The different aspects and perspectives of society have allowed me to express my feelings in a very "unique" way. One of the aspects of nowadays society is violence, particularly gun violence. Nearly all Americans are still suffering from the almost deadly effects of the Jan. 8 shooting attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Thankfully, the young woman survived her horrific ordeal. However, society is still stricken by the effects of such an incident. Whenever something tragic happens in one's life, they tend to have one question that no one(no matter how thoroughly they try) can seem to answer.This question is why. All that the suffering individual wants to know is WHY things of this nature seem to occur over and over again. Sadly, we still do not have the answer. From reading newspapers, Yahoo! news, Google, and various other media sites, I have come to some type of conclusion. Guns. Yes, NRA, guns are the problem. Well, let me be very clear on how I phrase that last sentence. Guns, as strictly inanimate objects, do not possess the capability to propose any threat to society. Instead, it is us "rational" human beings that are using these "innocent" objects to create problems. The problem that must be solved is how easy it is to get guns in this country. Obviously, gun violence, high death tolls, and high homicide rates have not given lawmakers any clues as to why strict gun laws need to go into effect, soon, uh I mean NOW!!!!. What is America waiting for? Another assassination attempt? Yes, humans. This is very rational.
Approximately two weeks ago, I wrote an article for my college newspaper, The Argus, in response to Nebraska's proposal to create a new gun law. I am deeply sorry if I forgot to mention that lawmakers in Nebraska have all this easy access to gun business figured out. Hats off to you Nebraska! Two weeks ago, I read an article on Yahoo! about Sen. Mark Christensen of Nebraska wanting to propose a gun law that will allow teachers, school administrators and security guards to carry concealed weapons inside schools. This law is supposed to combat school shootings(since Nebraska is still in shock over the Jan. 5 shooting at Millard South High School). I was beyond outraged when I read such a proposal. This is not even close to human rationality. Handing out guns is not the solution to gun violence in this country. It creates more problems than it hopes to get rid of. In my article, I made it evident that I am against such a proposal and that there had to be some other possible solution to the problem of gun violence. I proposed the generic solution of installing metal detectors in schools. While this is a generic solution, it may be crazy enough to work(?). However, one of the students at my university did not seem to understand my argument and decided to reply to my article. She was quite upset with my generic idea lol. I intend to reply to her "irrationality" in the next week to come, but for now I will leave you with her reply to my argument. Enjoy. Oh, and thanks to all those who had the attention span and excitability to make it this far in the post.
The objection
Deadly shootings are occurring across the country with alarming frequency. In her last column, Kiara Blake-Knight refuted lawmakers' reactionary support for concealed-carry laws, concluding that carrying concealed weapons inherently increases violence.
As an alternative to that solution, Blake-Knight advocates a vague concept of "safety," which would involve employing the use of metal detectors in schools. But this is also an ill-advised response to killing sprees.
Installing metal detectors breeds an atmosphere of distrust and fear, causing students to feel persecuted and criminalized upon entering an institution they are obligated to attend. Additionally, many American schools find the intense logistical issues involved with installing these nearly impossible to overcome. Poorer areas, where crime is typically more prevalent, lack the public tax revenue to purchase, install, maintain and staff these metal detectors.
The solution to eliminating violence is not to react to it, but to prevent it. This is accomplished not through eliminating the use of firearms and other weapons outright, but in understanding violence itself and what causes violence. Shootings do not occur because of guns; they occur because of disgruntled, disturbed people who decide violence is the best solution to a problem.
Blake-Knight attacks human intelligence and rationality because they use guns and weapons to facilitate their killing, unlike animals. Humans created weapons to increase the distance between killer and victim.
While this fact is depressing, considering we are now capable of destroying entire Pakistani villages while sitting in front of a computer screen in America, it is also an example of brilliant mental prowess.
By creating weapons, humans also created the ability to kill more efficiently, effectively and with less psychological damage to the killers.
The existence of guns facilitates higher levels of violence, but promoting ambiguous "safety" by advocating the installation of grossly expensive machines and creating an atmosphere of distrust certainly does not come across as the best course of action. Perhaps Blake-Knight could stand to educate herself more on the psychology and sociology of violence and why people kill. Maybe then she could attack those who attempt to prevent violence and shootings with a more effective argument.
I would recommend a book by Lt. Dave Grossman M.D., an Army psychologist who examined the psychological effects of killing on humans in a book called "On Killing:The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War in Society." Additionally, James Gilligan M.D., in his book "Violence:Reflections on a National Epidemic," examined violent criminal offenders and the psychological and structural issues that led them to kill.
Kiara Blake-Knight asks for an effective, crime-deterring solution. How about eliminating class divisions that promote animosity, racism that manufactures inferiority, prisons that dehumanize American citizens or wars that promote violence as a solution?
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