Opinion January
23, 2013
New Hampshire Union Leader
PO Box 9555
Manchester, NH 03108
opinion@unionleader.com
It is time for us to face straight
into the issue of being a nation of citizens possessing nearly 300 million
guns. There are 11,000 to 12,000 gunshot deaths in the United States each
year. There have been more people killed
by guns in the United States than the total killed in all of the wars fought
since our Country was founded. There are
more gun dealers in the United States than MacDonald’s. These statistics suggest an urgency to
explore ways to reduce deaths, the effect of gun dependency on our society, and
the need for gun ownership.
Some suggest that, with the number of
guns in our society, we must accept that eliminating guns is impossible. Therefore, to reduce gun deaths, some call
for tinkering with modes of registration, restricting some gun models, and controlling
the capacity of ammunition clips. But
there is little agreement about the effect of such law changes on gun
deaths.
Therefore, NRA’s Mr. LaPierre
promotes arming good people to out gun bad people. However, this answer teaches our children
that guns are the way to solve relationships with anyone we fear: “the bad
people.” No wonder our young people
sometimes turn to guns to solve their problems. Boys learn that real men know
how to use the power of guns. Girls
learn that a gun can overcome their inherent weakness.
President Obama said in his inaugural
speech that we are all entitled to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Does imposing a climate of fear advance life liberty and pursuit of
happiness? The presence of large
numbers of guns in our society seems counter intuitive to these rights. More
guns or increased gun control do not ameliorate peoples’ fear of those who are
not like us: terrorists, mentally ill
people, street gangs and drug cartels and even the stranger.
It is time to recognize the disadvantages of a
gun culture. Guns do not demonstrate
strength. They hide weakness. The possession of a gun distorts our perception
of who we are. It gives a person a false
sense of strength and an inaccurate sense of security. Possessing
a gun puts a person in the position to decide when to take a life. Does any
individual have the independent right and the wisdom to make that decision in a
democratic society? And a gun in our
home or in our pocket masks any need to learn wisdom, negotiation skills, ways
of communicating trust, and becoming acquainted with people different than ourselves.
It would seem time to confront the
culture of gun violence and its worship of the second amendment to the
Constitution. President Obama reminds us
that “we cannot mistake absolutism for principle.” We need to explore the “principle” of the
second amendment. Today we do not live
in frontier world of muskets and swords. (No amount of home firepower can protect us
from a rogue government army in possession of rockets, tanks, drones,
overwhelming air power and internet capability). We live in a democracy where the vote
replaces the gun.
Of course, it is important to do what
we are able to control the availability of guns to those who would do
harm. The current proposals to register
guns or gun owners, restrict assault type guns and the size of magazines are
important interim measures to support. However,
at the same time it is essential that we refuse to be satisfied with solutions that
continue to accept a gun culture.
We need to explore realistic
possibilities of a gun-free society.
Consider:
+Protect
our homes with a network of good neighbor communications.
+Participate
in our democratic society: be informed, advocate for change, communicate with
elected leaders, vote.
+Target
shooters rent guns at a firing range.
+Reevaluate
the culture of hunting for sport.
+Allow basic rifles for
hunting food and for predatory animal control in rural settings.
+Revisit the principles
of the second amendment.
+Educate our children in
a community of care, cooperation and support.
Do not fear the shouts,
threats and accusations from gun advocates that will use the power of fear to
drown out these possibilities. Fear is needed as a motivator for gun
possession. Do not be afraid, Mr. President, Governors, Councils and
Legislators. Do not be afraid, citizens.
The path to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness is not paved with fear.
It is constructed with the tools of education, compassion, empathy and
understanding to empower each other to be good citizens and good neighbors.
The Rev. John D. Buttrick
