It's been two years since the tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that had left six people dead and many others wounded. Among those injured was former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who has since then made a steady recovery after having been shot in the head.
ABC News reports that Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly spoke at today's Senate hearing regarding gun violence. Although it was difficult for her to speak due to the long-term effects of her brain injury, she made an amazing effort to express her opinion clearly and powerfully. "Too many children are dying " stated Giffords. "The time is now... [and Congress] must act".
Following Giffords was her husband Mark Kelly, who further expressed his and Giffords' opinions. He emphasized that the implementation of background checks for all persons prior to purchasing a firearm would ensure that a gun does not get into the hands of somebody who is mentally unstable. "Closing the gun show loophole and requiring private sellers to require a background check for they transfer a gun…I can't think of something that would make our country safer than doing just that," said Kelly. (abc news)
However Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, doubts the effectiveness of background checks, stating that "background checks will never be 'universal' – because criminals will never submit to them." He also continued to support the NRA's proposal to station armed guards at every American school to ensure safety.
What do you think about the proposals to control gun violence? Do you agree with either Kelly's or LaPierre's ideas? What do you suggest as a solution to control gun violence?
4 comments:
I think Giffords and her husband take a valuable stand. They point out reasonable, real-world solutions that might mitigate this country's gun problem without resorting to extreme rhetoric. As for LaPierre, yes, criminals will not take kindly to background checks, but saying we shouldn't implement them at all because they won't be 100% effective is impractical, and refusing any and all forms of regulation is going to be damaging to the NRA's reputation in the long run.
I agree with Rachel that LaPierre's reasoning for not having background checks is unreasonable. Just because background checks may not be universal, that does not mean they will have no effect in reducing gun violence. But then again, I also believe that gun regulations will do very little for stopping gun violence among the gangs in poor urban areas where gun homicides commonly occur. High-profile shootings make national headlines and receive all the attention while a street murder in a poor urban area might make it into the local newspaper. Unfortunately, I realize that it is probably unlikely that politicians will start worrying about the safety of "street thugs" that aren't part of their target constituency any time soon, but it is still a problem nevertheless.
Aaron makes a really good point--this shooting has received a lot of press because of its dramatic nature, but the more "common" shootings (however odd that may sound) that occur amid gang violence are most likely the bigger problem in regards to the gun control issue. I feel like the only fully effective solution would be to tackle the issue on a deeper level--the educational systems of the poorer, inner city areas need to be improved, and more aid needs to be given to those communities, as well as to those suffering from a mental illness. (Addressing the stigma surrounding mental illness could also help). Putting more restrictions on guns will help to some degree, but it is not a compelling long term solution.
As everyone has already mentioned, I agree that turning down background checks would be a huge mistake on behalf of gun retailers. However, I guess the real issue is whether there are really ways to distinguish between responsible owners and mentally unstable/dangerous people. Until there is maybe some sort of test or health survey implemented, I'm not sure how retailers can really help the situation.
Additionally, as long as the Second Amendment protects Americans' rights to bear arms, I'm not sure that our country will ever come up with a good solution for gun violence/gun control. In other words, as long as there are guns, there will be accidents and violence.
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