It is true. One reason that gun control is resisted is a lack of trust. Gun control is, as often as not, a progressive thing. And over the last few generations, progressive movements have lost faith among non-liberal Americans.
One need only look at where 'being religiously tolerant' or 'opposing violence against homosexuals' ended up going. Both seemed good in their day, but check the reality of where they ended up.
Part of the lack of trust also comes from the fact that arguments for gun control are based on a lot of things, but facts usually aren't among them. Lots of name calling, yelling, emotional appeals, and ignorance fill the arguments. Sometimes facts are used, but only when those facts support gun control, with other facts conveniently ignored. Lies, too. Stereotypes seem to be a big talking point. But all of these things don't make good arguments.
Ms. Libresco doesn't own guns, and she is far from some right wing gun toting caricature. She did what many who want to find a solution actually do: She looked at the facts. She looked for the truth. And she discovered that much of what gun control advocates say isn't true. It's not accurate. Some, as in Hillary Clinton's addition to her 'why I lost' column, are laughably false. The fact that politicians so ignorant about the subject they're speaking about should give us pause.
The only ones worse than those advocates who tell lies or speak stupid, are those who blindly hang on their every word and heap scorn and loathing upon people rather than make an argument. Even when such falsehoods come from the MSM.
No, we must do something. There are plenty of problems in our culture, and it's not as if one side is alone wrong about everything. I'm all for looking for solutions, but solutions based on facts, not bias, not politics, not stereotypes, not self-righteousness. I'm all for solutions. I'm just not for ignoring the facts, and then using the misinformation to establish self-righteous inquisitions against those who actually seem to care. But that's just me.
One common argument I hear from gun-rights people is that maybe we should try enforcing the laws we already have before we pile a bunch more on that nobody's going to do anything about.
ReplyDeleteI would be willing to break even if they would just propose solutions that would make a difference to the tragedies they are using in order to advance their solutions.
DeleteLeah has written a useful piece, not so much that she refutes gun control advocates as that she provides a good example of how to analyze societies ills and the solutions she provides focus on individual instead of groups. So yes the data identifies groups who are high risk, but the solutions, are get out and deal with people as individuals.
ReplyDeleteI think that's the best solution imaginaable. I've often thought of my Mom, who likes to say "when I was little, everyone knew each other. They sat on their porches, and we visited each other all the time, sitting on their swings, talking down the sidewalks." We live in a suburb of a large city. We know our immediate neighbors, and a couple others. I dare say I know more people from blogging than I do those who live down the street. And I'm not the only one to notice.
Delete