On December 15, 1791, the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill of Rights, were ratified. Among them, The 2nd:
“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.”
Seems pretty straightforward, right? The paranoid legislators of our fledgling nation believed, in principle, that individuals should have the “right” to defend themselves against threats to their freedom, fundamentally by insurgent, foreign forces or a potentially run-amok Federal government. There was no intent, specific or implied, that any citizen would or should amass an arsenal of military-style ordnance with Constitutional protection for its indiscriminate use. Not inconsequentially, it’s important to note, fire arms in the sphere of those amendment writers’ experience were cumbersome, front-loading, single-shot devices. But, the power and ease and sexiness of killing machines for hunting and settling disputes gave purchase to the innovation of the six-shooter and the Winchester rifle, (how wild do you think the West would have been without them?), the Gatling gun and the ensuing plethora of more and more lethal, quick burst weaponry and, no matter what bullshit reason gun enthusiasts may give for needing them, their primary purpose is to kill. Most civilized countries have recognized the glaringly obvious danger and legislated a clear distinction between arming the military and law enforcement and giving citizens ease of access. But not we shoot-‘em-up Americans. No! Many, many, many of us are convinced that all freedom ends if anyone actually pries our guns out of our cold dead, (that would be brain dead, I’m guessing), hands. The too frequent horror of some nut job taking his, (or the seldom…very seldom, her), legally or otherwise obtained, high capacity automatic weapon and unleashing a lethal reign of terror defies common sense. That these incidents spawn unresolved, heated debates is testament to how the irrational and erroneous fear of losing one’s freedom has become incontrovertibly linked to gun ownership. The heartbreaking images of families and communities torn apart by tragedy is woefully not enough. 33,000 yearly deaths due to gun violence in the US, (equal to the total loss of American life in the Korean War)…apparently, not enough. The sad reality is that gun advocates, epitomized by the conscience-free leadership of the NRA, are more organized and well-funded than the opposition and masterfully control the scary, rallying message that any gun restriction is a pathway toward a total loss of freedom. They shamelessly shape the rhetoric and influence legislative actions and inactions with well-crafted advertising propaganda and targeted campaign finance. Advocates relentlessly point to mental illness, and yes, the aberration that nudges any individual to plot and pursue violence needs more proactive attention. But, in a world with countless approaches to addressing the issues of unstable individuals, only we arm them.
The divide on guns, pro and con, is unbridgeable, and the twenty-six words of The 2nd, even after nearly two hundred-twenty-seven years of debate, are killing our children.