Gun Control and Other Great American Myths
How do we stop the violence ..how do we stop the shootings? The answer is, we don’t ..and we can’t. It would be like stopping Hurricane Irma. You know it’s coming, you brace for it and let it wash over you, and hope you survive. Then, when you most expect it, you act thunderstruck when it inevitably comes again. That’s almost the definition of insanity. Violence and mass shootings in America have become a force majeure ..a force of nature, our nature.
It is our American insanity.
At a total loss for what to do, we keep reverting to that old standard narrative, the obvious and safe conclusion, that we need better gun control laws. “We must take the guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.” Good luck with that. Hasn’t worked yet. Never will.
Once again, this immediate and critically important life and death issue, for this news cycle anyway, until another shiny object attracts our attention, or another deadly mass shooting takes more innocent lives, is thrown into the congressional cage like red meat to our otherwise vegan democratic and republican lawmakers to sniff at and repel in favor of something more manageable to their capability and appealing to their appetite. They have no idea how to fix this, but they will pretend to try to decide our fate, while we wait and while we are at the mercy of the lunatics, terrorists and sick individuals who have us in the crosshairs of their military grade automatic weapons, killing us by the dozens, the shooting in Las Vegas being the most recent example.
Our legislators have proven time and again they couldn’t legislate their way into an emergency room, or out of a encumbered national health plan.
Sure, “gun control” ..let’s control ‘em. Makes sense. That’s a great and obvious start. But the race is over. Right out of the gate we’re shot down by the NRA and gun enthusiasts and their biased interpretation of the second amendment. Oh, yeah, and the lobbyist and congressmen in the pockets of the gun manufacturers. That’s where the dialogue begins and ends, all while the lunatics, terrorists and sick people reload.
But talk about an insane, pointless narrative ...there are already enough guns and ammo floating around America to start another civil war. And that’s where many say we are heading. Unfortunately, most of us will be caught in the middle like the people at the concert in Las Vegas. The lunatics and nazi racists will have the guns, and use them, while the anti-lunatics and anti-nazi racists will have guns and use them as well. The “normal” gun enthusiasts and second amendment aficionados will have guns also, and use them.
I have one word for the rest of us. Serpentine.
A self-interested congress will dialogue us to death, supporting their individual cases with facts and figures, spending all their energy while diverting our time and intellect to the politics while they accomplish nothing. Meanwhile, we are being shot to pieces.
The media can help. Congress could order them to stop proselytizing these mass shooting tragedies that have gripped America by the throat. The media, however, will immediately site their first amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press just like the NRA and gun enthusiasts proffer their second amendment rights to “bear arms.” But let’s put them on the spot on which they deserve to be, and keep them on the spot, because they can actually DO something to help.
How about for starters, our prodigious law makers pass a law that the broadcast news networks can’t capitalize on these horrific events by accelerating public interest and advertising revenue by making a multi-sequel television event out of these shootings and human tragedies? It’s merely a matter of style. Start with a law that forbids the cable news networks from creating and promoting the tragedy with a theme song and logo. Put some adult control over what they can say and show. Give them some leeway by first making it a suggestion to be governed by their own code of ethics, self-regulate. See where that goes, then if needed, put the cuffs on. I’m sure the first and second amendments would yield to the mass shootings and tragic loss of innocent lives, and to the intensified insanity we may be facing as a nation, rather than be used to back and protect them.
We must amend with a sanity clause
To me, broadcasting these tragedies endlessly from beginning to end with every personal detail in between the way they are being shown and packaged now is an insulting show business ploy for my viewership rating and advertising dollar at the expense of the victims. Not to mention demonstrating to the other nuts and potential gunmen out there that this is the way to national recognition, fame and fortune. To the media, however, they would say their broadcasts are a public service exploring absolutely every angle of the tragedy as they see fit to interpret.
You make up your own mind, and be truthful with yourself.
The media coverage of the current football player protests and the recent, and soon to come other mass shooting tragedies, has turned me off to sports and the television news media. I want to see action on the issues, not show biz and media hype. It’s time for some serious action toward rectifying the problems.
But, just like race inequality in America so goes our right to slaughter our fellow citizens by the dozens with “legal” military grade automatic assault weapons.
What a great country we live in, so many freedoms! We can do just about anything we want and the laws protect us.
I can write this opinion editorial and you can agree or not, you can read it or not, or the publication in which you are reading this can choose to publish it or not potentially forfeiting the raw, unabashed, understandable language of the truth toward actionable resolve, at least the true feelings and emotions of this writer with whom you may agree and feel the same way, or not.
You make up your own mind, and be truthful with yourself.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
http://newsbout.com/a/John+Kushma
