In light of the most recent mass shooting in Roseburg, Ore. this last week, the Second Amendment and the debate surrounding it has reestablished itself as the principal topic of discussion in the media and forthcoming political campaigns.
Aside from the superficial effects, it has also made its way onto the docket of “things to consider” for conservatives, like me.
With the increase in mass-shootings, (mass shootings have risen to an all-time high of 16.4 per year in the United States) the rational conservatives (yes, I consider myself one of those) are morally forced to reconsider their stance.
I was raised ultra conservative, but have made my way to the center, slowly but surely (I don’t see myself crossing the River Styx of liberalism anytime soon). My political transition has required inherent resistance to the pillars of conservatism, but none as conflicting as the Second Amendment.
I believe in the excellence of Americans and America, which includes the Second Amendment as an outlet to demonstrate our superiority to the rest of the world. It’s sort of like saying, “We are so great that our civilians can handle the responsibility to own guns and you guys can’t.” I know it sounds silly, but it truly is the way many conservatives, including myself, used to/do think. With all that said, I am fed up with the violence and innocent lives lost because of such an outdated and untouched amendment. We as a nation have lost the “privilege” of bearing arms. Do all gun owners abuse the amendment? No, obviously not—but they are going to lose because of the minority of “gun-owners” that scar our nation on what seems to be a consistent basis. Obama addressed the shooting at Umpqua Community College and the frequency of mass shootings with a quote I’m sure most of you have heard, but is worth repeating, “Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine. The conversation in the aftermath of it. We have become numb to this.”
Everyone knows the stats: 31 percent of households own a firearm, 20 percent of firearms owners own 65 percent of the nation’s guns, America is the most violent developed country in the world, and we have the highest gun-per-capita as well as most deaths-by-firearm in the world. Relative statistics will not dissuade or intimidate a conservative because the theory is that we need not compare ourselves to other, more restrictive countries; however, we need to address the problem, whether it be the gun or the person. Our current status, domestically and in the international lens, is embarrassing and shameful.
The laws need to be more restrictive regarding types of weapons the general public has access to, as well as the type of general public that has access to the aforementioned weapons (more extensive background checks and firearm ownership regulations).
Following the cry for more government control—which I justify with public safety—I feel obligated to bring to your attention the unfortunate truths behind a gun policy in this country: a sort of firearm prohibition is not feasible and will not happen, no matter what. If, by some miracle, the over 30 percent of Americans that currently own firearms and the additional conservatives that defend the Second Amendment out of principle are ignored, and legislation is passed, the 250 million guns in this country are not going to just disappear. Also, if the purchase and sale of guns is prohibited, a black market for weapons will arise, and those who want their guns will get them. Finally, the shootings, triggered in many cases by mental illness, will not just stop.
I’m saying we need to be realistic (what I, frankly, observe as the biggest flaw of American progressives), understanding, and compromising (the biggest flaw of American conservatives) if we want to accomplish anything in the direction of firearm regulation. It will require all citizens to participate and to relinquish their respective convictions for the greater good of this country.