Well said, R. Reduction of gun violence--which is tiny in percentage of populations but enormous in public fear--will not happen with just Moar Gun Control. A multi-pronged approach is needed: suicide intervention, crime prevention, violence interruption, criminal justice reform that diverts non-violent criminals into other forms of puni…
Well said, R. Reduction of gun violence--which is tiny in percentage of populations but enormous in public fear--will not happen with just Moar Gun Control. A multi-pronged approach is needed: suicide intervention, crime prevention, violence interruption, criminal justice reform that diverts non-violent criminals into other forms of punishment but keeps the violent away from us for long periods of time. Strong public health messages along the lines of "don't drink and drive, don't shoot innocent people." All of that will reduce the urge to pull the trigger. Instead, we howl about assault rifles that cause fewer annual deaths than swimming pools.
But America won't take that approach because it's expensive and time-consuming. It's cheap and easy to scream "It's the guns, just ban them and nobody will murder anyone again!!" So that's what we'll do.
Except we are unlikely to even do THAT (ban guns).
The reality is that the solution lies in large cultural changes. It also requires a massive reduction in the amount of fear that politicians willfully generate in order to get and hold power.
The abandonment of a lot of American historical mythology.
It would require a far more tolerant (and community focused) society and a far more rational society. That will require a concerted effort over the span of more than 1 generation.
Well said, R. Reduction of gun violence--which is tiny in percentage of populations but enormous in public fear--will not happen with just Moar Gun Control. A multi-pronged approach is needed: suicide intervention, crime prevention, violence interruption, criminal justice reform that diverts non-violent criminals into other forms of punishment but keeps the violent away from us for long periods of time. Strong public health messages along the lines of "don't drink and drive, don't shoot innocent people." All of that will reduce the urge to pull the trigger. Instead, we howl about assault rifles that cause fewer annual deaths than swimming pools.
But America won't take that approach because it's expensive and time-consuming. It's cheap and easy to scream "It's the guns, just ban them and nobody will murder anyone again!!" So that's what we'll do.
Except we are unlikely to even do THAT (ban guns).
The reality is that the solution lies in large cultural changes. It also requires a massive reduction in the amount of fear that politicians willfully generate in order to get and hold power.
The abandonment of a lot of American historical mythology.
It would require a far more tolerant (and community focused) society and a far more rational society. That will require a concerted effort over the span of more than 1 generation.
Your view reflects mine. We will not ban guns (and shouldn't) and even if we did it wouldn't solve the problem. Cultural change is needed.