Guns: Not A Problem-Solver

The issue of more gun control laws in the United States inevitably resurfaces after every mass-shooting. The latest shooting, earlier this week at a U.S. Navy facility in Washington D.C., has prompted President Obama to challenge Congress to act on the proposals he introduced following the last mass-shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 people, including 20 children, were killed by another person with psychological problems.

The U.S. National Rifle Association has consistently and successfully lobbied against more stringent gun controls. The NRA opposes anything that will curtail what they believe is every American’s right to protect themselves with guns. The fact that there are more guns per person in the United States than anywhere else in the world does not seem to affect the discussion either.

While additional controls may reduce the incidence of gun violence, there are many others like Aaron Alexis, the Washington shooter, that are ticking time-bombs waiting to explode. Notwithstanding more restrictive gun laws, people like Alexis may always find a way to carry out their senseless acts of rage. We live in a world with many people, including governments, routinely resorting to violence as a means of problem-solving. From computer games to television and movies, people are exposed to so much violence that becoming desensitized to the real thing seems understandable in a disturbing sort of way. When we start to treat violence with a big yawn or even only with short-lived disbelief, don’t we have a responsibility to acknowledge the need for change and take action accordingly?

Violence is embedded in the American culture. The movie industry has glorified the ‘wild west’ mentality of using guns and violence to solve problems. The 1987 movie “The Untouchables” had a line “If they put one of our guys in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue”. Even though that line was intended for entertainment purposes, that type of thinking actually saturates many different societies. Unfortunately, until we collectively learn to find more suitable ways for conflict resolution, psychological or otherwise, situations of extreme violence will remain a fact of life and, for many, weapons will remain their ideal problem-solver.