Gun Control

January 11, 2011

In 1981, James Brady, Press Secretary to President Reagan, was shot in the head during an attempted assassination of President Reagan. Brady was critically injured and received permanent brain damage. Eventually, he was able to use a wheelchair and to walk short distances with a cane. His speech was affected, but he can communicate.

Brady and his wife Sarah began a handgun control campaign a few years after the shooting. I joined their campaign, contributed to it, and followed it closely. At first they made some progress in control of handguns. Then the NRA (National Rifle Association) became incensed and began a powerful campaign against handgun control. It turns out that the NRA has a great deal of power and money at its disposal. It targeted members of Congress who supported handgun control and managed to get many of them out of office. Now, all members of Congress appear to fear voting for handgun control, and even presidential candidates refuse to mention it or to support it. Once they are elected, presidents continue to avoid any mention of gun control. The NRA members are so rabid that they want anyone in the US to be allowed to own any kind of automatic weapon. They do not even approve of allowing the FBI to trace guns that have been used in crimes! They rage that the government is going to take away every one's guns and we will all be at the mercy of the government. They insist that the 2nd amendment gives every citizen the right to have any and all weapons they want. Now many criminals can out-gun police departments. It is very difficult to get any restrictions placed on who can own guns, such as the mentally unstable, convicted criminals, etc. Guns can be purchased at many gun shows without any background checks. Yesterday someone suggested that the 2nd amendment be abolished. That attempt would probably create civil war. After nearly 30 years of gun control efforts, the situation is actually worse than ever. This is so sad. Bob Herbert wrote in his editorial for the NY Times today that 8 children or teens are killed in the United States every DAY. I cannot believe what a militant society we have become. How can we ever control this problem?