GUNS—SO WHAT DO I PROPOSE?

Guns have come to be as closely associated with American culture as wine has been with French culture.  There.  I said it.

And French wine isn't going anywhere.  Neither are American guns.  Both, in my opinion, are here to stay.

Never mind that most Americans don't own guns now, and that the French consumption of wine is falling precipitously.  Old French Bordeaux and American Westerns—we love their burgundies, they love our Clint Eastwood—have shaped the national story of each country.  But statistics don't really matter at this point. 

I entered the conversation about gun-control in January, 2013, when some of our state legislators in Arkansas tried to put guns on our campuses.  I teach on one of those campuses, so I had opinions, and I did the best I could to articulate them to anyone who would listen on whatever platforms I felt comfortable doing it—from Twitter and Facebook and this blog to public forums with our politicians. I showed up, and I said what I thought needed to be said. I learned a lot, in fact, from people who held opposing opinions, and those opinions have played a role in shaping my own.

Along the way, I realized that I didn't have stances on several key issues, so I developed them, and wrote them up.  Here, for example, you'll see how I read the Constitution.  If you'd like to know more about my own experience with guns, you'll find that chronicled here.  How to best understand the Dalai Lama's notion of self-defense?  That's here.  Why I'm against concealed carry on college campuses?  Here.  How do I define the term "rights," as in The Bill of Rights? More here.  My take on open-carry is here, and my current feelings about debating these issues on the major social media platforms, particularly Twitter, you'll find here and here.  There's more, of course, but that's a kind of family tree of my evolving opinions on these issues.

But it also occurred to me that I hadn't set down, specifically, what gun-control measures I would like to see enacted. Like now.  At the very least, those who take issue with me before knowing my stance on gun-control ought to know my stance on gun-control before they take issue with me.  If you see what I mean.  It's a time-saver.  As always, with such lists, I am not addressing legislative feasibility, practicality, or the how-to's of accomplishing this list. Because that's another list.  Four things for now:

1. Institute universal background checks on all gun and ammunition sales, with a more thorough screening that involves the inclusion of mental health data.
2. Allow the Consumer Protection Safety Commission to regulate firearms for consumer health and safety.
3. Prohibit open-carry.
4. Standardize the licensing program for a concealed-carry permit and make it a rigorous and rigorously tested training program.

That's it for now.  I'm currently learning more about the renewal of concealed-carry permits, assault weapons in general, clip capacity, the sales of large quantities of ammunition, and improper storage of weapons in the home, particularly where children are present.  About those issues, I don't yet know what I think, but I also consider them to be important issues. 

But I acknowledge the right to own legal weapons, and I recognize the right to self-defense within the home.  I would encourage extensive training in firearm usage, and regular practice, for those who own firearms, and if there are children in the home, I would hope that they receive the same training, and that those firearms are properly stored.  

Other philosophical issues regarding an armed society interest me even more, but this is not the time nor the place to get into them.  

Agree with me or not, I have, at the very least, been honest about my current position on these issues.  I realize that there are inconsistencies and difficulties in these points, but that doesn't invalidate them as working proposals.  When I am shown such a proposal without inconsistency or difficulty, from any discussion on guns, I will know only that I have fallen asleep and am dreaming.

But for now, it's time that we all make a concerted effort to wake up and work out our opinions on the gun issue in America.  After all, twenty children will be hospitalized today because of gun injuries.

 

 

 

Comments

[AshtonNichols]

SB: You said it, and I thank you, as I am sure many others do. As another person who grew up with a gun in the house, or at least in the summer cabin, and then owned a gun--that nylon .22 we both owned--I can only say that this posting of yours cuts through a great deal of bull and gets to the heart of the matter. This nation will not get rid of its guns, but it can get rid of a legal structure that allows far too many guns and allows far too many people to possess guns in sometimes staggering quantities. Having lost one family member to a self-inflicted gun injury, I have always felt slightly more qualified that some others to comment on this issue. The only thing I might add to your comments--as you surely have stated elsewhere--is that the sooner we make such changes, the better. People are dying and being maimed every day because of the lax gun culture of the USA. I encourage you to continue your own battle in this regard, and I hope that at least one person--or thousands--will read what you have said and take heed. Guns don't kill people; people kill people, but they use guns to do so, and they use those guns far too often. AN

[Sidney Burris]

Dear Ash—Thanks for your comment. You'll never know how much your support means.  I've met a lot of wonderful people in this struggle against gun violence, and all of them, as strong and committed as they are, have their down times.  Times when it seems all we've done—and I've done very little compared to what others have done for a much longer period of time—just hasn't worked.  So your thoughts count.  And anyone who has experience with gun violence speaks with a special authority, as you do.

In fact, I've thought of you and your father often as I wrote, and mine, who had no access to a gun, so chose pills.  The pills didn't work the first time, even though he'd worked with his doctor to get the right amount, I later discovered, but because he had no gun, I was allowed a final conversation with him.

I suppose that's what we wish for everyone—a final conversation with their loved ones.

But thanks again.  It means a lot.

SB