Even the BBC is talking about gun policy in the US, as I heard on the radio this morning (WBUR carries their program).
So, here's my take on what will happen and how to move things along.
First, as I've said before, laws don't usually change culture, they work best when they reflect it what most people want. As I see it, school shootings have pushed more and more of the public toward the idea of better gun policy. So, perhaps now is the time to make some changes.
1. Instead of "Gun Control," rename the effort "Gun Policy Reform." Practice saying that, please. After all, we're really trying to control the people who want to use a gun on innocent people, not the guns themselves. I think the term is more honest and will help show more people that it's ok to make some changes in the law. The US has 325 million people right now, and almost that many guns. That would make one gun for every person alive today, including children. Actually, about 1/3 of households own guns, so 2/3 households are gun free, so those households that have a gun often have more than one. Even if no new guns were manufactured and sold, almost anyone can still obtain a gun via a private sale. No background check, no registration, nothing.
2. Focus on the state and local level. I've said this time and again and it's still true, in my opinion. In 2004, same sex marriage was illegal everywhere in the US. For the next 11 years, states made it legal, one by one, while the federal government wouldn't budge. Finally, almost all the states had changed the policy before it became the law of the land. We're doing the same thing right now with drugs and immigration policy. It's all happening at the local level. Go ahead and write to your representative in Washington if you like, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a largely symbolic effort.
3. Find a way to diffuse the scare tactics of the gun industry. Look what happens if there is a threat of legislation in Washington regarding so-called "gun control" - gun owners rush out and buy more guns! That's because the propaganda from the gun industry is that we're going to ban certain kinds of weapons and people want to get one before it becomes illegal. This web site shows how successful the industry has been in selling new guns to people. Just scroll down until you see the graph. Gun sales have skyrocketed in the last 10 years.
We must get across the point that we're not trying to take a gun away from anybody, unless that person poses a direct threat to harm innocent people. If we keep trying to get a nationwide ban on certain kinds of guns, it plays directly into the hands of the gun industry, so let's not do that. That's the paranoia that the gun industry depends on. They put out the word that Uncle Sam is going to swoop down and take your guns away, so fight back and don't let him do it. Come on, people, this kind of scam is so obvious! Circumvent it by working at the local level. It's not a federal conspiracy, it's real people trying to protect real lives by making sure that anyone who owns a gun knows how to use it and is not dangerous.
It's a symbolic gesture anyway. If somebody wants an AR-15, they'll find a way to get one. Again, it's the people we're trying to find and disarm, not the kind of weapons. A person with an automatic pistol can shoot up a school almost as badly as someone with an automatic rifle. They can fire just as fast.
4. Instead, require training and a certificate to own a gun. Just as we do with driving a car. Then, during the required training sessions, we are much more likely to identify who is dangerous and take action.
So, here's my take on what will happen and how to move things along.
First, as I've said before, laws don't usually change culture, they work best when they reflect it what most people want. As I see it, school shootings have pushed more and more of the public toward the idea of better gun policy. So, perhaps now is the time to make some changes.
1. Instead of "Gun Control," rename the effort "Gun Policy Reform." Practice saying that, please. After all, we're really trying to control the people who want to use a gun on innocent people, not the guns themselves. I think the term is more honest and will help show more people that it's ok to make some changes in the law. The US has 325 million people right now, and almost that many guns. That would make one gun for every person alive today, including children. Actually, about 1/3 of households own guns, so 2/3 households are gun free, so those households that have a gun often have more than one. Even if no new guns were manufactured and sold, almost anyone can still obtain a gun via a private sale. No background check, no registration, nothing.
2. Focus on the state and local level. I've said this time and again and it's still true, in my opinion. In 2004, same sex marriage was illegal everywhere in the US. For the next 11 years, states made it legal, one by one, while the federal government wouldn't budge. Finally, almost all the states had changed the policy before it became the law of the land. We're doing the same thing right now with drugs and immigration policy. It's all happening at the local level. Go ahead and write to your representative in Washington if you like, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a largely symbolic effort.
3. Find a way to diffuse the scare tactics of the gun industry. Look what happens if there is a threat of legislation in Washington regarding so-called "gun control" - gun owners rush out and buy more guns! That's because the propaganda from the gun industry is that we're going to ban certain kinds of weapons and people want to get one before it becomes illegal. This web site shows how successful the industry has been in selling new guns to people. Just scroll down until you see the graph. Gun sales have skyrocketed in the last 10 years.
We must get across the point that we're not trying to take a gun away from anybody, unless that person poses a direct threat to harm innocent people. If we keep trying to get a nationwide ban on certain kinds of guns, it plays directly into the hands of the gun industry, so let's not do that. That's the paranoia that the gun industry depends on. They put out the word that Uncle Sam is going to swoop down and take your guns away, so fight back and don't let him do it. Come on, people, this kind of scam is so obvious! Circumvent it by working at the local level. It's not a federal conspiracy, it's real people trying to protect real lives by making sure that anyone who owns a gun knows how to use it and is not dangerous.
It's a symbolic gesture anyway. If somebody wants an AR-15, they'll find a way to get one. Again, it's the people we're trying to find and disarm, not the kind of weapons. A person with an automatic pistol can shoot up a school almost as badly as someone with an automatic rifle. They can fire just as fast.
4. Instead, require training and a certificate to own a gun. Just as we do with driving a car. Then, during the required training sessions, we are much more likely to identify who is dangerous and take action.
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