OF GUNS AND NO ROSES

In these anxious days, I am reminded once again of the line from William Butler Yeats: : "Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold..." The world seems to be careening from one disaster to another: Syria disintegrating into endless civil war; the Libor financial scandals in London, the polarity of politics here in Amerca and a political campaign increasingly nastier each day; the Penn State tragedy; and now the Colorado shooting. Things are very much  fallen apart.

Now the debate will rise up again regarding gun control, and the political posturing and empty rhetoric will abound. The N.R.A. will flex its muscles and spout the usual sound bites about the Second Amendment and the right of citizens to bear arms. I wonder what the founding fathers and framers of the Constitution would say about the interpretation of the amendment today. On the heels of the American Revolution, they were legitimately concerned about rebellions and insurrections and the need for formation of militias in times of need. I'm sure they would be shocked and aggrieved at the state of America today with millions of unregistered illegal weapons out there as well as the plethora of legally gun-bearing citizens. 

We can do nothing by legislation to stem the illegal guns, except (1) make the punishment more severe for having illegal weapons and (2) do a better job of psychological screenings of potential gun owners. It is impossible to stop a psychotic who has a weapon and ammo in his possession. Virginia Tech, Norway and Aurora, Colorado are living proof of this statement. A more thorough background check of any potential gunowner can help but is not foolproof.

The gun supporters like the N.R.A. and the gun  control opponents are going to have to learn to speak to each other and to find a middle ground where acceptance of the Second Amendment is a given and where both sides work together to enforce strongly existing laws and to add such laws which will preclude private individuals buying assault weapons and ammo unless part of a gun club or association where usage is controlled.

I'm too old to hunt anymore, and at one time in my life enjoyed pheasant and quail shooting, so I am not anti-gun, when in proper and responsible hands. Somehow we have got to put more teeth into laws and enforcement, as well as better screening, to reduce this carnage.

These horrific massacres are happening too often. When are we going, together, to address this problem in a realistic and constructive way? It's overdue.