It makes me mad that we have had another two murderous
rampages in the United States. It makes me even madder that we continue the
same old rhetoric after every one of them.
This is how the arguments go: “Enough is enough. We
have to do away with guns!” followed by “Guns don’t kill, people do; we can’t
stop the lone gunman!
Send more money to the NRA to protect your second
amendment rights.”
And the other two polar opposites are: “Another madman
went on a rampage; keep the guns out of their hands!” followed by, “Most
mentally ill people are victims rather than perpetrators; leave them alone.”
And in a couple of weeks, it all blows over. Nothing
gets done, and the lawmakers breathe a sigh of relief that they were once again
able to kick the can further down the road.
In my opinion, it is time posthumous to stop publishing
abroad those now hackneyed arguments because they stymie any useful action.
The reason for that is in the DNA of law makers. They
all want to be re-elected, and they all know that any issue that is nearly
evenly divided among the electorate will bring down many incumbents.
If there is an issue that 50% of voters oppose, then it
is considered to be political suicide for a legislator or president to vote for
it. Better never to let such an issue come to the point of actually be voted
upon.
So, here is another set of suggestions which may not be
so fraught with legislative pitfalls:
1. Presidents,
governors, and legislators pass laws and provide funding for metal detectors in
every entrance to every venue where crowds or groups gather, including—but not
limited to schools, rallies, sports events, transportation hubs, festivals,
large conferences, etc. The money for the detectors comes from taxes and
mandatory contributions by venue and event producers.
2. Every
school, public or private, has at least two well-armed law enforcement officers
patrolling the inside of the school whenever school or extracurricular events
are in progress. Similarly, government buildings have armed guards on patrol in
the buildings during the time when officials and the public are present.
3. Every
venue, including schools, has at least two armed guards patrolling the grounds
and perimeters whenever an event or school is in session. This includes
government buildings.
4. Sensible
prohibitions are enacted to deal with mentally ill persons, even if rights are
not entirely respected by every single advocate. The definitions of which
mentally ill persons should not have guns, usually temporarily, should be
determined by psychiatric professionals and law enforcement and not by
political activists or lobbyists.
5. The NRA
and other gun enthusiasts can be brought in as volunteers after being fully
vetted by law enforcement. It is possible that the powerful NRA would be
enthusiastic to participate.
6. Military
level weaponry and high amount ammunition magazines be only allowed on
thoroughly vetted gun ranges under supervision of well-trained gunnery experts
with the imposition of stringent rules for use. If private owners wish to keep
their weaponry in such institutions, they can register and use them there. No
one…no one in the United States of America needs a fifty round automatic or
semi-automatic rifle, Stinger missile, grenade launcher or anything like them
for self-protection.
7. Hunters,
gun enthusiasts, and self-defense devotees can have appropriate firearms for
their enjoyment and peace of mind otherwise, in keeping with the Second
Amendment.
The federal government can meet with gun enthusiasts to
work out legislation after a month or two of discussion. Then, it will be time
to act. Get laws that actually curtail the access by killers to places where
large numbers of people gather.
This is not political; it is not radical right or left;
it is not abusive of anyone’s rights. But the right of a parent to expect his
or her beloved child to return home each day after school, alive, uninjured,
and free of fear, should trump any other consideration of rights.
I am a neurosurgeon. In the course of a long career I
operated on somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 gunshot wounds to the head.
Most of them either died or were permanently maimed. It is time to do something
real and lasting to stop the carnage.
The American College of Surgeons agrees with my
concerns: “As we remain on the front lines treating seriously injured patients
who arrive in trauma centers across the U.S., the College remains steadfast in
its commitment to addressing this public health epidemic by applying a
consensus-based approach to solving this public health crisis. We have worked
to identify a constructive, nonpartisan approach to this challenge, which
includes partnering with professional organizations to develop injury
prevention initiatives that seek to address the root causes of violence and
make firearm ownership as safe as reasonably possible. (Read the article
published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.)”
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