Last week I wrote an essay titled, "
Nobody is going to take your precious guns!" It was meant to be a takedown of the National Rifle Association talking point that President Obama and those of us on the left want to take guns away from law-abiding citizens.
I watched carefully as the comments rolled in, and read every single one. Some were thoughtful. Others, well—let's just say I am disappointed by both those on the right and the left on this issue. There was a lot of talk about taking guns by those on the gun control side, further stoking the fears of the those in the gun rights camp that the end goal is to take the guns away.
Meanwhile, those in the gun rights camp said "No" to any idea proposed by the gun control side, in some cases getting lost in the semantics of firearm terminology to sidetrack any real discussion. What I learned from reading the comments was that each side in the debate was talking past the other side, and everyone bounced off the walls to end up back in the same place they started.
In the previous essay I wrote that there were, as of 2007, an estimated 270 million privately owned guns in America. That number seemed low, so I did some additional research and found some newer numbers from 2012. Keep in mind this is only an estimate, and we will likely never know just how many privately owned firearms exist in this country. That being said, as of 2012 it is estimated that there are 347 million privately owned firearms in America today. That represents roughly one gun for every man, woman, and child in America.
We are, whether we like it or not, a well-armed populace. Which brings me to the point I tried making last Sunday: No one is going to come and take anyone's guns away from them. With the number of firearms in this country and the diverse population that owns them, it's simply not possible for the U.S. government to come around and take weapons away from citizens. The only way it could happen is if the Army started kicking down doors and taking them away. No matter how you feel about guns, I think you have to agree that you do not want to see the Army kicking doors down in this country.
We have a problem with gun violence in this country. The numbers don't lie. See them below.
Gun Deaths:
- More than 30,000 people are killed by firearms each year in this country
- More than 30 people are shot and murdered each day
- 1/2 of them are between the ages of 18 and 35
- 1/3 of them are under the age of 20
- Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds
- Is the primary cause of death among African Americans 15-24 years old
Gun Homicides (average annually):
- Less than 50: Japan
- Less than 150: Germany, Italy, France, etc.
- Less than 200: Canada
- More than 10,000: USA
We need to stop talking past each other. Saying you want to take all guns away from gun owners—or saying that criminals don't follow the the law so what is the point—are not solutions. Bumper sticker slogans are not going to solve the problem of gun violence in America.
I would like to use this diary as a starting point for a discussion on the issue of gun violence. I would ask that some commenting ground rules be followed. Any proposal has to be workable nationwide. For example, banning the sale of certain types of handguns in a large city will not work, because all you have to do is drive to a different municipality and purchase the banned handgun. No comments about taking guns away—it will not happen regardless of how passionate you are about it. It will only stoke the fears of gun owners, and play into the hands of the NRA. No comments that get lost in the semantics of gun terminology. If someone says clip instead of magazine: Let it go. It serves no purpose to quibble about language. The same thing can be said if you state that someone knows nothing about guns. Just don't say it. Again, it serves no purpose other than poking someone with a sharp stick, and I don't know of too many folks that like being poked with a sharp stick.
I will limit my participation in comments to asking for clarification on a point. I will be reading comments and taking notes on them. I want to hear from both sides on this. What are your suggestions to cut down on gun violence? I will then take what is in comments, sent to me via Kosmail, or sent to me in a Tweet, if they are reasonable, and put them in a part two diary next week.
The only way this works is if everyone is civil and brings real ideas to the table. If all you have to add is, "Take away all guns," or, "Arm everyone," then you are not a part of the solution. I cannot stop you from commenting; however, those suggestions are not realistic and will not make it into next week's diary. Also, this is not a debate on the meaning of the Second Amendment. The question is simply:
"What can we do as a society to reduce the incidents of gun violence?"
There are some very smart people here on both sides of the gun debate. Instead of talking past each other, let's actually listen to each other and hear what the other side says. Maybe together, we can actually come up with a solution.