America has a problem with gun violence. This is not even debatable. No other advanced nation on the planet suffers from mass shootings with anything approaching the scale and frequency we do in this country.
However, when we try to talk about this issue, too often debate gets shut down. The NRA has done an excellent job of advancing it's absolutist agenda with talking points. In the interest of stimulating this necessary discussion, here are some responses to these talking points.
1. An armed populace is essential as a check against tyranny.
Sure it is. Just look at the horrible tyranny of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or Japan.
Each of these nations has much stricter gun control laws than anything seriously proposed in the United States, each has far fewer gun-related homicides, and (amazingly!) none of them have lapsed into tyrannical totalitarian dystopias.
Even if gun ownership truly were the only thing standing between freedom and tyranny, common sense regulation of guns, including universal background checks, does not preclude an armed populace.
2. The Constitution protects the rights of Americans to own guns.
Yes it does. However, it doesn't say that any person has the inalienable right to own any type of gun under any condition. Public safety and common sense can and should be applied to our laws around access to deadly weapons.
3. Gun regulations only make it harder for "good guys" to get guns, because "bad guys" get their guns illegally.
Nearly all of the most recent perpetrators of mass shootings bought their guns LEGALLY. (citation: http://www.slate.com/...)
Do we really want to live in a society where disturbed people planning shooting sprees can walk into a the nearest gun shop and arm themselves to the teeth?
4. It's not a gun issue, it's a mental health issue.
It's true that many people who need mental health services aren't getting access. If you agree, I encourage you to support increased funding for mental health outreach.
However, even if an individual is diagnosed with a condition that should legally preclude him from getting a gun, it's essential that this information makes it to the gun dealer, which means improving our system of reporting for background checks.
5. Any attempt whatsoever to regulate guns means big government is going to storm our houses in the middle of the night and take our guns!
No, it doesn't.
6. More people die in auto accidents than from guns, so we should ban cars!
First of all, proponents of common sense gun safety laws are suggesting improving our system to make it more difficult for people with serious mental illness or histories of violence to obtain guns, not banning guns for law abiding citizens, so this argument doesn't really apply.
Second, we don't ban cars, but we do regulate who gets to drive and under what conditions. Sometimes people drive illegally. Does that mean we should stop licensing drivers or enforcing motor vehicle laws?
7. The majority of gun owners agree with the NRA's opposition to virtually all new gun legislation.
No, they don't. According to a Quinnipiac poll from July, 2014, 92 percent of gun owners and 86 percent of Republicans, support background checks prior to all gun sales. Other polls confirm strong public support for common sense gun safety legislation. In fact, the NRA itself supported universal background checks after the Columbine massacre, but has since flip-flopped.
Talking about guns in America can be very difficult, but it is a necessary step if we are to understand the problem and begin to finally address it. Have courage, the lives of our family, neighbors, and selves may depend on it!
Also, please consider supporting the work of groups such as The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (http://www.bradycampaign.org/) or Everytown for Gun Safety (http://everytown.org/).
