RIP the victims of Dunblane, Sandy Hook, Columbine, and everywhere around the world where such tragedies have taken place.
One of the topics which highlights the reason for my political views the most is that of “gun control”.
Time and time again we hear of “mass shootings” in the USA and time and time again the media bring up the so-called “gun control debate”.
I say so-called because while I am in total agreement that there should be a debate, there are those who wish to hijack the nature of it.
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is one of the many mantras of the NRA. Sounds very convincing, doesn’t it. They have worked very hard and spent lots of cash lobbying the US government to ensure that their industry is not restricted too much by regulations.
But that is my point.
Of course a large proportion of gun crime in the US and indeed everywhere is carried out by illegal weapons. And of course a line needs to be drawn over gun ownership in that there are those who are perfectly capable of owning them legally and responsibly.
That is exactly the reason why we should be having a debate. Because government and legislation is something we can control…those who are out to defy such authority and break such laws pose a much bigger and separate problem, but that is in turn a separate debate.
When our own schools become unsafe, we have to turn to those we elect to represent us to do absolutely everything they can to protect them and make sure these tragedies don’t happen again.
Yet still the NRA continues its work on a completely different tack, motivated purely by profits.
I have said it before and I will say it many more times on this blog…I have no problem with companies making money, but there exist much more important issues out there and protecting our children is definitely one of them, so if the resulting laws mean fewer guns being sold, then so be it.
I do not pretend to have the answer on gun control. But when the topic is being debated, am I wrong to think all traces of industry-protection need to be left outside the room? JLP
First Person Plural 