Here We Are Again...

So here we are again; hearts torn apart by the tragedy of lives struck down so young; by the grief of parent’s whose future story is forever altered and by the sheer senselessness of it all. And this reaction is a human reaction that is not bound by political affiliation, ethnic roots or religious practice. On some level we recognize the truth in the words, “No man is an island, entire of itself…each man’s death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”

However, as we are all so well aware , the immediate fallout becomes a political volleyball with both sides defining their opponents and claiming moral superiority. The usual volley comes first from the left, “We must do SOMETHING” followed by the right, “but the 2nd Amendment.” We read the options that include banning certain weapons, fixing ‘loopholes’, expanding background checks, reducing magazine size, as if any of these would have changed the outcome. In most cases the guns are purchased legally and with background checks or they are stolen. In a few cases the laws in place were inadequate due to human error, failure to communicate or failure to act. Yet, I fail to see how the proposed, “do something laws” would have much of an impact. Sure, you can get rid of AR-15 style rifles because they are the most common weapon in mass shootings, but then the number two gun on the list will become the most common, etc., etc. Perhaps doing so would lower the body count, but are we really OK with 5 dead and 10 injured; when it comes to our children.

In the aftermath of these tragedies, both sides will begin to let loose the rhetoric, accuse the other side of politicizing the tragedy and claim moral superiority for their devotion to the children above their opponent, or their devotion to the constitution above their opponent. Both sides will talk about solving the problem, but they never define their goal. That is problematic, because the goal defines the solutions.

I’m 50 (ouch it hurts to type that) and while my experience is anecdotal, I do not remember one time in my years in school, including college that the threat of an active shooter was ever considered a viable threat. We never had active shooter drills, at least none I remember. Now during those years the 2nd Amendment was in full force, the NRA existed and people bought and sold guns freely and without background checks. In fact from my birth through my graduation from high school, three significant gun laws were passed (based on NPR report). 1968, Congress passed the Gun Control Act, which controlled interstate traffic of guns. In 1976, DC City Council bars residents from owning a handgun. And in 1986, Congress passed the Firearm Owners Protection Act, which prohibits felons from owning or possessing guns or ammunition. The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act is also passed. It prohibits the manufacturing, importing and selling of ammunition that can penetrate a bulletproof vest. Those were the significant gun laws during that time. During those 18 years, fully automatic guns were available, although rare, long guns, semi-auto handguns, and semi-automatic rifles.

While my experience is not the sum total of reality, I have read similar recollections from many people. During those same years 1968-1986; there were approx. 30 mass shootings and two of those involved schools (colleges). The guns were available and less regulated and yet only two school shootings.

In the last 18 years, there have been 84 mass shootings and 10 in schools and at least half of those in Elementary or Secondary Schools. (Washington Post – Mass Shooting Statistics). Almost three times as many mass shootings, five times as many schools, and yet, guns are more regulated then they have ever been. It begs the question, what is different. We are still human beings, still marked by sinful desires and yet, when pushed, prodded or angered, much more prone to excessive violence.

That is the very difficult question and yet, our response is to apply a band aid to the severed limb of violence in our society and feel better about ourselves. It is lazy and ultimately self-defeating to blame to gun for the actions of the one who wields it. In most cases, a car doesn’t hit some one unless a person is driving it, drugs don’t destroy lives unless a person takes them, and guns don’t steal our young people’s future unless a person fires it. However, it is equally lazy to ignore the reality that advances in our firearm technology and ability to take lives may be advancing passed our ability to protect life, even the most vulnerable. What has changed in the last thirty years. The guns still kill. We have changed as a society. We, as a society, as a culture have become more prone to lash out in violence. We have become less respectful of others. We have little value for other people and for life in general. We have become cavalier to the idea of 'imago dei', even resisting the notion altogether. He have lost our heart and our soul. How did we arrive here is another question for another time. So, back to the question of what next. Do we continue to play "ring around the roses" in discussing guns in this country, or do both sides get thoroughly honest, and bring the big question to the people.

Ultimately, the issue comes down to the 2nd Amendment. It is the law of the land, our Constitutionally protected right, to keep and bear arms. We need to stop dancing around the obvious conversation, should the 2nd Amendment be repealed. I know that many liberals want to proclaim that they aren’t after the guns, just common sense gun laws, however, if the goal is to reduce mass shootings to nearly zero, repeal is ultimately necessary. If the goal is to just reduce the casualty count, then magazine size and fire rate become viable elements in the conversation. However, I have never heard anyone say, we need common sense gun laws to reduce the casualty counts that occur at mass shootings.

Therefore let the nation have the actual debate necessary. Do we as a nation want to keep our right to bear arms, recognizing that the continued moral decline will likely lead to more mass shootings; or, in order to prevent most mass shootings from ever happening again, are we willing to lay aside this Constitutional liberty giving up that right and the principles on which it is based? Do we as a Nation maintain the moral fortitude, respect of human dignity and sacredness of human life to be able to live under such freedoms as provided in the Constitution, or have we jettisoned the necessary character to share in the privilege of such high ideals?

Let us leave our moral superiority and inflammatory rhetoric aside, stop calling each other names and questioning how important young lives are to our opponents. Instead, let us decide, if innocent lives, security and safety are worth the loss of liberty and a measure of self-determination.

And BTW, prayers can and do make a difference in lives of the petitioner and in the lives of those for whom they are praying