By MIKAL MANN
October 9, 2017
“I believe we can find a way to both respect the second amendment and adopt policies that will curtail gun violence. “
I am a gun owner who has a few questions for my fellow gun owners who oppose any sort of gun policy reform following the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Can you please help me understand a few things?
I hear many people saying now isn’t the time to talk about our gun policy so soon after a national tragedy. When is the right time, then?
I see people claiming there’s nothing that can be done to prevent mass shootings.
Why does no other modern nation have such frequent tragedies like this?
I notice the frequency of the claim that the problem is with the person, not the gun. Should we then remove all restrictions on frag grenades, automatic rifles, rocket launchers, and bombs if the weapon is not the problem, and if not, then why?
I read articles that indicate that countries with high rates of gun ownership but low rates of gun violence like Switzerland, Serbia, Sweden, Cyprus, and Norway show that firearms are not the problem. What are they doing right that we’re not and why are we not emulating them?
Why do the states with the highest firearm death rates, also those with some of the weakest gun laws?
I recall the assertion that terrorists have used box cutters and airplanes to kill innocents, so therefore gun legislation would be useless because evil people will just find another way to murder. Why, then, did we upgrade airplane security features to prevent another attack rather than just blame those who committed the crime and move on?
I listen to suggestions that violence in Chicago proves that gun control measures are counterproductive. So why are Alaska, Louisiana, and Alabama, the states with the highest firearm death rates, also those with some of the weakest gun laws?
I watch pundits argue that criminals will obtain and use guns regardless of whether they’re illegal. So why do areas with stricter gun laws, on average, also see significantly reduced rates of criminal gun violence?
I believe we can find a way to both respect the second amendment and adopt policies that will curtail gun violence. Will you join me in creating and advocating for them?
I love my country and believe we can take steps together to prevent further national tragedies while remaining true to our core principles. Do you agree?
Mikal Mann is a US citizen who is broken from seeing tens of thousands of his fellow Americans die every year to violence that could be prevented with a united effort and common-sense changes.
