There were many interesting letters last week concerning how we as a country move ahead in the wake of the Parkland, Fla. shootings.
Some very good and thoughtful ideas were shared. The glaring but not-too-surprising exception was from Joanne Cabry, but I'll address that issue a bit later.
First off, some full disclosure. I have been a target shooting enthusiast for over 10 years. However, I am not a member of the NRA for several different reasons that are not really important in this context. I am also a staunch Independent, as both political parties are really not worthy of my support at this point in time. Having said that, it seems clear to me that in order for our country to move forward and try to prevent yet another tragedy from occurring, multiple issues must be addressed all at once.
First, we live in a country where for whatever reason there are numerous individuals (mostly young males) who feel so disconnected from their fellow human beings that they are willing to lose everything in order to harm a great many people. What is worse, social media gives these individuals both a forum to spread their hate, and in the current case, literally advertise it. So-called "experts" talk about "mental health" as one of the keys to solving this problem. However, I really don't even know what that means. If a sick individual like the last shooter was either given the help he needed, or was at least clearly identified and stopped by law enforcement before the crime was committed, in this case those 17 people would be alive today. We need to better understand why this is happening.
Second, given the world we live in today, soft targets like schools simply must be protected better than they are, starting tomorrow. We protect airports, courthouses, and other places. Why not schools? I am not for the idea of arming teachers (they have enough to deal with just doing their job), but as another letter stated last week, there are many fully qualified individuals that could be utilized almost immediately to help make our schools less of a soft target. Other countries already do this. This is something we could do almost immediately in the Cape Region.
Third, it should be much harder for anyone to purchase a firearm, especially those who for whatever reason should never get near a gun in the first place. Background checks should be improved and made mandatory in all cases. I believe a five-day waiting period should be legislated nationwide so that more time is available for background checking and cooling off. I have had the experience of going through background checks multiple times. It would not have bothered me in the least if I had to purchase my firearm on a Monday, and then had to wait until Friday to complete the transaction.
My fourth and last point is a tough one. I believe in the Second Amendment. I also believe that the government has the right to impose reasonable restrictions. However, the knee-jerk reactions of far-left people like Joanne Cabry who wants to "stop asking for common sense gun legislation" is one of the big reasons why we never seem to move ahead on this issue.
When the Left talks about "banning" semiautomatic weapons, what exactly does that mean? Are we banning just new sales of these weapons, or does this also include forcibly confiscating millions of AR-type weapons already in the hands of owners who purchased them legally? Does the Left really think such a law could pass, and even if it did, these millions of gun owners would simply just give up their weapons to a government that they do not trust (with good reason in this case)? Ironically, if the first three points I brought up could be solved, my fourth point would almost be moot.
I generally detest the NRA leadership and their rhetoric, although I know many NRA members who feel pretty much the way that I do in spite of their leadership. However, when I read letters like Ms. Cabry's you can see why such an organization exists in the first place. And by the way, there are many Democrats in Congress who vote pro-gun rights as well. This is not just a "Trump" issue; this is an "Everybody" issue. The good news is I think this tragedy could be a turning point where both political parties start working together, so that over time we will all do what needs to be done to make sure something like this never happens again. Let the partisans on both sides howl into the wind, so that the rest of us can get to work.
Brian Gillespie
Lewes
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
