Law has no solution for gun control problems

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By Melissa Coulter | Friday, June 27, 2008 5:19 PM CDT | () comments

The Supreme Court Thursday struck down Washington, D.C.’s, handgun ban as unconstitutional. Gun rights activists immediately filed suit to challenge a similar ban in Chicago. And pundits and public citizens once again launched a debate on how prolific guns should be in our society.

Mike Olson wrote this thoughtful entry on his Quadsville blog, “Biking, books and the quest for the big picture”:

Gun control?

You’re not the problem

If you are concerned about having your rights infringed and you know the law, you are not the problem. If you purchased your guns legally and are a quiet, respectable member of the community, you are not the problem. If you legally hunt and do what you can to educate your kids or those who are curious about gun safety, you are not the problem. Do you want to own a very powerful handgun? Still not the problem. Do you wonder what it would be like to fire a fully automatic weapon? You are not the problem.

Here is the problem: Not everyone is you. Not everyone is responsible. Not everyone can control their temper. Not everyone is sane.

Here is the problem: Technology has allowed for a progressively more dangerous development of handgun technology. What it took a cannon to do in 1776 can be done by one man with a pistol today. The fact is, if the man has a spare clip, he can do a heck of a lot more damage.

Here is the problem: As a country we have grown progressively more callous in regards to death. We are all horrified by a child molester. But... but... yesterday six people in Kentucky were killed with a gun. One of them was the gunman. This elicited no particular response or outrage. Just another minor bump in the road.

Here is the problem: We have an annual carnage going on as we worship the gun. Meanwhile, we fail to glorify the scientist even to the level we do a cowpoke with a quick draw. Diplomats are boring. Thus, although we as a nation continue to fall behind other nations in regard to our understanding of science or our willingness to demonstrate equal value to all of our citizens, any American citizen is free to remain ignorant and dream he is Josey Wales, Rooster Cogburn or Gus McCrae.

I own several guns. It is all a matter of priority. If you couldn’t use your guns or they weren’t in your house, how would you feel? Would you feel as bad about that as you would if someone told you that you couldn’t read a book you wanted to?

Again, you are not the problem.

It is a matter of priorities and changing realities.

My question is how do we crack down on the problems? In the Quad-Cities, hardly a week has gone by this spring without an incident of some sort involving a gun. The perpetrators are mostly felons who cannot legally own guns. No Supreme Court decision can impact them.

But perhaps public opinion can. Our culture has such a casual attitude toward guns. Respect for life and the responsible use of firearms are taught behaviors. But when gun-glamorizing video games like “Grand Theft Auto IV” are acceptable forms of entertainment, how much room for reality checks are we giving ourselves?

So how can we witness thousands of simulated shootings a year in our living rooms without becoming apathetic toward the real shootings happening down the street?

Instead of changing our realities, we should be changing our priorities.

Melissa Coulter writes on the online community at quadsville.com. Contact her at (563) 383-2243 or at mcoulter@qctimes.com.