A Vision for a
Better World: A Conversation about Gun Control
I’m angry. Really angry. Filled with an anger growing in strength. It probably does not help that I’m
fueling this anger. Fueling it by
reading page after page of media opinion about yet another atrocity that defies
logic and explanation. We claim to
stand together as a nation sad and angry, at least for the moment, as America
adds yet another name to the growing list of violent mass murders that seem to
happen all too often these days. Columbine,
Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Tucson – and now Aurora, Colorado. We claim we are sad and angry. And yet we are remarkably unwilling to
do anything about it.
As this week comes
to a close, the events last week in Aurora, Colorado take their place among
other disturbing events that showcase our country’s ever-increasing violent
tendencies. While America does not
top the list of the greatest number of firearm murders, we do come in number
one in gun ownership. According to
a recent article produced by The
Guardian, there are approximately 270 million guns owned by civilians in
this country – that’s roughly 88 guns for every 100 people. Research generated by the Reform
Movement’s Religious Action Center reports that over 30,000 Americans die each
year from gun-related violence.
Equally disturbing, a recent Gallup poll suggests that the majority of
Americans now favor less restrictive gun control regulations, including a
desire to not renew the federal ban on assault weapons, which expired in
2004.
The numbers are
staggering. Alarming. But frankly, I find myself most outraged
about what I perceive as a lack of outrage. Why is my face-book news-feed not generating more coverage
about Aurora and the gun control issues we have in this country? Are we
complacent about this tragedy because we think of it as somebody else’s crisis?
Do we really believe it won’t
happen here? That guns are only a problem in those crazy states like Texas or
Arizona or the 31 other states in our country where purchasing a gun seems to
be easier than purchasing alcohol?
The process of
getting a weapon into your hands in America today is surprisingly less
complicated than getting a driver’s license. For most legal residents of the United States, purchasing a
gun can be as simple as going down to your local gun store, choosing a weapon,
filling out a form and then paying for the gun. This form is designed to be a background check that can take
up to three days to approve. The
reality of this background check is that it occurs almost instantaneously in
most states. These “restrictions” on gun purchases apply to citizens who buy
their guns from federally licensed dealers. It is estimated that 40% of American gun sales occur in a
secondary market where private dealers are exempt from obtaining background
checks. This means they can sell
their guns to just about anyone they want without asking any questions at
all.
So I find myself
angry – outraged at the lack of outrage.
About the events in Aurora, the loss of innocent life, and the ease with
which this disturbed individual obtained his arsenal of mayhem. And outraged that we treat events like
Aurora as unpredictable tragedies about which we can do nothing as opposed to a
real social problem that demands our voices calling for change. Voices that say the time has come for
an authentic conversation about gun control in America. A conversation that seriously examines
our current laws and whether or not they actually serve both a commitment to respect
individual rights as well as work to ensure the safety of all citizens.
Tonight marks
Shabbat Chazon, “Shabbat of Vision or Prophesy.” It is the last Shabbat before the Jewish holiday of Tisha
B’Av, which marks the commemoration of the destruction of the ancient Temples
in Jerusalem. Tradition teaches
that the second Temple was lost because of sinat
chinam, causeless hatred – most likely the same kinds of causeless hatred
that plague our modern world. Perhaps
it was this sinat chinam that inspired the choice of Isaiah’s opening verses
for the haftarah that accompanies Shabbat Chazon. The prophet Isaiah begins his prophesy, his chazon, with a strong, stinging rebuke of
the people for their poor behavior. (Isaiah 1:4)
Hoy
goi hoteh! Am keved ah’von. – Ah, sinful nation! People heavy with sin.
Brood of evil-doers. Depraved children. They have forsaken Adonai, spurned the
Holy One of Israel, turned their backs on God.
Isaiah’s
words are hard to hear, perhaps because of the truth behind them. He chastises the people about their
inability to learn from their mistakes.
Isaiah cautions the people about the price of paying lip service towards
God with sacrifices while still continuing with their sinful ways. He reminds them that they have
forgotten to do the work that God most desires, the work of justice. Without this ethical action, he warns,
their sacrificial actions are meaningless. What matters most are our dealings with one another.
Isaiah urges us
to: (Isaiah 1:16-17) … hildu ha’re’ah;
Limdu he’teiv. Dirshu mishpat.… cease to do evil; Learn to do good. Seek
out justice. If we learn anything
from Isaiah, his words remind us that our good intentions must be equally met
with good actions. That God did
not mean for us to be only concerned about ourselves but that we must also consider
the rights, the freedoms, of others as well. Otherwise our sacrifices become too self-serving. We stop doing good for God, for the
world, and only think about doing good for ourselves.
Our
country needs stricter gun laws – ones that allow gun ownership as protected
under the second amendment but laws that also carefully control the safe sale
and use of these guns. I fear that
laws that allow high-powered military weapons to be purchased by almost anyone
or encourage people that carrying a concealed weapon will ensure their safety
or promote ideas like “stand your ground” where people feel entitled to shoot
first and ask questions later are reckless, dangerous and self-serving. That these loose laws go beyond a
citizen’s right for sportsmanship or protecting a home. As lovers of justice, we must recall
the rabbinic teaching that “the one who takes a life it is as though they
destroyed the universe and the one who saves a life it is as though they saved
the universe.” But in order to
save the universe we cannot allow violence to simply beget more violence. We must take action, as Leviticus
teaches, by not standing idly by as our neighbors blood is shed.
We
need be outraged. Outraged and angry
at the loss of innocent lives.
Outraged and angry that our gun laws are spinning out of control and that
many of our politicians seem unwilling to take a real stand on the issue. And outraged and angry enough that we
stand up and call for change – to heed the words of Isaiah “and learn to do
good.” Good that honors the memory
of the victims of Aurora and the countless others lost to domestic gun violence
each year by opening up a national conversation about gun control. How together
as a nation we might move towards better, more thoughtful, respectful gun laws
that protect both our rights and our lives.
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