USA TODAY International Edition
MAKE AMERICA SAFER
Let’s hope after baseball shooting, Congress will work on new bipartisan gun laws
As is too often the case after a tragic shooting, the politics started almost immediately after a gunman injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others while they were practicing for the beloved annual charity congressional baseball game.
Some on the right immediately pointed fingers at Muslim extremists, Kathy Griffin and everyone in between without a Make America Great Again hat. Others on the left jumped in to blame Republicans for obstructing gun safety laws, a few of them gleefully neglecting the normal obligatory thought or sensitivity for the pain of the victims.
But most Americans simply felt empathy. There is wisdom in that collective reaction. And it seems to me that we should also start listening to the collective wisdom of Americans on something else: smart, principled legislation for guns — legislation that is bipartisan in nature, comes from Congress, and will let us do something other than just wait for the next tragedy.
STATE LAWS NOT ENOUGH
We cannot begin resorting to or excusing political violence, no matter the hues or views of the victims or attackers. In fact, it has become far too normal already — on the basis of continued congressional inaction in the face of the 92% of Americans who support basic gun safety measures such as background checks.
For the better part of a decade, one of my responsibilities in the Navy was to train sailors in the use of force, and both lethal and non- lethal weapons and tactics. Before anyone was even allowed to get into boot camp, let alone in a room with firearms, they had to pass a background check. After that, they still had to undergo a ton of training before being allowed to shoot. Each year, they had to fire the weapons on which they were qualified and sit through hours of training in tactical team movement, rules of engagement and measures — all with the simple goal of keeping everyone safe.
Every time someone needed a weapon for their job, they checked it out from the armory; when they were done, they turned it in and accounted for each round of ammunition.
And every five years, the process began again with another background check.
Now, I don’t think it’s practical for the public to follow guidelines quite that strict. But there’s some common sense in there — background checks, licensing and training — that is a good, simple place to start.
There are two points to consider, however.
First, we need folks on the right and the left to realize that gun violence is a national problem. State- by- state legislation isn’t good enough.
For example, my home states of Illinois and California have relatively strict gun laws — but all you need to do is drive to Indiana, Arizona or another state with lax gun laws to procure the firearm of your dreams. What’s more, after a crime is committed, it takes a ridiculous amount of time to determine the lawful owner of the gun and where it came from.
It’s 2017 and agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives still have to sort through paper records to identify point of sale and other information about a weapon.
JUST LIKE SEAT BELTS, FOOD
Second, we also must acknowledge that we are not going to be able to prevent every incident. There’s always a risk of a bad guy getting hold of a weapon, no matter what the law is, because bad guys are the ones who break laws.
It’s true as some argue that no gun safety measure could prevent all the mass shootings that we’ve had in our nation. But we don’t forgo seat belts because they don’t save lives in every car crash, or give up food regulation because people still get poisoned. We don’t simply throw up our hands. We work together to find common ground and do our best.
The best way forward is legislation that requires national universal background checks; mandatory training in use of force, rules of engagement and tactical techniques; and an upgrade to the nationwide gun registration system.
Once the whole country is on the same page, it becomes very easy to require one standard for concealed- carry permits. I’m all for good guys with guns, so long as they are both background-checked and well- trained. I know from my time in the Navy that an untrained good guy with a gun can be as bad as a bad guy with one.
It’s up to us to call our representatives. Our lives are at risk, and so are theirs. Hopefully, after Republicans and Democrats play their congressional baseball game Thursday, they will leave their partisanship on the field and come back to work ready to fight for the safety of our families and our children.