Don’t worry . . . this is not my usual rant about the problem of guns. If there is an argument on either side that hasn’t been made countless times, I would be surprised. The obvious impetus for this column is but the latest horror in Charleston. I want to approach the issue from a different perspective.
Why is it that the United States alone has more guns than it has people? The answer is obvious, although I have not seen it stated very often. England and Europe have a history thousands of years old. They developed from primitive people who adapted to their environment in stepwise fashion from forested hunters/gatherers to their current status.
In our country there is a vastly different history. The first arrivals in the 17th century had to reinvent themselves. Anyone who did not own a firearm and was proficient in its use had little chance of survival. Game was abundant, but the settlers weren’t very good with spears and arrows. Then there was the inconvenience of the Indians, as they were erroneously called. Protection from their understandable anger of our invasion was essential. So from the outset, guns have been part of our household belongings.
When the need to hunt for our food became less of an issue, when the Native Americans had been defeated and scattered, the role of the gun changed. They were used in organized warfare, the worst of which was our Civil War.
Shoulder fired weapons began to be replaced by handguns who purpose was not to hunt game but to shoot other people. As the Wild West earned its name, individual ownership of firearms assumed another important role: protection of property and family from those who would steal either or both.
From the very beginning the ownership of guns has been a protected right by the 2nd amendment, never mind that it was tied to the militia for purposes of civil defense; everyone brought their own weapons in those days. Such is not the case today and hasn’t been since the mid-19th century.
But let’s not beat that dead horse. Here are the major points. There are too many guns and there is nothing we can do about it. Controlling guns will allow the criminals to have the upper hand. There are seriously disturbed people out there, often unrecognized even by their families (let alone the authorities), who will go on a killing rampage. Violence, especially involving handguns, is an accepted part of American life, but the inertia to approach the problem seems insurmountable.
It has taken us four hundred years to reach this point and it may take that long to solve it but here’s a suggestion. A day should be set aside each year to honor the hundreds of thousands who have died of gun violence. On that day, law authorities would receive any handgun that was turned in . . . no questions asked. They would be melted down and each year added to an appropriate memorial in Washington.
To that, regulation of handgun sales would have to be limited to law enforcement officers. For the rare handgun enthusiast who likes target practice, licensed facilities could be established. In only several centuries we could arrive at a place when England finds itself today: In 2011-12 there were 553 murders in the UK, 39 of which involved a firearm. Contrast that with 8855 firearm murders in America during the same time frame.
Talk about a national disgrace! How about a presidential candidate that has the guts to take on that issue! Lindsey Graham, here’s your chance to make South Carolina proud. The problem is terribly complex but that doesn’t mean we can continue to ignore it. It doesn’t mean that the 2nd amendment wasn’t a very good idea in 1789 but times have changed and we need to change with them else we will continue on the road to completely losing our moral compass.
This did turn into a rant . . . but it’s still important.
Hayden Hollingsworth
