GUNS, America, and the 21st Century.

AuthorRICZO, STEVEN
PositionLaws evaluation

AS AMERICANS become sickened by one firearm tragedy after another, the momentum may be, building for a shift in the nation s approach to guns in the 21st century. While it is certainly true that the U.S. has had a tradition of gun ownership, much has changed since the days of the Wild West. This is the age of the Internet, instant global communications, medical marvels, genetic engineering, and other technological wonders that are transforming our lives. Citizens don't have to give up their fight to own firearms in order to make progress on this issue, but should approach it in a more intelligent manner than the bumper sticker mentality and oversimplistic slogans that have characterized this polarized debate. The real question we should be asking ourselves isn't whether or not the government should curtail the right to own firearms, but, as an American, do I really want to own one? Ownership rights can be balanced with reasonable limits in the quest for a sensible gun policy.

There are also interesting political ramifications in light of the razor-thin election of Pres. George W. Bush. During the presidential race, there were many critics of then-Gov. Bush who maintained that his policy positions are simply reflections of the special interests that contributed to his campaign, such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), defense contractors, the oil industry, etc. There were also frequent concerns raised that he may lack the intellectual wherewithal or was perhaps intellectually too lazy to analyze complex issues and then make a wise choice. The gun safety issue could be an interesting test of these assertions.

A widely viewed videotape showed an NRA official publicly boasting that, if Bush won the election, they would have their man in the White House. If the President is to demonstrate that he is a "compassionate conservative" he must carefully listen to all sides of an issue. There are groups other than the NRA that present opposing, yet compelling, arguments, such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, supported by 44 well-respected national scientific, civic, and religious organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest, United Federation of Teachers, and U.S. Conference of Mayors. If Bush's actions prove his critics fight, he could lose support of many Americans who backed him the first time around.

The official Republican campaign website, Bush/Cheney 2000 Inc., promised Americans that Bush's policy on gun safety would protect citizens' constitutional fights "while at the same time enacting reasonable, common-sense restrictions on the unsafe use of firearms." It is incumbent upon the President and the nearly evenly split Congress to heed the voices of the majority who would like to see progress on this issue.

Other developed nations are willing to accept a reasonable compromise between ownership fights and common-sense restrictions and tend to view gun policy as part of an overall public health plan. The typical reaction of other developed nations to our frequent firearm tragedies is "only in America." The U.S. has the highest per capita gun ownership among all developed nations. The firearm violence comparisons between the U.S. and other industrialized countries are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S., one of the richest nations on Earth, suffers "the highest firearm mortality rate." Americans murder each other with guns at a rate 19 times higher than any of the 25 richest nations surveyed by CDC. Since 1960, more than 1,000,000 Americans have died from firearm homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. Moreover, for every firearm death, there are six nonfatal injuries.

Americans own 200,000,000 guns, of which approximately 70,000,000 are handguns. One interesting feature of the high level of gun ownership is that it is not evenly distributed among its citizens. In the most extensive firearm survey ever conducted in the U.S., the National Institute of Justice found that 35% of households had guns present. Conversely, this also means that 65% of adults and heads of households have rejected gun ownership.

When asked why they chose not to own a gun, the most common reasons identified were that such weapons are dangerous, "immoral" or otherwise objectionable. Of those who own guns, 46% said they do so for prevention of crime, while the...

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