One of the problems with the current state of public discourse when it comes to guns and the profound public health crisis that is gun violence is that much of the debate is conducted with false information, misconceptions…and in some cases willful outright lies. I’m not going to pretend to be an impartial observer; I’m not and no one would believe that claim, anyway. From where I sit, listening to Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © attempting to win the argument with falsehoods, misinformation, and manufactured “facts” is maddening. Innocent Americans continue to die because Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © refuse to address gun violence based on facts- you know, supportable arguments based on REAL evidence. The truth is that the arguments employed by Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © are too often as inaccurate and dishonest as they are easy to debunk:
More guns don’t make you safer: A study conducted on mass shootings worldwide came to a pretty clear and inconvenient (if you’re a Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foe ©) conclusion: “the US had nearly double the number of mass shootings than all other 24 countries combined in the same 30-year period.” No surprise there, eh? WE’RE #1!!!!
Shootings are more frequent: A study recently published by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center shows that the frequency of mass shootings has increased with time. Right; if it seems as if we’re talking about mass murder more frequently, it’s because we are.
Mass shootings are not terrorism: Journalists describing mass shootings as “domestic terrorism” can be misleading. Not all mass shootings have a political message or motive behind them; some result from untreated mental health problems or other issues unrelated to terrorism. Each shooting needs to be understood in its own unique context; otherwise, how can we hope to understand what drives those who would commit such heinous acts? We need to deal in the truth, whatever it might be- not some preapproved Right-wing narrative based on evidence that’s at best flimsy and at worst completely made up.
Restricting sales works: Despite heated disputes by Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes ©, the fact is that restricting gun sales is actually quite effective in reducing the rate of deaths by gun violence. Turns out countries that force prospective buyers to demonstrate their worthiness and fitness to own a weapon have far lower rates of gun violence than the U.S., which places the burden of proof on the government. Repeat after me: DUH.
Historical comparisons may be flawed: From 2008-13, the FBI used a fairly narrowly focused definition of “mass shooting.” In 2013, the agency broadened that definition, which means that anyone making historical comparisons of data relating to mass shootings needs to take a cautious, careful approach.
Background checks work: In developed countries that perform the most restrictive background checks, a prospective gun owner must prove their fitness to own a gun. They must demonstrate conclusively that they don’t belong to any “prohibited group,” which include, among other things, criminals, the mentally ill, and those with records of domestic violence. These checks weed out the majority of bad actors, resulting in much lower rates of gun violence. If these standards were to be used in this country, most of those responsible for mass shootings would have been denied the ability to purchase a gun. What a radical concept, eh?
The reason Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © scream loud and long whenever the subject of common sense gun control is broached is that they have no defensible, supportable argument. I believe the vast majority of Americans are on board with the idea that the status quo is no longer sustainable, and that common sense gun control must become a reality, regardless of what Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © think or how loud and long they may scream and throw a tantrum. We simply cannot continue as we have been, and we can no longer allow Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © to carry the day through their aggressive, self-interested intransigence.
At some point, Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © must face the truth that the 2nd Amendment is no more Divinely ordained than it is sacrosanct, immutable, and inviolable. If they refuse to compromise, then at some point a resolution must be forced upon them. That certainly isn’t my preference, but at some point they’re going to have to face reality. They have a choice: get on board or get run over by the vast majority of Americans who are sick and tired of violence and bloodshed.
Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes © WILL lose this argument. It might not happen today, next week, or next month…but they WILL lose. I can only hope that they’ll come to their senses before yet more innocent Americans die because of their refusal to compromise.
