Spoon Fulls of Bullets

Tomorrow’s headline should read: Spoons, leading cause of obesity for overweight Americans. The headline, although flawed in its validity, is the same argument used by most supporters of gun control. The objects themselves serve inherently different purposes, however both are lethal if wielded by the wrong hand.  The proposed gun regulations currently target the type of guns people can obtain. Instead, the regulations should govern what types of people can obtain the weapons.

Not everyone that uses a spoon is fat. It takes certain mindsets to produce obesity, all of which have nothing to do with the spoon itself. The same is true for a pistol. Legislation to ban the sale of magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition is currently being signed and debated by several politicians. In all fairness, guns such as the .223 caliber, Bushmaster AR-15 were recovered from the crime scenes of several mass shootings throughout the US. The fact that guns are dangerous will never be disputed, but focusing on laws that prohibit the availability of certain types of guns will not cure the dilemma of mass shootings in America.

More prevalent than any high-powered weapon or extended clip were the signs of mental illness displayed by each shooter prior to their incident. In fact, upwards of 38 out of the 62 mass shooters in America displayed signs of mental health problems prior to the killings. A large majority of the remaining individuals experienced some form of bullying, or recently lost their job.

Jared Loughner, who shot 19 people inside of a shopping center in January 2011, was known to make outbursts during his high school classes and often complained about hearing voices in his head.

As a country, we have failed those children in Sandy Hook and those innocent people in Loughner’s targeted shopping mall. How is it that someone who both voluntarily and involuntarily expressed signs of mental illness can casually walk into a store and purchase a weapon and ammo?  In fact, it is easier to purchase a gun in some American states than it is to vote.

Out of the 62 cases officially classified as mass shootings in America, 80% of the criminals purchased their guns legally.

This past Sunday afternoon, John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado, mourned the loss of his long time friend Colorado prison chief, Tom Clements, as he also signed the legislation banning assault rifles. In the midst of heartache, emotional decisions are often the easiest.  Our nation allowed legislators to pass the Patriot Act following the September 11 attack out of emotion. We need to retreat from what is easiest and conduct the proper deliberation to formulate the best decision.

Who can blame anyone for wanting to fix a faltering system especially when the decisions we make today have the possibility of preventing the occurrence of other tragedies? However, if we must take anything away from crafty policy makers during the aftermath of 9/11, it should be that protecting our citizens is the number one priority, and number two is to protect our rights.

It is true that legislators who would like to assess gun violence in conjunction with mental illness are also currently being pressured into making a hasty decision. So, given the fact that there is a possibility that guns will be regulated, will those new regulations prevent mass murders. I assume that reasonable minds would venture to say, “no.”

 Just as spoons are not the cause of obesity, the rescindment of every spoon manufacturer would not prevent obesity either. Sure it may become slightly more difficult to kill people as quickly, it will not prevent the incidents caused by unstable and provoked people.

I myself was shot in the chest by a .22 caliber handgun in an incident at my USC apartment September 4, 2011. The bullet entered my chest piercing my lung and liver. The only reason I am alive is because that same bullet was slowed down by first piercing the middle finger of a girls whose hand was on my chest. If an individual has it out to shoot someone, whether or not the gun has a magazine size of 14, or 1,400, there is not much that can be done to protect that individual.

If legislation were to pass and another mass shooting were to occur, but this time the deranged criminal used nothing except handguns, where will the legislation stop?

I am personally reminded of the dangers of gun violence every time I take a labored breath. I just refuse to sit around blaming the gun for its magazine size. Attention needs to be focused on those that pull the trigger.