More on Guns

Chicago, as an example of a major American city, has a high rate of killings by means of guns—on the order of 500 or 600 a year—a number that is, or should be, shocking.

These killings occur mainly in certain areas of the city, areas that have a gang problem, and are associated with gangs warring for turf or for control of the drug trade.

Also, these numerous and almost daily gun killings are committed with hand guns. These guns are cheap and are easy to carry inconspicuously. Interestingly, guns are not sold legally in Chicago, and there are no gun stores within the city limits. However, as has been observed, borders are "permeable." Guns can be bought in suburban communities or across state lines (which, in the case of Chicago, are not far away).

However, the mass gun killings are quite another phenomenon. Recent killings such as in Newtown, Connecticut, or Aurora, Colorado, are composed of two elements: a mentally unstable person, and easy access to "assault" weapons. (I put the word assault in quotation marks because I don't know a lot about—and don't want to get involved in the controversy over—types of guns. There is the distinction between automatic and semi-automatic guns, and even hand guns can be "automatic," that is, able to fire shots in rapid succession.)

So of course, if there are the two elements involved in these horrendous occurrences—which have been getting more frequent, it must be  pointed out—either element can be looked at, thought about, and perhaps somehow remedied.

The first element, unstable individuals, would require identifying individuals who might be or become dangerous. However, this is difficult. Countless adolescents would show personality traits that are part of whatever profile of the gunman or potential gunman that could be constructed. But of course nothing can be "done about" these individuals until they can be identified. ("Doing something about" them is also problematic. Should they be isolated from society? Have medications prescribed, which they might not take faithfully?)

But if the people who committed the mass killings had not had easy access to the very effective and deadly weapons that they used? The Newtown shooter, Adam Lanza, used a gun that his mother owned. The shooter at Virginia Tech was able to purchase his weapons over the Internet.

Certainly it is reasonable to think about making access to these guns more difficult. Maybe they should not be freely and easily purveyed at your nearest Walmart. Where they can be bought, and by whom, and how easily: all these things should be looked at.

Copyright © 2013 by Richard Stein