As the country reflects on the 50th anniversary this week of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, I too thought about the charismatic leader who met an unfortunate fate during such a promising time for himself and the United States.
But even more than that, I reflected on killings in general. More specifically, why people feel they have the right to end someone else’s life. To hold such a belief is arrogant, insensible, and even narcissistic; yet such acts have become a commonality of sorts. We are no longer surprised to learn of the latest shooting; be it of a well known individual or a person whose name, life story or murder will never reach the masses. In a sense, we have become desensitized to violence. We don’t necessarily welcome violence. We don’t like it. But we aren’t as flabbergasted every time we hear of the latest homicide, either.
In thinking about the act of killing and the freedom of thought most murderers seem to have committing them, I also thought about the manner in which homicides generally occur. More often than not, guns are the primary culprit in this country’s murder rate.
Not a total surprise, huh?
With guns being the most common weapon used to commit homicides, it is only logical to deduce that accessing guns is relatively easy. Americans continue to gain access to firearms and this country’s murder rate is on the rise, yet, there are still millions of people who oppose gun legislation. The various gun legislation that local and national politicians continuously haggle over isn’t to eliminate firearms completely, it’s to control the type of firearms Americans have access to.
In addition, most of the legislation seeks to have better checks and balances in place to ensure guns are not getting into the hands of unstable individuals or certain offenders.
But because of the political game elected officials and even the general public play; there has been little progress in gun reform as of late.
Fast forward to a couple weeks from now.
On Dec. 9, an important piece of legislation that undoubtedly helps to protect Americans is set to expire.
The federal ban on the manufacture, sale, import or possession of plastic guns that are undetectable by X-ray machines and metal detectors was initially approved by Congress in 1988 under the Undetectable Firearms Act. It was renewed in 1998 and again in 2003.
Will our current ever-divisive Congress renew the measure again?
I am not so sure. And if recent history is some sort of a measuring tool, the answer is probably no.
Even though our country has become accustomed to violent acts and gun violence; I was certain after last year’s tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed by a maniac gunman; Americans and lawmakers would understand the significance of gun reform.
That didn’t happen.
Instead, Republicans fought against proposals that called for tighter background checks and other efforts to curb outrageous gun violence. Much of this resistance, unfortunately, has more to do with who proposed the measures than the positive impact such efforts can have on the American public. It’s political racketeering at its finest. Because Democrats were the ones to propose the recent gun-control legislation, Republicans fought it.
Here’s an interesting fact to ponder: President Ronald Reagan, a staunch conservative Republican, was the first president to sign into law the ban on undetectable guns. I wonder will this make a difference as the Dec. 9 expiration date approaches.
In the past, each renewal received bipartisan support, but during those times, Congress was not as divided as it is now.
Among other things, tests show that the undetectable plastic guns have firepower sufficient enough to “reach vital organs and perforate the skull.” Hopefully such a harsh reality and the surge in gun violence will result in an extension of the Undetectable Firearms Act. We will just have to wait and see.
You can email comments to Shannon Williams at shannonw@indyrecorder.com.
