But the American columnist E.J. Dionne has found some that adequately describe the situation:
We have had enough. American politics is plagued by timidity and paralyzed by opportunism whenever we even consider talking action to curb gun violence. No other developed country in the world has these massacres on such a regular basis. In no comparable nation do citizens have such easy access to guns. On no public question other than gun violence are those who demand solutions after an ungodly episode accused of “politicizing tragedy.”
And, of course, there are those on the other side of the debate who also have found words. But one wonders if those words proceed from an addled brain:
Steve Dulan, a board member for the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners who is supporting a state bill that would allow concealed weapons in schools and other gun-free zones, said Friday that having armed teachers inside Sandy Hook Elementary School would have, "if not prevented, then perhaps minimized," the tragedy.
"We do know that armed citizens defend themselves all the time, in all kinds of different contexts," Dulan told HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski.
There comes a time when it's not difficult to understand who truly understands an issue and who is simply demented. If nothing else, what happened in Connecticut yesterday has separated the rational people from those who are off the wall.
4 comments:
I have been trying to find out how many incidence of an armed citizen stepping up and trying to defend the unarmed under attack. I suspect there have not been man, maybe none.
It must be a myth then that citizen should be able to carry guns for they could prevent gun crimes.
It's part of the myth of the frontier, Philip: a man needs a gun to defend his hearth and home from invaders.
And as far as hunting is concerned, you don't need an M16 to hunt deer.
Aside from the flawed logic of "more guns, less gun violence" that some put forward, a scenario of armed teachers that some call for is chilling.
I also think, in addition to myth of the number of citizen defenders, there is the ridiculous myth that armed citizens would be effective in a positive way if they did exist. Supposedly, all those in terrible, chaotic situations would be calm, in-control sharp shooters who would never make a situation worse!
Demented is exactly the right word.
------
Owen, have a good holiday with your family.
Some folks think they are still living on the frontier, Chris, where there wasn't a great deal of respect for teachers. The idea that they should be armed shows even less respect for them.
Let's hope the New Year brings peace and a little more sanity.
Happy holidays to you and your family.
Post a Comment