Martin, 14 year old who just got shot in Florida.
I’ve been reluctant to wade into this topic. It takes a lot of energy to engage in debate around this. The level of psychic energy that surrounds this topic is incredibly intense. There’s some real fear, on both sides, that fuels an unhelpful debate. And it is so easy to just be dogmatic and judgmental, both of which are things I just don’t want in my life. I’m not here - in general - to tell people what to do or how to feel.
But.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how I might have kids some day. And, when that kid looks up into my smiling face, and asks me, “Daddy, what do you think about guns?”, I want them to know how I felt, and how I’ve always felt. Because my feelings about guns haven’t changed much over the years. I have what I think to be a fairly moderate attitude about them, born of association with people on all sides and an understanding of the behavioral science behind the issue.
First of all, let me just get this out of the way: I, personally, do not want a gun. I will never shoot a gun. I do not want to be around when guns are fired unless it is some kind of terrible emergency. I don’t want them in any house I own or apartment I rent. I especially don’t want them to be around anyone I care about, and especially, especially children. I don’t see them ever being a part of my life and I’m completely comfortable with that. That’s not a rational or scientific feeling, mostly, it’s a “gut check”. I just don’t want them.
Having said that, there are a lot of things that I don’t want in my life, and that doesn’t mean that *nobody* should want those things. I also don’t want a knife, or a tractor, or even a power saw. But power saws are super useful. In fact, I want *somebody* to have a power saw, because I want the things that power saws can make, like a house. But I want the person who owns that saw to know what they’re doing, and hopefully have a license or whatever. I don’t need to hold it in my own hand to see the benefit.
So, yeah, you want to own a gun? That’s cool. I hope you stay safe. I’d love it if you took a test, first. And maybe you should be 21. And, like, do you need to own 47 of them? Could we stick to 3 or 4? And, like, can we just use the “least gun for the job”? I mean, do you need to kill 15 people all at once? Also, please don’t bring it to my house. Or my kid’s school. If that’s cool. Thanks. (Sorry, forgot one more thing: don’t shoot anybody unless they’re literally about to kill you. OK?)
Now, *truth* is a slippery thing. The closer we look at it, the more it dissolves sometimes. For example, people say the Earth is round. Well, sorta? I mean actually it’s kind of angular if you look really close, with mountains and buildings and such. And what does “round” mean, anyway? It’s not a precise mathematical term. You mean, because it isn’t straight? Well, what does straight mean? Even “straight” is not really precise.
And yet - if you are in a job interview with me, and you tell me you think the Earth is flat, the interview is over.
There are different kinds of opinions. Some opinions I wholeheartedly agree with (“rape is bad”). Some I generally agree with (“The Patriots cheated in the Super Bowl”). Some I generally disagree with but would be happy to debate (“McDonalds makes lousy food”). But then there are opinions that I would call “unhelpful”. They are opinions that, if you hold them, I don’t know how to relate to you. I’m not sure where to go. If you hold that opinion, I personally will come to the conclusion that it is not useful or helpful for me to communicate with you.
And, “I think a 19 year old should be able to buy an AR-15” is one of those. In this day and age, it is right up there with “The Earth is flat”, or “women can’t do math” or “It rains when the rain god is angry”. It’s not something I want to debate anymore. I don’t want to spend that energy. If you hold that attitude, my main goal is not to re-educate you but to isolate you, like a chemical spill, so you can’t cause any damage. The fact that people with that attitude hold any sway or power in our society is a sad commentary on our times that future historians will regard as barbaric and a bizarre anomaly.
I only hope I live long enough to see rational attitudes win the day.