The tragic events at Newtown at the end of 2012 were a horrendous reminder that we, as a civilized nation, have made no single stride towards curbing the rampant violence of having an armed population. No matter the arguments for gun ownership or control, the culture and national environment have never come close to shifting towards a more responsible, modern, and sustainable society. That is, until now.
Will we finally see progress?
When schoolchildren get massacred, tempers flare higher than usual. Not many shed tears when an armed drug dealer is gunned down in the streets (we do). But when helpless and innocent children become the target of a sick shooting spree, the nation naturally looks to find a way of preventing another such tragedy. It’s how we evolved. We adapt to situations to continue the pace of time and ensure our own survival.
The pressure for change is on. Gun control groups are finding unprecedented national support for pressing the government to do something. Obama, who was hoping to wind down Afghanistan and make his mark on immigration reform in his second presidential term, has an unexpected challenge and opportunity. The left has been begging for tougher restrictions on gun access and the places where people can legally carry them. Many on the left viewed Obama’s first term as too centrist and not progressive enough. Nothing was said about gun control during the 2012 election. But now Obama — and particularly Joe Biden — are pushing for at least a symbolic move to stem the free flow of guns through our population.
Change will not come easily. The NRA wants its members to keep selling guns, and its other members to keep buying them. In response to the Newtown tragedy, they famously recommended putting armed guards at every elementary school. Completely ignoring the fact that an assailant could arm himself with assault rifles, snipe the guard from a distance, and then manage to kill as many children as his bullets will allow, the underlying motive was clear: the answer to guns are more guns. Why the nation still pays any attention to the NRA is itself a big discussion point now after so many sensible people realize that the NRA only cares about themselves, even at the expense of the lives of our children.
The marginalization of the NRA has been happening naturally but their insensitivity and clear greed have accelerated it. The people want to be safe, safe from guns, and one does not feel safe when everyone around them has a gun. Life is too tenuous to allow people to carry devices that could effortlessly extinguish it. The current possibilities toward increasing gun control might be merely symbolic, but like the Affordable Care Act, it is a step in the right direction, and must come before the steps after it. If Obama and Biden can leverage the national outrage into action, it might be the beginning of the end for the second amendment’s ridiculous application.
