GUNS

Mar 4, 2018
3 min read

How I came across this book: The foundation of my fundraiser is based on improving the education for children around the world. Gun violence has targeted the environment for education - schools and universities.

Favorite Line from the book:

The NRA does not come right out and say the victims are also to blame for thinking they could live in America without a gun on their person or in their purse, but the implication is hard to miss.

To claim that America’s “culture of violence” is responsible for a school shooting is tantamount to cigarette company executives declaring that environmental pollution is the chief cause of lung cancer.

Stephen King wrote "Guns" in the aftermath of Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. He predicted that some enthusiasts who do not agree with his ideas and facts would be writing a blog to discredit his book. Here I am writing a blog, not necessarily to discredit his book but to discuss the facts. My intentions are not to forget the atrocities on children in Syria and other war-torn countries (highly underpublicized by the media) but to focus on gun crime in the US for few moments.

The book tells the story of usual drama of a shootout followed by media frenzy, discussions, Congress announcements etc., but usually all of it is forgotten after 2 weeks, and everything goes back to normal till the next shooting. King argues that politicians and gun lobbyist are not serious when it comes to gun control. They hide behind the 2nd amendment law claiming that America is a free country and they have the right to possess guns – a lot of guns – almost equivalent to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) while innocent blood is being shed. These gun owners usually claim they have it for hunting or self-defense just in case their homes are invaded by some crazy people of the type from ‘The Texas chainsaw massacre.’ In reality, the gun owner will never be able to take out the gun for their safety in cases there is a hypothetical attack. The data shows in most situations these guns lead to accidental shooting of innocent family members. King claims that America’s “culture of violence” is not the reason for American gun violence. He gives examples of top Hollywood movies or top selling video games are not usually violent. I am not entirely convinced by the argument. But, in favor of King’s point, these movies and video games are also available in other countries where the gun crime is much lower. King proposes some reasonable measures in his book such as comprehensive and universal background checks, ban the sale of clips and magazines containing more than ten rounds, and ban the sale of assault weapons such as Bushmaster and AR-15. You don’t need these WMD with multiple rounds to kill a poor deer – one good shot is enough. You don’t need these WMD for self-defense – the real world in 2018 is not anything like the TV drama, ‘the walking dead.’

When the American forefathers wrote the constitution along with the second amendment, they did not have AR-15 and other WMD in their mind. I am sure they must be rolling in their graves right now in the wake of all the mass murder while the the gun lobbyists are using the 2nd amendment as their shield. Michael Stone, a psychiatrist at Columbia University who maintains a database of mass shooters, wrote in a 2015 analysis, that only 52 out of the 235 killers in the database, or about 22 percent, had mental illnesses. So, what are real statistics for American gun violence?

What are the facts about gun control? Can it work? Has it worked any other country? Let us look at Australia. After Australia's 'gun buyback program,' the rate of gun violence has gone down dramatically. We can discuss many other countries such as Japan or UK. Statistics and comparisons are mind-boggling. King withdrew his novel Rage, which was used as an inspirational book by few psychologically sick kids to terrorize other students. In reality, these kids were already mentally broken, and the book did not make them violent. King wrote “Guns” more than two decades later to explain that even though it was a difficult decision for him to withdraw ‘Rage’ from the market but he felt it was morally correct. His website states: "All profits from 'Guns' will benefit the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun violence.” I am a strong believer in individual liberties, freedom, and constitution, but we all know this is about 'money' and 'power,' and not a law. Hopefully, the gun lobbyist will stand up one day, look inside themselves and decide what is morally correct to make a better society.