Thoughts On "Bowling For Columbine"

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.

What's a "gun culture?"

Ivanj- read the threads-however if you really need me to explain-in simple terms owning a gun,guns being used in violence,guns being relatively easy to legally own and reasonably cheap to buy,a police force that requires to be armed,accidents involving guns,people who feel the need to defend themselves with guns,youths with guns,massacres with guns-none of which are unique to America but sadly much more common than arguably anywhere else in the world.
Guns are part of American culture.

I would be most interested in hearing a perspective from Thedautch since he is a politics/policy guy living in Washington, D.C. which happens to have the most restrictive gun laws in the entire country. Am I correct that D.C. still enjoys the distinction of being the most gun violent city in the country? Do the citizens of D.C. feel safer now with all the gun contol than they did prior to the newer restrictions?

These are honest questions coming from one who lives 2,000 miles away from the nations capital without benefit of being able to ask acquaintances.

Lugnut--I appreciate your request for my perspective. Basically, here's how Washington works: it's shaped like a baseball diamond, and the four quadrants are called NE, NW, SE, and SW. Northwest is almost universally safe from gun violence. That section includes white-collar working areas such as the Farragut Square area near the White House and a number of government buildings. It also includes ritzy, upscale residential areas like Dupont Circle and Georgetown. Even the more middle-class parts of NW, like Cleveland Park, are also considered quite safe.

On the other hand, there's NE, SE, and SW. When it comes to gun-related violence, anything can happen in those areas, and it often does. Here's the bottom line: the respected people in DC who have a political voice and some efficacy live in NW, and they simply ignore the gun violence because they themselves are safe. The residents in the other sections of town are largely ignored, as they are mostly poor people of color who have virtually no political power at all. Please, don't read this as some sort of black/white commentary; I'm just describing how Washington breaks down demographically and sociologically.

"As long as the killers don't come up here," the Northwesterners effectively say, "gun violence isn't even an issue."

Those who don't want to deal with it move to a suburban enclave in Virginia (or a few select parts of Maryland) and only go into the District itself for work (usually in a nice, safe part of Washington).

If there's anything else you (or anyone) would like me to address that I may have glossed over, please let me know and I'll fill you in as best as I can.