I kept waiting for Cyborg LaPierre to stop talking and let Human LaPierre get a few words in. Didn’t happen.
I’ll be honest; I’m not opposed to his idea of having police on campus, as long as it doesn’t turn the schools into armed camps. However, security experts figure that having an armed response already on campus might prove beneficial in about 8 percent of such incidents. (During the Meet the Press interview, LaPierre either dodged or tried to downplay the facts that there was an armed resource officer on campus the day of the Columbine shootings and that Virginia Tech has an armed police force. In both cases, guns on campus weren’t helpful in any way.)
What bothers me the most about this situation is that I know a whole lot of good, decent, hard-working Americans who happen to own guns. Most like to shoot them, some like to collect them; some, for all I know, like to fondle them. I have no fear whatsoever of any of these people using a gun to commit a crime. But when you try to talk to them rationally, they go all snake-eyed, like Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man.
It’s eerily similar to the recent discussion on the national debt. People who claimed to be fiscal conservatives said that all of the changes had to involve the cutting of spending. It seemed ludicrously logical to me (and others) that if we raised revenue and simultaneously cut spending, we could solve the problem in half the time. That would also show the business community (and the world) that we are serious about dealing with the problems that we created. The No-Taxers’ position got so absurd that they rejected a suggestion that we raise revenue by $1 for every $10 of spending cuts.
Fortunately, there was a national referendum on that particular issue this past November and a majority of the electorate spoke rather loudly and clearly on the matter.
Similarly, there is a gun-worshiping faction in this country that sees the word “compromise” and reads it as “surrender.”
When it was suggested that the multiple factors that led to the Newtown slaughter of children included widespread flaws in our mental-health system, a violence-obsessed media, the breakdown of the American family, ultra-violent video games and the ridiculously easy access to guns, the NRA and its minions said, “Yup, it’s all of those things … except guns. Guns have nothing to do with it.”
LaPierre could have done his organization (and America) a solid by getting out in front of a ban on assault weapons, the sole purpose of which is to kill lots of people in a short period of time, and/or magazines that hold an insane number of rounds. But he chose Ted Nugent over the dead kids. We’ll see how that goes.
(Next week: How to argue with Gun Guy. It involves logic, which means it might not work, but at least you’ll be in the right.)
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2013.
en la boca cerrada no entran moscas.
Actually, Wayne LaPierre’s idea beats anything else that’s been proposed so far.
Since guns usually don’t shoot themselves, it may make sense to understand the folks who are doing all the shooting. Looking at Columbine, Tucson, Va Tech, and Newtown, they all were men in their 20’s who had serious trouble assimilating into society. In several instances, they were on medications like Ritalyn to make them easier to manage in their teen years. Once they turned 18, they couldn’t be made to take their meds and often went through significant personality changes… usually not for the better. It may be that these shootings are more of a drug problem than a gun problem.
It is very difficult to control mental health. In a free society, a mentally deranged adult can choose to seek care, take pills, or ignore those actions.
It is very difficult to control evil. In our culture it may be difficult to define evil or expose true evil that lies hidden under the surface.
It is much easier and logical to control assault weapons, the type of bullets that cause greater damage to human flesh and bone, and the magazines that hold so many bullets.
Sadly the NRA faction seems willing to sacrifice nothing, but human lives.
While we may understandably have no compassion for this segment of humanity that is bent on destruction, we must still attempt to develop an understanding of the process that makes these people snap. Most of us wouldn’t go beyond punching a wall, but these desperate few create a disproportionate amount of human suffering. Bravo to the off duty law enforcement officer who used her weapon to counter another potential tragedy in San Antonio, TX on December 16. I didn’t see any TV coverage of that event.
ronko, you sounded like you had a clue, until the attack on the NRA. Danehy, I enjoy a lot of what you say, but humanity by the NRA came after a week of silence to allow the the hot heads to cool somewhat. Your right to print and say whatever you like and believe is protected by law abiding citizens exercising their second amendment rights. If you do not believe there is a threat to the American way of life, read “Living with Agenda 21.” May make you think beyond the liberal pale.
Human life is (should be) precious. Especially life which personifies optimism, the lives of children.
For an interesting but different perspective read about what the city of Chicago is going through in todays New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/us/a-soaring-homicide-rate-a-divide-in-chicago.html?hp&_r=0
If the debate (is there a debate?) could be simplified, guns vs. human life….I simply choose the latter.
Let me just start by saying that we own guns. My kids were in hunter safety classes long before they could drive or were even allowed to open a Facebook account.
That said, it’s been years since I could relate to the NRA or Wayne LaPierre.
The fact that there were armed security guards at Colombine and Virginia Tech should be the first thing people should consider whenever this “arm the schools” nonsense gets tossed into public discourse. Their presence didn’t make these school any safer, and they were not able to stop the carnage that occurred.
I’m also not sure how we keep glossing over the estimated $6.7 billion annual cost of adding one armed guard to our 133,183 U.S. schools. And that price is just for annual salaries — forget the cost of recruiting, screening (!), arming, regulating and training this group.
The second amendment starts with the words “A well regulated militia” before it mentions the “right of the people to keep and bear arms.” There is nothing “well regulated” about our current gun laws. Time for a different approach.
I’ll stay away from the gun arguments save to say that as a conservative Republican I really have no problem with licensing guns, and to make it a crime to carry a gun without a license. Hunters have to do it all the time!
More, though, on Tom’s comment about taxes. Tom, the reason we don’t buy the ten-to-one idea is simple. They always accept the ‘one’ and never get around to the ‘ten’. Reagan supposedly got a 3-to-2 or something. Taxes went up, cuts never did. That’s what will happen now. Enjoy the coming 15-20 percent interest rates and 40 percent annual inflation that COLAs cannot keep up with. It happened elsewhere and will happen here.
This is the entire text of the second amendment:
‘A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”
Keep in mind that this was written just after the revolutionary war and there was no regular army so an “able bodied man” was allowed and encouraged to own weapons to be made available should a conscription of force be necessary to counter an invasion of our young country.
Unfortunately, it has been re-interpreted so many times that it now bears little resemblance to what our founding fathers quite possibly meant.
For the scholars, take a read of this article from the Cornell University Law School:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amd…
Like Tom, I know a few people who own guns that use them for target shooting or hunting. I have no problem with that and respect their desire to pursue that sport.
On the other hand, I have known some people who are so obsessed with guns that they slept with two or three under their pillows at night.
The one thing I do believe is that no civilian has a need for military grade weapons and magazines. These are meant for only one purpose and that is mass killing. They serve no purpose for hunting or target practice at all.
Someday we may look back on this whole obsessive gun issue and think how polarizing it was and finally pass some sensible laws limiting the types and quantity that are considered reasonable for the average trained person.
Talk about humanity, why is it when people like this reporter disagree with someones ideas, they are always quick to name calling, as though it will support their agenda.
The person who murdered all those children/teachers is to blame, not the guns he used. When is it going to hit the anti-gun population that in the last three years all the attacks have been from mentally ill people, yet this fact is ignored, because it’s too hard to help the mentally ill, these people have rights to do as they wish, so attacking guns is so much easier. The under laying problem is not the guns, but people who are violent, and those who are our mentally ill that live among us. It is so much easier to blame the gun, than the mentally ill person who has to pull the trigger, as the gun can do nothing on it’s own. Lets address the mentally ill problem in this Country, not just blame it on guns and think this kind of behavior that took lives, will just go away…
chuckj, guns don’t need to be liscensed or registered. Their owners on the other hand…
dar has it right. Knee jerk reactions are the reason for stupid unenforable laws. There are plenty of gun laws on the books now and most are not enforced. The comment about Chicago should be a signal to all the anti-gun folks. The three cities with the strictest gun laws, NYC, Chicago and DC have the highest gun violence rate. NYC recently said they are doing well, according to their stats but not the FBI’s. Something to consider.
So let us talk about violence. In England and Wales the rate of violent crimes is 3.5 times greater than the U.S.A. despite having gun control far beyond anything the 2nd amendment would allow. No matter how you feel about responsibility personal or political to ignore the frame work allowing our government is bad precedent. If anyone feels we as a country truly need to go further down the path that has lead to failure, change the constitution. Therein lies the rub, gun control advocates know they lack the will and the votes to succeed in that. We couldn’t even ratify an equal rights amendment. So failed policy, do we try more of the same or look at what it does? Mentally ill may mean crazy, it does not equate with stupid. Attack the cub not the lion, attack the sheep not the sheepdogs. Even crazy can figure that out. So more failed gun control or more shepards?
Point of fact is that LaPierre is completely out of touch with the American people. Just read the polls. There are only 3 million members of the NRA. The AARP has more than ten times that number. I don’t understand why these gun fanatics who think 100 round ammo barrels are okay think they should control the conversation about things like background checks, magazine sizes, who is disquailified from gun ownership, and automatic weapons – designed only to kill humans. It’s time for sanity to reign supreme in this county. And especially in this state. I never thought I would say this, but God bless Jan Brewer for letting a “saner” head prevail. Lordy, what a stretch!!!
Preamble to The United States Constitution
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Everything in the Constitution is governed with the intent and must be taken in context with the Preamble. The proliferation of weapons in the US, as we well know, has not served to ensure domestic tranquility.
“…provide for the common defense,…”
“…a well regulated militia,…”
“…the right of the people,…” within the context of the entire document, most logically mean an organized group of people, as opposed to the individual. Had that not been the intent, I strongly believe the authors would have worded it accordingly. I’m not suggesting a ban on all gun ownership. I’m merely suggesting the the 2nd Amendment has been greatly exploited by the NRA for their self serving interests.
crinkster, Caution: AARP is the lapdog of the DNC. They sold out seniors with their support of Obama care. Watch your “tax” rates go up to support the misguided health care plan. So forive me if I don’t believe a thing they say. I have never seen a 100 round barrel. Not a bad idea, shoot 100 times and have to buy another gun, keep the manufactureres busy. Now with that said, I do not have any use for magazines with that capacity, used 30 rounders in Viet Nam. A different problem arises with 100 round mags, barrel overheating, warping and the barrel could constrict to the point of not allowing a round through, thus blowing up in one’s face. Natural selection at its best.
Hey Tom, uh…schools are already jail-like, so, what’s the deal with adding guns? Hell, they might save people’s lives. Think about it–if you were at Sandy Hook or at Aurora, or even here in Tucson w/ Gabby–if you were in the crowd, and you were armed, wouldn’t you try to save those lives by taking that psycho-bastard OUT?
And what about everything else we’ve ‘surrendered’, Tom? Our constitution has been raped by the evil NOT aligned with our forefathers who wrote the damn thing! This is what we’ve escaped from–TYRANNY! If you can’t see through the corporate, establishment media, then I suggest you visit some root-knowledge encyclopedias/websites to gain some enlightenment. Your column is short-sighted at best, and I dare you to post this without censorship to show your lack of research.
The irony is that we are under the heaviest blanket of lies, yet we remain as cold as ice.
Grow some balls, Tom, and stop pretending that you have them.
My last word on this again makes an attempt at logic.
Evil unveiled or hidden as well as mental illness are not new phenomena, they have followed mankind since the beginning. But mass killings are an historically and relatively new development…since the easy access to assault weapons, automatic weapons and semi automatic weapons.
To quote Sen Moynihan “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.” It seems to be apparent that the web and both sides of the issue regarding guns are prone to making up or skewing the facts. Read the FBI’s crime stats, it will enlighten you. As long as crazy people can lie on the documents, there will be those willing to kill for their 15 minutes of fame.
The handful of passengers who diverted Flight 93 from it’s intended target on September 11 were not armed, nor were the onlookers who wrestled Loughner to the ground on January 9. There are countless examples of small acts of heroism successfully carried out by ordinary citizens who did not use guns. While police, soldiers, and other security officers put their lives on the line for pay, I would wager that volunteer acts of heroism are primarily an activity of the unarmed. I doubt that armed civilians can brag of the same number.
And I can’t for the life of me think how any good can come of turning schools into scary places by populating them with armed authorities.
You’re not going to pry AK-47s or AR-15s from the thousands of people who already own them. I own both and the only way I’m getting rid of them is through a buy back program. Damn things are expensive to buy and to shoot. Want to stop the gun violence? Don’t outlaw the guns, outlaw the bullets. You can’t shoot a gun if you have no bullets. Sell bullets only at shooting ranges where you have to turn in your spent brass before you leave so no bullets walk out the door. Make possessing bullets a crime. Once you dry up the supply, the guns are only good as paperweights. I pitched this idea to my son who said, “If you legalize marijuana and outlaw bullets, then drug dealers will become bullet dealers.” You can’t win. Pssst, wanna buy some primo 9mm Peruvian?
Since when does the presence of a police officer make it a “scary place”? I have seen too many parents directly or indirectly teach their kids that the police are the bad guys. Often because they get a ticket or arrested for something in front of the children and yell about how they didn’t do anything wrong (usually drunkenly slurred). Of course the kids are going to believe their mommy or daddy. They just see the police as the bad guys taking mommy or daddy away from them when they did nothing wrong. Children should be seeing the police as the good guys and the presence of them in their school should not make it a scary place but make them feel safe and excited, like in the presence of Superman.
There is also a lot of talk about banning the high capacity magazines. This is just ridiculous. I agree that the shooting at the grade school was terrible. I am a parent. My kids are little and will start going to school in another year. It is frightening to me what happened. But banning the high capacity magazines is not even close to a solution. I have heard proponents of banning these magazines say, “at least we can cut down a percentage of the amount of deaths that can be inflicted”. That’s a horrible way to think about it. What you are saying is that you accept the fact that evil people will be able to go into our schools and start shooting. That is OK with you as long as they have to change magazines after shooting 10 kids, instead of 30. That is an unacceptable solution. The solution needs to involve preventing the evil people from killing even one child, whether with a bullet or a baseball bat.
Is the solution police or armed guards in schools? I honestly don’t know. But I feel it is at least worth discussing. And an honest discussion without name calling, buzz word flinging, flying off the handle extreme points of view from either side.
The gun guys are ultimately worried about confiscation which is the move the left would make despite the fact that it won’t work and they’ll get shot in the process.
As for long guns, you don’t necessarily need them for personal protection but you would need a long gun with range and velocity if the GOVERNMENT came to collect property of any sort. They worry about the Man.
Please note: the second amendment uses the work “infringed”. Meaning, this God given right existed BEFORE the constitution and is not a function of it other than to emphasize the RIGHT.
Sober up, Americans, the tyranny you perceive is in your early morning ranting minds. Please keep in mind that no one has access to your guns or mine, not if you are responsible about them: not the cops, not G-Men from Washington, DC and especially not some sociopathic loner with a death wish. There is no true courage in Crazy Town, just crap-covered cowards with guns aimed at unarmed innocents. Regulate the Militia, America.
wacho,
you’re right that no sociopath loner has access to my guns. But what if the sociopath turns out to be your own child, like the case in Connecticut. Many parents may refuse to believe the truth about their child. They may admit that their child is “a little off” but convince themselves that the child would not be capable of something as horrific as a mass shooting. The human heart is a double edged sword. The same heart that makes us want to control guns or find a solution to these killings is the heart that won’t let us see the truth about our children, siblings, other family members, or friends that we love dearly. It’s a struggle that has been with us as human beings for centuries and will likely plague us until we no longer exist.