Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Staring down barrel of both sides of gun issue
Are there two sides to the gun debate? There’s no debate about it, local columnist Bill Rettew writes.
Are there two sides to every story? Ann Colby-Cummings, of the 700-member strong nonprofit grassroots organization Gun Sense Chester County, can see both sides of the gun issue. Colby-Cummings and Gun Sense volunteers promote educating citizens about gun regulations and they push for thoughtful discussion to identify a common ground.
After covering several Gun Sense meetings and events it seems to me that gun owners and non-owners do have a great deal in common. I’ve talked to several gun owners at the regular Gun Sense meetings.
“We are a non-partisan organization that believes that common ground is the solution to reducing gun violence,” Colby-Cummings said during a recent interview in a coffee shop. “We actually welcome gun owners.
“Since we all share our communities, we think it makes sense to bring people together to address the issues.”
Colby-Cummings seeks pragmatic answers.
“If we’re going to come up with long-term solutions and something sustainable, you need a high level of support,” the consultant said. “When we have that, then we can have thoughtful dialogue.
“Gun owners have technical knowledge and a different perspective, which we can see as being important to finding solutions.”
The Rutgers University Political Science and English graduate said there is fear on “both sides of the equation.”
“Some gun owners are afraid that changes to gun laws will lead to all-out bans,” said the MBA graduate from Bentley University in Massachusetts. “And non-gun owners are disturbed by the number of injuries and deaths, which they see as unnecessary.”
The married mother of two said that respect is important.
“I understand there are legitimate reasons for people wanting to own a gun. However, I also understand that there are legitimate reasons for wanting regulations and cultural changes to reduce gun violence,” she said. “We work really hard to listen to the viewpoints of others and we’d like others to show that same respect.”
Colby-Cummings pointed to a pair of recent polls showing that there is often agreement between non-gun owners and gun owners.
A Pew Research Center poll published in June 2017 showed that a majority of gun owners, and nongun owners, agree that gun buyers should have to undergo a pre-purchase background check before all purchases. Convicted felons, and those with mental illness, should not be able to purchase guns and those on the “no-fly list” should not own guns.
The poll also showed that both sides agree that permits should be required to carry a concealed weapon. The poll showed that there should be a federal database to track gun sales and children in gun-owning households should be educated about gun safety, and those guns should be located in locked locations.
Polls done in December 2017 and February 2018 by Quinnipiac University also revealed common ground among households with guns and those without.
Ninety seven percent, overall, in both gunowning and non-owning households support requiring pre-purchase background checks.
Eighty three percent, overall, support a federal waiting period, with 77 percent agreeing in gunowning households.
Bump stocks that convert semi-automatic to automatic weapons should be banned, according to
68 percent overall and 64 percent from households with guns felt the same way.
Seventy eight percent overall favor a minimum age of 21 to purchase a gun, and 69 percent for those in households with guns agree.
Overall, 89 percent of households support an “extreme risk protection order,” along with 87 percent in households with guns. The order would take away guns from those deemed a risk to themselves or someone else.
The work is draining, Colby-Cummings said.
“Most of the time I have to cork up the emotional side to focus on accomplishing what needs to be done,” the reader and traveler said, “but obviously I have heard a lot of personal stories about people who have lost loved ones
or been injured by guns and their lives are never the same again.
“On occasion I will get emotional and people will see that side of me.” The cost is significant. “People don’t often realize how this does affect all of us,” said the photographer. “We’re all paying for this.
“Background check fees don’t cover the costs. Taxpayers are subsidizing gun ownership.”
But why choose to wage a battle over guns?
“I was sick of reading the newspaper and seeing the stories,” Colby-Cummings said. “We all want to think that it will never be us or our loved ones, but we’re not being honest with ourselves.
“We all want to think it won’t be our kid.”
Colby-Cummings works hard for the non-profit grass roots volunteer driven Gun Sense. And she has a suggestion for how to best confront gun violence.
Vote for candidates who support “common sense” changes, encourage elected officials to take action and talk to each other calmly and respectfully, she said.
“We are not looking to rid the United States of guns,” she said. “We want to find an appropriate balance.
“A lot of gun owners do support change and we want to work with them.”
The next Gun Sense meeting will be held at Birmingham Friends Meeting, at 7:15 p.m., on Sept. 25. The topic will be gun violence and mental illness. For more information, go to www.gunsensecc.com.