Of guns and cowardice

Remembering the many victims of senseless gun crime...                                        Photo © Tara Bradford 

 

I've been following the sad news about the horrific shootings in Aurora, Colorado. And it's really hard to feel anything but fury at all these politicians lamenting the tragedy and expressing sympathy - yet doing absolutely nothing to strengthen gun control laws.

Is there a politician in America who has the courage to take on the powerful NRA gun lobby? Is there a politician in America who can - and will - actually lead, rather than kowtow to corporate funding and special interests??!! How many more people must die before our elected senators and representatives introduce laws to curb access to assault rifles and handguns?

Despite the NRA's disingenuous claims to the contrary, this is not about our Second Amendment right to bear arms. This is about the widespread availability of guns - even presented in churches in Tennessee - allowing sociopaths and mentally-disturbed people to kill. This is about ready access of guns making it easy for a three-year-old child to accidentally kill his father or for a child to shoot his classmate. This is about an angry young man with impaired judgment legally buying dangerous weapons and ammunition and killing innocent people in a theatre.

For once, I agree with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg:

"Maybe it's time the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they're going to do about it, because this is obviously a problem across the country. And everybody always says: 'Isn't it tragic?'"

"There are so many murders with guns every day. It's just gotta stop. And instead of these two people, President Obama and Governor Romney, talking in broad things about they want to make the world a better place. OK, tell us how... No matter where you stand on the second amendment, no matter where you stand on guns, we have a right to hear from both of them, concretely, not just in generalities, specifically: what are they going to do about guns?"

Bill Moyers: The NRA has America living under the gun

Guns in America: Beyond control

We've seen this movie before

Guns and the slog

US has more guns and more homicides than any other country

Comments

[Karen]

Hello, Tara,

I grew up and lived my life in Denver until 13 years ago, when I moved to Tucson. Columbine didn't have anything to do with my leaving, but it did leave within me, and I know thousands of others, a great sadness that something so awful could happen in the beautiful city that had nurtured my life. Then I moved to Tucson, and Gabby Giffords was shot at the very Safeway where we shop at least twice a week. Now Denver, (Aurora is a suburb) again.

All your points are valid and I couldn't agree more that gun control is not the real issue here. Until our culture evolves to the point where we are willing to provide the resources and determination to take mental illness out from under the carpet and deal with its causes, treatments and cures in a manner at least a thousand-fold more aggressively than we do now, nothing will change. Even with the disappearance of the Second Amendment (as if), given a sick and/or evil enough person with a hate agenda, that person will find the means. It is too complicated a situation to fit into a simple answer, but maybe it's a way to start to think on how to deal with how to make things better.

I also wanted to say what a great fan I am of your work. I'm also a photographer, so opening your blog every day is just like opening the chocolate box!

[Megan]

I believe the scariest thing in all of this is the fact that the young man in question had not broken any laws at all until he pulled the trigger. Americans can't imagine surrendering their weapons - the rest of us can't imagine living that way. Unfortunately I don't dare hope that things will change - there is a lack of political will to do anything about it. Columbine, Virginia Tech and so on didn't change US gun laws - I wouldn't imagine this will either.

[stephanie]

I am still numb with grief about this. I cringe at the thought of what would happen if everyone were armed as the nra would argue. The insanity must end.

[Jo]

Hi Tara, I agree with your sentiment wholeheartedly but I fear American has gone too far down the path with relatively free and easy access to guns and ammo. Having tried myself to have a rational debate with NRA types, I know how impossible this is. I think we have to accept that we have made our beds and now have to lie in them on this issue. The time for doing something about this may have passed us by.

[Marilyn]

Thanks for saying this. I do dream of a day where there are no guns and a government that says what they will do and does it. Wouldn't that be a dream come true? Thanks, Tara, for all you share. I so appreciate it.