I saw something saying, “A rock in bad hands killed Abel. A rock in good hands killed Goliath. It’s not about the rock.” I see the point in that sentiment and would say that bad-heartedness was the problem when Cain killed his brother Abel. And I think many people would agree that bad-heartedness is behind the burgeoning number of shootings by people wielding firearms in this country. Few people whose hearts have gone bad are reaching for rocks these days. Of course, recently the news featured lethal assaults by people who actually used rocks as weapons. Even so, I’d rather defend a school full of kids against a bad-hearted person who shows up with a pocket full of rocks than against a bad-hearted person who shows up with an assault rifle.
In this essay, I don’t want to be just “preaching to the choir.” Instead, I want to appeal to gun owners who share in the anguish over the escalating wrongs being done with firearms. We need to join the conversation to find real solutions, not just voice opposition to what we might see as wrong-headed approaches. Beyond just joining the conversation, we need to lead the way in bringing healing for this shameful wound to our nation. We need to be moved by “our better angels” to seek constructive, effective, and pervasive solutions to this national epidemic.
Abel voiced his wrong-heartedness when he said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Until we all get a whole lot better at being our brother’s (and sister’s) keepers, we need to keep highly lethal weapons out of the hands of people whose hearts have gone bad. In some states, an adult who allows a minor to have access to guns and ammo can be held accountable. In a community (state or nation), aren’t leaders who allow people whose hearts have gone bad to acquire massive firepower just as accountable? People who allow this to go on (by which I mean all of us) bear great shame and need to wake up to our responsibility as citizens.
Part of the problem with focusing on wrong-heartedness is that we cannot perfectly track people who are at risk due to instability, which is a necessary step to restricting their access to firearms. Yet, we can do this to a limited but worthwhile extent, as shown by red-flag laws that have been enacted in 20 states and proposed in 13 others.[1] We should do that more broadly, taking a pervasive and vigilant approach like we as a society try to do concerning suicide intervention. Speaking of suicide, there is a strong intersection between suicide and mass shooters—in many instances the person has decided to die, killing others along the way.
Just because gun violence is a complex problem doesn’t mean we are justified in not dealing with it. There is no simple fix, no one-size-fits-all solution. The issues involved are multifaceted and confusing. Poverty, neglect, abuse, mental illness, suicide, hate, bullying, isolation, greed, cultures of extreme violence, misinformation, warped ideologies including devotion to firearms that is often nothing less than idolatrous, and political extremism that prizes power above basic humanitarian aims—all of these play their part. While we do what can be done to address the kind of wrong-heartedness involved with mass shooters and others who target innocent victims with firearms, it makes sense to also take steps to limit their access to firearms.
As attention-grabbing as the news of mass shootings is, those events are a tiny fraction of shootings. The usual criterion for being designated a mass shooting is a death toll of at least four. In 2021 the number of gun deaths in mass shooting events was 706.[2] Year in and year out, the greatest number of gun deaths are due to suicide (26,328 in 2021), followed by those classified as murder (20,958 in 2021).[3] And an alarming number of victims of gun death are children and teens under 18 (2,590 in 2021).[4]
A sensible place to begin reducing gun deaths is at home. Some twenty-seven states have some form of child access prevention [CAP] or safe storage laws. According to Giffords Law Center, “Between 70% and 90% of firearms used in youth suicides, unintentional shootings among children, and school shootings by shooters under the age of 18 are acquired from the home or the homes of relatives or friends.”[5] Safe storage of guns in the home reduces the risk of death for not only children and youth but also adults. Moreover, safe storage reduces gun theft, which helps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
But as important as safe storage laws are, more needs to be done, including the kinds of sensible gun laws supported by a growing majority of Americans,[6] even reducing access by civilians to assault weapons. By “assault weapon,” I have in mind any semiautomatic or automatic weapon with a high-capacity magazine, originally designed and intended for military use, that is, a weapon of war. Of course, I know a wrong-hearted person could wield some other type of weapon if they can’t get access to an assault weapon, but for now, assault weapons stand as prominent weapons of choice for wrong-hearted shooters. In addition, these types of weapons have become supercharged symbols of lethality directed at children in schools, congregants in houses of worship, marginalized people, people in workplaces, and a variety of public settings.
I suspect that many, and perhaps most, people who own assault weapons would only use them for self-defense or defense of family or others under attack. It is understandable that such folks would feel extremely put upon by a suggestion that their legal ownership of the weapons contributes to the problem of mass shootings. Perhaps it happens, but I am not aware of any significant uses of assault weapons that have been wielded in the actual defense of innocent victims.
Some people justify their ownership of assault weapons by their fear of societal collapse and a descent into anarchy. These weapons serve as props in fantasies of various dystopian scenarios, often fueled by conspiracy theories. They are consumer products sold as essential tools for “prepper” kits. Ownership of assault weapons is promoted by at least some segments of the firearms industry as well as by various political, consumer, and other affinity groups, the most notable of which is the National Rifle Association. For whatever reason, assault weapons seem to hold a place of particular esteem in second amendment sentiments–however misplaced, in my view. I wonder whether the legitimacy of defenders of gun ownership is being seriously eroded by extending their advocacy to assault weapons.
On the other hand, I suspect that for many owners of assault weapons, the weapons are-- to all intents and purposes--toys. They are objects of affection and enjoyment and are cherished for their recreational value. Whatever the motivations for owning assault weapons, I want to acknowledge that it is not unusual for people to have emotional attachments to firearms in general, as gun enthusiasts find much artistic and instrumental value in various types of firearms. Nevertheless, I would challenge anyone to make a case for how their quality of life would be decreased if they did not possess an assault weapon.
So here’s my call to arms. To lay them down, that is. It will not be easy, but we must reduce the number of gun deaths in this country. What can you do? Here are my suggestions:
- Secure your own home by safely storing and controlling any firearms you own.
- Resist polarization on this issue. Talk with those who differ from you instead of talking about them with those who agree with you.
- Advocate and act in support of mental health services.
- Vote for local government leaders and state and national legislators who will take action to pass stricter gun laws. Of course, for this to work, people have to vote and have access to voting; therefore,
- Support the right to vote and oppose efforts to disenfranchise citizens who have a constitutional right to vote.
- And most of all, take seriously the responsibility to be your brother’s keeper. Folks who are cared for in a network of stable, healthy relationships are far less likely to assault others. And if they lean that way, their family and friends can intervene to keep them--and potential victims--safe.
Because you have read to the end of this piece, I expect this is an issue you care about. You may have better ideas for what can be done. What will you do?
[1] https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/red-flag-laws-states
[2] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
[3] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
[4] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/06/gun-deaths-among-us-kids-rose-50-percent-in-two-years/
[5] https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/child-consumer-safety/child-access-prevention-and-safe-storage/#footnote_20_5593
[6] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/10/16/share-of-americans-who-favor-stricter-gun-laws-has-increased-since-2017/
Garry Breland 