Thoughts On "Bowling For Columbine"

This thread makes we wonder...how many of us are liberal and how many are conservative? Maybe it's just because I'm a politics/policy guy in DC, but the question *does* cross my mind from time to time.

I've held a concealed weapons license for many years and rarely leave the house unarmed. Never had to use it and hope I never do but I don't intend to be a victim of violent crime. Here in Florida we have plenty of it.

Thirty percent of the adults in the county where I live have a conceal carry permit. In fact, the sheriff must have a compelling reason NOT to issue such a permit by state law. Without a doubt, the criminals have guns and I'm glad that law abiding folks standing next to me are likely armed and ready to deal with the types of violence that makes world headlines. Armed robberies and such are unheard of around here. Drive-by shootings and gang killings are another story.

Aside from the drug crazed and gang turf related homicides there are a number of reasons why we kill each other so often. Our society grades the value of life on a scale with the most expendable being the very young and the very old. The unborn are devalued entirely. Check out the sentences levied upon child and elderly killers compared to those in the prime of life. Statistics prove this to be true. Mental illness is another aspect that is in this curious mix. The late 70's and early 80's saw the wholesale eviction of mental institution residents. These poor souls make up a huge percentage of the homeless with nobody monitoring their intake of necessary medications. Health insurance coverage makes mental health treatment too costly for those needing it the most. Personally I see no difference between a broken leg or a broken mind. Both need to be fixed as best they can.

Most people are a mile wide and an inch deep when it comes to thinking these issues through. Everyone seems to want the quick fix and to hell with the consequences. Consider these differences when comparing the United States with other wealthy countries: The totality of individual freedoms offered. The constant influx of immigrants. The multitude of races. The volume of different religions. The various types of political persuasions. Sexual orientations. The breakdown of the family unit. Languages....The point I'm trying to make here is that the United States is THE WORLD mixed together in this great experiment. Does it surprise anyone that really getting along is difficult and without violence?

Guns and gun owners can't be broken down by political beliefs as easily as most believe. Classic, old school Democrats and Republicans share the belief that our Constitiution gaurantees the right to keep and bear arms. As in all cases of opinion, our press provides coverage to whatever group that boosts ratings and in doing so, minor players are often given disproportionate coverage which compel the viewer to believe that their numbers are greater than they are.

I wish that critical thinking were required courses for high school graduation. It troubles me a great deal that simple solutions are offered for complex problems and gun control is a simple solution. In my day to day life I fear law enforcement more than I fear my fellow civilian. And this isn't coming from someone that is anti law enforcement. Think about it. When police exceed their authority, who investigates them? I'm uncomfortable with all the potential abuses in the Homeland Security legislation. After all, the system isn't made up of special people. They are human just like the rest of us and history has shown that police will push the enforcement envelope and trample upon the rights of the citizens. Case law is full of examples of how police have been reigned in from time to time for abusing the trust the people have placed in them. To a large extent, Homeland Security has destroyed good case law and I'm fearful that the price we are paying for perceived security is much too high.

I'm sorry to ramble on so long about this as I'm sure most have given up reading this diatribe several paragraphs earlier. To those that are fellow citizens I only ask that we consider our similarities rather than focusing on our differences. To those that are from other countries I ask that you consider some of the issues that this nation faces that no other nation on earth faces in such magnitude.

Of course the sad thing is that the USA has developed a gun culture and once that is the case then the argument(pro and anti ) is a very complicated one.
Living here in the UK I am very glad that guns either used in violence (although growing)is still relatively rare and that our police do not carry guns.
I think from reading what I've read above it's clear that American society is the poorer for the development of such a culture..............

Lugnut, nice discourse. Ben, we are both richer and poorer in different ways from every other culture -- like our hobby, there is no best. Rather, there are trade-offs and things we have to bear (at least in the short run). America's culture is relatively new and relatively immature. Plus, we are in a place where gun control is virtually impossible even were it wanted. As Lugnut suggests, it is difficult to separate causes from both good and bad effects so violence is a difficult problem to address. We would all prefer that some sub-cultures (e.g., gangs) not exist, but we are not willing to bear the cost of doing so (i.e., to our fundamental freedoms and via higher taxes). I'm optimistic so believe that, over time, many various components will come together to provide us with a less violent set of social trade-offs.