Politicians use statistics and polls to emphasize the parts of the truth that they want us to believe. But, statistics should not be used as simple talking points. “Gun deaths: are not the same as “gun violence.” Seven people died in Mississippi two weeks ago. Several more were hit by gunfire. Even more were missed. If we ignore those who were nearly hit, we have ignored the reality of danger. Tell us how many shell cases were picked up by police? That's the measure of potential death. Potential is measured by how many bullets missed.
Death by violence is unacceptable. We should move to prevent it. When Cain killed Abel, he used a military grade weapon. It was a club or perhaps a rock. When David killed Goliath, he brought plenty of ammunition. Five smooth river rocks. Goliath had four brothers. David was planning on a mass killing. Samson killed a thousand men with one jawbone. There was no reason to disarm virtuous men in those ancient times. And there is no reason to disarm virtuous men and women today.
Statistics from 2023 demonstrate knives and other cutting instruments killed three times as many people as did assault rifles. Victims were beaten to death at a rate 130% more often than by assault rifles.
How many “homicides” are the result of a good person with a gun reacting to a bad person with a gun? That's a number I'd like to see in the Pew Research Center report. I'd like to ask questions about all recent reports of gun violence. How many of the shooters were under 21 years of age. How many of the guns were stolen guns? How many of the shooters were convicted felons? Were the shootings related to place or location? Were they on school property? Places of worship? Public buildings? Places where alcohol is served? In other words, were they committing a crime before the first shot was fired?
I want completeness in the numbers.
I take particular umbrage at the statement “The conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court has made it hard for the states to reduce the prevalence of guns....”
On September 17, 1787, Independence Hall in Philadelphia hosted the Constitutional Convention for the signing of the United States Constitution. Thirty-Nine delegates signed it. Three did not. George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph left the Hall thinking they had simply duplicated what they had just defeated in England. They proposed 12 amendments. And in 1791 the first 10 Amendments were adopted and ratified in all 13 States. Those Ten Amendments have been in place forever since then. Not piecemeal, but all at once to correct the error left behind in 1787.
Because of this great correction, we do not live in a democracy. We live in a Constitutional Republic. Washington, D.C. does not govern us. Our Congress, men and women, do not govern us. They represent us. The Tenth Amendment says clearly that powers not given to the federal government or withheld from the states are reserved to the states.
Each Supreme Court Justice takes an oath that says, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
So, whether a Judge is conservative or liberal is totally irrelevant. Conservative Judges are just as sick of violence as are liberal judges. Conservatives and liberals alike are sickened by violence. Supreme Court Justices are not making it hard for states to reduce the prevalence of guns. The Constitution forbids the State to reduce the prevalence of guns. The Justices abide by their oath. And, Sir, this is not an “overly broad interpretation” of the Second Amendment. If anything, it is a simple and quite narrow interpretation.
The Oxford Language Dictionary defines the word “inherent” as: existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute. Inherently “good” people will obey the law. So if you ban all firearms, good people will simply turn theirs in to the authorities. But, inherently bad people will not turn theirs in. Bad people, because they are inherently bad, will continue to do bad things. It's inherent in them.
In 1620, the Plymouth Colony recognized that it is necessary, in some circumstances, to be armed. The Colony adopted a law that required each person and each man servant to be armed. In 1636, they were required to bring their muskets to Church. This is because churches are not “inherently” safe places. And in 1631 it was illegal to travel between Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth without being armed or to travel more than a mile from home without being armed. Travelling is not “inherently” safe.
If a person has no means of defending himself, that person is inherently defenseless. Our school children are inherently defenseless. Unarmed innocent bystanders are inherently defenseless. Bad people are inherently dangerous. Whether it's Indian raids, terrorist bombings, September 11, Hamas, the Vice Lords, the Disciples, or even a rival football game, bad people are going to do bad things. And disarming inherently good people won't prevent it. Only armed good guys can stop it.
When confronted with “Violence begets Violence,” Colonel Cooper replied, “I certainly hope so.”
In October of 2023, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas traveled into Israel to continue the 3,000 years of violence which you mentioned. Your editorial comments that hatred is an awfully hard legacy to overcome. You also stated that Israel “overplayed” its advantage. In the words of my mother, “Enough is enough.”
The Editorial of October 17 acknowledges the Biblical history of the Middle East. When the terrorist organization Hamas invaded Israel, committed mass murder and kidnaped hostages, what was their purpose? What were those thugs trying to accomplish? The seven deaths in Mississippi resulted from a disagreement. News media said the shooting started over a disagreement. A special interest group invaded Israel because they had a disagreement. How has that worked out for them? Violence was a response to the disagreement. It was not a solution.
The only hostages that were returned were those that were not murdered. Not a single hostage died from natural causes. They did not simply die while in captivity. They were murdered. Two Hundred Fifty One “hostages” were kidnaped. Only 21 were not murdered. And the inherently bad people accomplished nothing.
The murder of people at an outdoor concert in Israel is not different from Columbine or Sandy Hook or the sum total of all murder of the innocents. If you disarm all of the inherently good people, wherever they are, you will still have inherently bad people, wherever they are.
Guns and knives and clubs are neither inherently good nor inherently bad. People are.
Bentley Conner is a Canton attorney.
