The U.S. is an outlier when it comes to gun deaths. Why? What can be done.

by Rod Williams, May 25, 2022 - Following the tragedy of the Uvalde school shooting we are hearing renewed calls for gun control. Not much will change. We could make small changes that might withstand constitutional muster but small changes will change little.  Not much will change because we have the right to bear arms. 

Unlike most of the world where rights are viewed as concessions granted by government, we believe we are endowed with rights.  It is not easy to take away a right. Rights cannot be taken based on the mood of the voters at a particular point in time. Rights are not subject to simple majority rule. 

Why do those who want to ban guns never propose repealing the Second Amendment? Why do those who want to impose gun control not come out and clearly say it is time to repeal the Second Amendment?

What they want to do is ignore the Second Amendment; not repeal it. If that can happen then none of our liberties are secure. If we can take away the right to bear arms by ignoring the Second Amendment, we can take away freedom of the press little by little, not by repealing the First Amendment but by ignoring it and rationalizing that it is antiquated and that "hate speech" must be prohibited. After all, when the First Amendment was written there were no blogs or Facebook or TV, or radio.  The logic that new forms of communication make the First Amendment obsolete and thus the First Amendment can be ignored is as logical as saying because we have automatic weapons instead of flintlock rifles the Second Amendment can be ignored.  

If the Second Amendment can be ignored due to public opinion and public opinion turns against the right to bear arms, then all of our liberties can depend on the public opinion of the moment.

The problem of gun violence in America is serious. We are an outlier. Why? What can be done? I wish I knew.

Also see: Pass and Enforce Red Flag Laws. Now by David French.

For more of my postings on the issue of gun violence see the following:

• ARE TENNESSEE’S GUN LAWS BLATANTLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL REGARDING 18-20 YEAR OLDS? (Gun talk #5) 
• Strict local gun policies aren’t effective in reducing gun violence. (Gun talk #4)
• World's most dangerous cities include St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans, Detroit. (Gun talk #3)
• Gun violence is a symptom of a dysfunctional society, not the root cause. (Gun talk #2)
• The U.S has the seventh highest firearms-related death rate in the world. (Gun talk #1)

Also see: The Constitutionality of Gun Control by David Horwitz.

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