If the news of the past week isn’t enough to clarify the need for gun control or more expansive regulation of firearm purchases in the United States isn’t enough, I don’t know what is.
Two people purchased handguns in two US states in the month of March 2007. One, an obviously very disturbed young college student used his to kill thirty-two people, mostly fellow students, in Virginia the to shoot and kill himself. The second purchaser, in Texas, used his new weapon to murder a coworker over a poor performance evaluation then take his own life.
The former has received monumental press coverage, consistent with its monumental horror…the largest mass killing in US history. The second, well I don’t know how much national press coverage it’s received. I heard about it on NPR and don’t pay attention to the “popular” press. But it is of equal importance in my mind.
Both of these men, one 23 years old, the other in his 60’s, made their purchases in March of this year, less than two months before their rampages. Both of them apparently presented the appearance of someone who is psychologically eligible to own a gun in the US. And both of them used their purchases to take the lives of other, innocent people.
How many lives must we sacrifice before we realize that the ready access to guns, particularly hand guns, in the US is a bad idea?
I wish I could provide firm statistics for gun violence but the internet is just so full of information on the subject I simply can’t weed it out right now. As a reference, I recommend viewing Bowling for Columbine. I know it’s slanted toward gun control but it presents some interesting views…just the difference between life in the US and life in Canada (where gun ownership is far less widespread) is compelling.
Bottom line is that this is one nurse’s view of how guns impact us all in our country, whether we are direct victims or merely Americans who used to sleep with their doors unlocked and now can’t rest peacefully without a dead bolt. There has got to be a better way, America.
