IN-SECURITY

I sit here this bright and reasonably warm (43 degrees outside) afternoon at my wife’s parents’ home in Beijing, China. The dynamics of being on the other side of the world, in a country that at this point in history, is the polar opposite of the country I have called home for 61 years so far. China is a country of 56 different races and cultures. I find no overt racism or hatred between races here.

There are no ‘supremacy’ or ‘neo’ groups here threatening the delicate thread of community. In the light of this most recent and horrible tragic terrorist violent act in Florida, I looked up how many school shooting there have been in the USA since January. There have been seventeen. I asked my wife why there are no violent acts here in China. Reason number one: guns are illegal for the average citizen to carry. Imagine that! I have recently found it strange that the United States has such a love for the need for assault weapons and for violence toward each other.

As it stands right now, there will continue to be school shootings, there will continue to be massive domestic violence that has absolutely no way of ending given the need and bizarre love for these popular assault weapons and defending oneself from their own government and neighbor. Admit it, this is the naked truth of the USA, we are a sorely insecure bunch that needs to arm ourselves in the event our government wants to take over or our neighbor may want to harm us. If we didn’t, our government, of whom we have the luxury of voting into power, would do more than offer prayers and condolences every 60 days. It is so very sad that such horrendous tragedy like Sandy Hook, Columbine, and now Parkland among the now countless others, haven’t been enough to realize there is a core ideological flaw in how we choose to provide safety for all. Some have stated that we should arm the teachers to provide safety in the event of another shooting.

Can you imagine a school teacher faced with a student that has a gun, and this teacher, that has chosen to dedicate her/his life to the guidance and welfare of their students, actually being able to pull the trigger? It is a mental health issue? it is a social welfare issue? Or, is it purely an availability issue? I went on eBay and found multiple sites readily selling the same assault rifle used in all the school shootings. We are faced with what I have called an experiment in freedom. How far can we go with creating absolute freedom and not have responsibility get in the way? Well, school shootings every two months really answers that question.

How do we allow the total ownership and use of assault weapons and still be able to control this rampant violence? The government and one of their largest funding sources, the National Rifle Association, have no plan on curbing the sale of assault rifles to anyone who has a need or desire to be able to fire 150 rounds into a school. (apology for the sarcastic outburst) I believe there is an answer, maybe not as intense as China’s answer. When we begin to choose to be a country based on peace, responsibility and community and not a country based on hate and absolute insecurity, we can begin to heal and come together and maybe, just maybe, become a truly great country.