Gun Control, Just a Thought

So, last Saturday, I was reclined on my couch with my two long-haired doxies on my lap, watching the latest news on kids marching for more gun control. It just so happened that two Millennials had also joined me to view what was transpiring on the big screen; my youngest son, an AP (Advanced Placement) and MUN (Model United Nations) high school history teacher, and his long-time friend who of course just happens to be a NASA research scientist and engineer. Being a retired homicide detective, who at 70 had just finished his last cold case homicide, and still conducts seminars on stalking and threat assessment, I already knew what was about to happen. I also was well aware that academically, I was probably at somewhat of a disadvantage.

“Dad, what is your take on what is happening, and why shouldn’t we have tougher gun control laws?”  Of course, being an avid proponent for gun ownership as well as loving to shoot a variety of firearms including my AR-15 and other similar weapons, I began by advising both my learned companions: First, I strongly believe in the American populace right to lawful assembly and protest; however, that being said  the gun is merely the tool that is being utilized in these terrible scenarios and it is the individual pulling the trigger that is culpable for his or her actions. As you can imagine, that opened the floodgates; to what followed to be a heavy and at times heated discussion.

These were the ideas my son and his friend laid out on how gun control should progress. 1. No civilian should be able to purchase any type of “assault” weapon. 2. The age to purchase any firearm needed to be raised to at least twenty-one, 3. Anyone who wanted to purchase a firearm should be subjected to a mental health screening prior to being allowed to purchase said firearm. Once, those terms were finally extracted from the discussion, each one was re-hashed.

The scientist, was adamant that the only thing a semi-automatic rifle was designed for was to kill another human being. When I attempted to explain to him that these types of rifles were one of the most popular rifles in the United States for a variety of reasons, which not only included defense, but also hunting; especially varmint hunting. They were light-weight, easy to use, and fairly accurate. He disagreed, and commented that he to enjoyed shooting, but only did so at a certified range where he rented the guns he utilized and couldn’t understand why people wanted to keep guns at their residence.

My son who has grown up around firearms and been well-trained in their usage was more flexible. However, being a teacher, he did not want teachers to be armed, nor did he want schools to have armed security on their campuses; which in my opinion is exactly what is going to have to happen as one of the deterrents to future events.  He agreed about obtaining mental evaluations as well as raising the age for gun purchases.

The next phase of our go around turned to the whys of what has and I am sure will continue to transpire concerning the issue of school shootings. These are the things all of us all could agree on: The Internet allows individuals with issues to glean information on any topic they were interested in, gun usage, bomb making, mass shootings, etc. Social media can and does also exacerbate conditions and frustrations.

Gaming, in specific individuals can and does lead to those individuals venting, and the twenty-four-hour news cycle can and does lead to clustering (copy-cat scenarios) after a shooting event has transpired.  My son and his friend begrudgingly agreed with me funding for mental health issues in general, let alone screenings for firearms purchases just wasn’t going to happen.

Once, things had calmed down a tad, I began to reflect on what had just transpired. I thought, how did I get to where I am in my feelings towards firearms? Well, like many boomers, I grew up with guns. My dad taught me how to shoot at age nine, and I used to hunt and target shoot with a group of my teenage friends on a regular basis. The gun/rifle was oftentimes looked upon as another tool that was used when necessary, or for fun plinking away at endless paper targets, balloons, plastic water jugs, etc. We would compete to see who was the best shot, never thinking about going out and shooting someone for any reason. If I had a problem with a kid, and we got into it, we solved it with our hands. The thought of getting a gun to take care of the issue never crossed most kids minds. You had to read the newspaper, listen to radio, or watch a half hour local news broadcast to get news at all so you probably would not have heard of gun violence, if it took place, any distance from where you were.  I trained all my kids and many of my grandkids on how to safely utilize a firearm and to enjoy shooting as well. Once I entered into law enforcement the gun was just another tool that I used, and at no time did I want to injure or kill anyone with that tool; even though, if I had to I would have in the performance of my duties.

Over the years, I have seen things change; especially with the media we have previously discussed. If you query those involved in the realm of neuroscience, you know that most kids in their teens up until their mid-twenties brains have not evolved. Therefore, when the impulse center of the brain tells a youth to act or re-act the portion of the brain that tells he or she to wait a minute and think this through hasn't caught up, yet.

So, in conclusion, maybe it is time for us to raise the age of purchasing a firearm to twenty-one. We definitely need to push for better threat assessment, and for our law enforcement and social agencies to take action when they are prompted, and not ignore or sit in the wings until it is too late.