Open Letter To Gun Owners From An Open-Minded Liberal

To me the problem with coming together for a meaningful national dialogue regarding guns and violence is really pretty simple.

On the one hand we have a segment of the population who want to discuss meaningful change in hopes of preventing further deaths (at least on such as grand scale).

On the other hand, we have a group of people who feel that any discourse would be akin to opening Pandora’s Box with the only options being the unrestrained possession and concealment of firearms or having to pry someone’s “dead fingers” off the trigger.

So where exactly does that leave us? What is the next step?

In the wake of six mass shootings this year, the latest involving the senseless slaughter of children, I have invested a lot of thought on this subject the last week, as have most Americans.

To begin, I looked toward the concerns of the supporters of the Second Amendment.

To one who really doesn’t care much either way about the exercise of the right to “bear arms” the idea of being such a literalist is somewhat confusing to me. I cannot help but think that there is a lot of space between citizenry armed with military grade weaponry and a total ban on firearm ownership.

Why is it that gun owners are so rigid in their approach?

The other day on Facebook I started a thread on this very subject and lo and behold, I think I found the answer.

A good and valued friend of mine on the gun-owner side of the fence wrote that his concern was not the enactment of meaningful gun control laws – rather it was where that slippery slope might eventually lead. His fear was what if he gives an inch and gun-control advocates decide to take a yard. He pointed out that gun ownership was a basic Constitutional right. Why give any ground at all?

“If America takes away our right to bear arms, what fundamental Constitutional right will we lose next?”

At first, I could not help but think this was a ridiculous and extremist position – you know – that whole “you will have to pry my cold dead finger off the trigger” stance.

But then in the context of his argument regarding “basic Constitutional rights” I began to see the light. For as a writer, I feel the exact same way about the First Amendment – the right to free speech.

And don’t get me wrong. There are people out there I would love to shut up… the KKK, Ann Coulter, and Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association just to name a few.

However, I have the very same concerns the gun advocates have about this precious freedom. I am worried that if we begin to whittle away at free speech today, where will we be tomorrow? Next week? Next year?

Of course, none of us takes us any closer to a resolution of the problem of personal freedoms regarding firearm ownership and public safety. But at least now, when I look into the eyes of the opposition I can view them with a greater understanding, empathy in fact.

To me that is progress. And as America begins to heal from our tragedies, I will take any progress towards greater understanding.

So that takes us to the plea I mentioned in the title of this piece.

As concerned and caring Americans, can we please come to the table filled with the spirit of cooperation? If we strip away all the politics, the ideology, the dogma even, are we not all Americans? Do we not all want the same thing? A safe world for our children? The hope for a brighter tomorrow? Peace and prosperity? Laws that secure domestic tranquility and safety? Adequate care for the mentally ill? ….

President Obama put it very well during his recent speech in Newtown, when he stated:

“This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say that, as a nation, we’re meeting our obligations?”

I think not.

Hopefully the decision makers in this country can come together in the spirit of cooperation and find some solutions. Lord knows, we are all too familiar with the problems.

Remember, nobody wins in a pissing contest – everyone just ends up getting wet!

SWW

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