Four years ago today 20 young children and six of their teachers were senselessly slaughtered by a crazed gunman. Twenty lives too young to be anything but innocent, and the adults who nurtured, and sadly, died protecting them that day.
Guns are a complex issue in America. Our political and cultural history with firearms makes it much more difficult than it ought to be to address and prevent such tragedies. But we can, and we are obliged to do more. For ourselves, for our society, for our children.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
2012 - A gunman in Newton, CT kills 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School before turning the gun on himself. At the time, this was the second most deadly mass shooting in American history (it is now third). The shooter was deemed to be mentally unstable, which leads one to question why we live in a country that polices almost everything more than we police lethal weapons that are designed for one purpose and one purpose only - to kill.
The Racial History of Guns
Like much of American history, the story of guns is tainted by the nation's racial legacy. Guns were a much, much more necessary aspect of daily life when America was founded than they are today, but there was also a racial component. Guns for whites helped keep blacks - whether slave or free - in line (from MTV). In many places, guns were crucial tools for preventing African-Americans a legitimate place in society.
Today, the role of guns in maintaining a racial and economic looks different, but firearms still play a vital role, not in preventing oppression, but sustaining it (from the Washington Post).
What Does Science Say
The scientific consensus on guns is very clear: they're dangerous (from the LA Times). Quantifying it is helpful, but the intuition is obvious, where there are more lethal weapons there are more deaths. Critics of gun regulations are often quick to point out that almost anything can be a lethal weapon, and of course they are correct, but guns are weapons that can be used for sport in the same way cars are vehicles that can be used to sleep in. That anything can be a lethal weapon misses the point; guns ARE lethal weapons, and they are the hand weapons with the highest degree of lethality.
Of course America does not need to be gun free to be safer. We need to be gun smarter to be safer. There are sensible regulations, supported by the vast majority of Americans, to regulate gun sales so that people like the Sandy Hook murderer are less likely to acquire them.
The Political Cost
Sadly and strangely, regulating guns seems politically impossible despite broad support. There are real political consequences (from Politico). More than anything I find this baffling since most Americans - including most gun owners - support such legislation, and since of course gun advocates are correct when they point out that - despite the number of gun deaths- only a tiny fraction of gun owners use their weapons to cause harm. It should be very easy for us to protect the right to bear arms while ensuring the wrong people aren't allowed to do so It may not be a perfect solution, but it would be a huge step, and the only reason it isn't happening is...us?
Sup, Pup
Well hello there, fella. Why so shy? Toby here is actually quite the adventurer, not just keen on the spotlight. He'd much prefer to be hiking around in Chicago where he lives with his humans Linda and Jack, than to be on camera. Like any adventurous pup, Toby is willing to go anywhere, sniff anything in his thirst for knowledge. And of course he needs a lot of food to maintain such a breakneck pace of exploration. More food, right, mom? Big thanks to Linda and Jack for sharing Toby!
Will's Weekly Trivia
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IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
Last Week:
1. Which Japanese Admiral planned the attack on Pearl Harbor? TWO POINTS
2. Which year did Russia invade Georgia? ONE POINT
Answers:
1. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
2. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.
This Week:
1. Which Constitutional Amendment protects the right to bear arms? ONE POINT
2. Who is the current head of the NRA? ONE POINT
3. Which famous movie star was once a spokesman for the NRA? ONE POINT LEADER BOARD Check out the new Leader Board!
