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Page 14
January 26, 2011
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Gun Laws for the Safety of All
Learning
lessons from
mass shootings
by
B entley
de
B ardelaben
The current debate
about Second Amend­
ment rights, gun control
law, and the ability to
properly diagnose men­
tal health has stirred pub­
lic opinion in such a way
that people are now talking about pos­
sible changes.
The tragedies that occurred at a shop­
ping plaza in Arizona, on a military base
in Texas and on a college campus in
Virginia have a common link-access to
guns by the mentally unstable. Many
have heard the saying, “guns don’t kill
people; people kill people.” While I am
not looking to argue on that point, mental
illness is a subject worthy of discussion.
It has been awhile since I’ve been
hunting, but I admit it is an exciting sport.
The rule I hunt by is kill only what I
expect to clean and eat. Further, I’ve
never been a proponent of using auto­
matic or semi-automatic weaponry. It’s
about the thrill of the hunt and the skill of
the hunter, not about slaughtering the
animal.
O bviously, I support the Second
Amendment right to bear arms. But
having a gun to protect myself and fam­
ily against a home invasion is a very
different issue.
Along with the privilege of owning
guns one must familiarize one’s house­
hold with rules of gun ownership, espe­
cially when children are young. The
tragic shootings in Tucson have reopened
this discussion.
The issue in this case is the mental
state of the gun owner. In fact, some
people support the adding of a mental
health component to the application for
acquiring a gun license.
Prior to my becoming an ordained
minister, I had to pass a rigorous mental
health test. It was mentally exhausting
to say the least.
¡Portland (Observer
The questions went over and over the
same things. But the point of repetition of
questions was the consistency of my
answers. Fortunately, I passed. This
w as good new s fo r me and the
parishioner’s whose souls I had been
charged to care for.
A mental health examination is re­
quired for women and men in ministry;
however to procure a gun license, we
overlook a person’s mental health status.
Isn’t the safety of American citizens as
important as where we spend eternity?
Comparably, these topics are apples and
oranges. Nevertheless, they are equally
important.
Some are asking that we become less
vitriolic and more mindful with our speech.
There is an earnest attempt to bring a
civil and respectful tone into our national
political debate. But civility does not
address mental illness.
In my experience, concerns about people
who are paranoid schizophrenic and hear­
ing voices in their minds have little connec­
tion with the ability to debate civilly. True,
it cannot hurt us to be civil. But we must not
lose this opportunity before us to regulate
gun ownership for the mentally ill.
The precious life of Christina Taylor
Green and the rest of our nation’s chil­
dren demand that we take action.
It is a wise nation that learns from
lessons of its past that is destined not to
repeat them. Let us be the great republic
we are and make necessary changes to our
gun laws for the safety of all. For such a
time as this, we cannot afford to fail.
Bentley de Bardelaben is the execu­
tive fo r administration and communi­
cations in Justice Ministries fo r the
United Church o f Christ.
Ww,
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