Worst person: Dr. Keith Ablow
“[t]he issue here is I want one if I’m in that area right now. I want to know who amongst my neighbors has a gun. Can we congregate at his house or her house? I want to have one if I’m in that area because I’m a law-abiding person and I want to defend myself against these lunatics.”…. Ablow added: “The question would be, ‘Why don’t I have one?’ Every person in that area right now who is not armed, doesn’t have a license for a gun in their home should be saying, ‘What the heck is wrong with me?’”…. According to the doctor, something was “wrong” with a person who said, “I won’t exercise my autonomy, I have to leave my family defenseless because these people are out there and I wouldn’t go get a gun.”
As disgusting and disturbing as Ablow’s rant is (Ablow is to reason what Jeffrey Dahmer was to vegetarianism), his argument goes straight to the heart of the question- though likely not the question he had in mind. No, the query should be “What kind of America do we want to live in?”
Think about that for a moment. What kind of America do YOU want to live in? Do you want an America predicated on paranoia and fear of the Other, armed to the teeth and possessing an itchy trigger finger? Or would you rather live in an America in which the solutions to problems aren’t based on the possession of superior firepower? Do you want an America which shoots first and asks questions later…or do you want to live in a country where nonviolent conflict resolution is the first option and opening fire is far down the list of available choices?
Under normal circumstances, I’d ignore Ablow for being the incendiary, intolerant jackass he too often reveals himself to be. These days find us in anything but normal circumstances. America has 200 million more weapons than ANY other country in the world, and I’m tired of living in a world where mass shootings are tacitly accepted as the background music of day to day life. We deserve better than to live in a country tolerant of, and resigned to, random, senseless acts of violence because…freedumb.
Erin and I just spend two weeks traveling in Iceland and Norway, two very heavily armed countries and places where mass shootings are virtually unheard of and gun violence is rare. Iceland is in per capita terms the most heavily armed nation in the world, yet it’s peaceful and safe enough that its police are unarmed. Norway isn’t far behind, but a conversation with a Norwegian policeman revealed what I believe to be the key difference between my homeland and his. In Norway, weapons are permitted, but every single weapon is registered. The government knows where every firearm is supposed to be. Weapon ownership is denied to those with domestic violence problems, criminal backgrounds, and/or mental health issues. Should a citizen fall into one or more of these categories, the government WILL confiscate their weapons.
Common sense, right? Even in this country, most Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © wouldn’t argue with the idea that if a person domestic violence problems, criminal backgrounds, and/or mental health issues, they should be prevented from owning firearms. Despite this exercise in logic and common sense, they continue to scream bloody murder whenever the idea of common sense gun control is raised.
After being in two heavily armed yet exceedingly peaceful and orderly countries, I’m more convinced than ever that common sense gun control- beginning with a robust, meaningful system and background checks and registration- would work. If only Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © would step away from their default reaction whenever ideas are proposed that might just help make America a safer place to be. Then again, mass shootings aren’t a problem as long as it’s someone else burying a loved one, right?
So back to the question, then: What kind of America do you want to live in?
