No Country for Dead Children: It’s Time for Rational Gun Control

No Country for Old Men is a film about the inevitability of evil. No matter what you do, no matter how clever you are, you can’t outrun the devil. The devil in this case is an assassin named Anton Chigurh, and for our purposes he has just captured a rival killer named Carson Wells. Carson knows he’s doomed. Just before he dies, he asks Chigurh, “Do you have any idea how crazy you are?” To which Chigurh responds, “Do you mean the nature of this conversation?”

Carson shakes his head, no, “I mean the nature of you.”

On February 14, 2018, an ex-student walked onto the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkdale, Florida with an AR-15 and shot seventeen students and teachers to death. At least two teachers died defending the children under their protection. As I write this, student survivors like the now famous David Hogg are demanding answers and an explanation. How did we get here? Why didn’t you protect us? How many children have to die before something changes?

The American script is old and tattered. Someone is upset and buys a gun, more likely a lot of guns. They kill people. We express shock and moral indignation. We send thoughts and prayers. The gun lobby is silent, then sympathetic, then indignant. The left is loud, then confused, then silent. News ratings get a bump. Time passes. People die one by one, day after day. Only the body count changes.

“Do you have any idea how crazy you are?” David Hogg might ask us.

“Do you mean the nature of this debate?” America asks.

“I mean the nature of you.”

David doesn’t understand that Sandy Hook is just a remake of Columbine, or that Parkdale is just a remake of Sandy Hook. They are not merely expected scenes in the great American drama to him. His friends died. His teachers died. He knows how crazy we are, and he knows we have to change the script or it will just happen again, and again, and again. But we never change the script. And he knows that too. #NeverAgain is an aspirational name. He’s young. He’ll learn.

Here are the teachers and children who died in Parkland, Florida: Peter Wang, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Luke Hoyer, Alaina Petty, Jamie Guttenberg, Alex Schachter, Martin Duque, Alyssa Alhadeff, Helena Ramsay, Scott J. Beigel, Joaquin Oliver, Cara Loughran, Meadow Pollack, Gina Montalto, Chris Hixon and Carmen Marie Schentrup. I have no idea why they’re in that order. Is that the order in which they were shot, died, or were found? It seems entirely random.

NBC News: 16 of the 17 Victims at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, FL

Whatever order your read or skim their names, these people are not actors. They are not extras, special effects or avatars. They are, or were, someone’s greatest love; the purpose of their life. And now they’re gone, forever. In the sequel, there’s a different cast. And there’s always a sequel.

Next time the devil flips a coin, the child might be yours. Try to imagine that. The bullet from an AR-15 leaves the barrel at more than 3,000 feet per second and has nearly ten times the energy of the average handgun. One apparently random bullet enters your child’s face through the eye socket, liquefies the brain, and then blows off the back of the skull. Was it a boy or girl? Oh, a little girl. What did you call her when she was born? Sweetie? Honey? Doesn’t matter know.

In No Country for Old Men, Chigurh flips an actual coin to decide who lives or dies. It’s not subtle. Sometimes his victims don’t even know what they’re betting. In one scene, he tells a gas station owner, “You need to call it. I can’t call it for you. It wouldn’t be fair.” The owner hesitates and says, “I didn’t put nothin’ up,” to which Chigurh replies, “Yes, you did. You’ve been putting it up your whole life. You just didn’t know it.”

Now think about how you kissed your little girl good-bye that morning. The last morning. Did you pack her a lunch? Did you know what you were putting up? You’ve been putting it up your whole life. This is America. Every day is a flip of the coin. You never thought about how your daughter would die, not graphically. You probably assumed she could have an open casket so everyone could see how beautiful she was. That’s probably not a good idea.

“In 2013, there were 73,505 nonfatal firearm injuries and 33,636 deaths due to injury by firearms,” according to Wikipedia. “These deaths consisted of 11,208 homicides, 21,175 suicides, 505 deaths due to accidental or negligent discharge of a firearm, and 281 deaths due to firearms use with undetermined intent.” People are dying in even greater numbers today. By the time you finish reading this post, at least one American will have committed suicide with a gun or been shot by someone else. Did you know them? Probably not.

No Country for Old Men has one of the most emotionally disappointing endings you can imagine. The hero dies and Chigurh escapes. Evil wins. It’s so inevitable it’s not worth showing on screen. You walk out of the theater feeling cheated. Imagine the missing scene is a Madlib. You can put anything you want into that empty space. You can put the name of the young many who shot 18 people at Marshall HS or the one who slaughtered 9 students and faculty at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. It doesn’t matter. The script is the same, and the ending is the same. Roll credits, find a new cast and start shooting.

Do we understand how crazy we are?

I think we’re starting to. I’m not using cinematic simile to be clever. I’m using it because we have all become involuntary players in a collective act of atrocity. We are used to pretending that what we see on screen has nothing to do with us. It wasn’t our children who died at Parkdale, we did nothing to upset the young man at Columbine, and our legal use of firearms didn’t put AR-15s in the hands of the mentally ill.

All of that is true, and it’s all bullshit. David Hogg’s friends and teachers didn’t die because the devil flipped a coin. They died because you and I did nothing the last time we walked out of the theater. We accepted the script. We allowed it to be remade. We are culpable.

As you stand in the rain at your daughter’s funeral, you think about the words you’re about to speak. You watch the teddy bear on top of her closed coffin soak up water and swell just like her body. It’s hard to remember your speech. If it helps, here’s a template:

“I loved my little girl, _______. She was beautiful and she lit up the room with her laughter. She loved ______ and wanted to be a _______ when she grew up. Everybody loved her. She was innocent. She didn’t deserve this. I just wish I could have protected her. I’m so sorry, baby.”

You should practice in the mirror beforehand. It’s hard to remember the words when all you can think about is how she looked when you identified her at the morgue. She was naked under the sheet on that freezer drawer, and everything smelled like bleach. They tried to clean up her face.

I just wish I could have protected her.

As you stand in the rain, how much would you give to go back in time and protect your little girl? How much would a parent pay for another flip of the coin? A thousand dollars? A million? Would you give your own life instead?

Wouldn’t it be better if we just changed the script? Of course it would. So let’s change it, right now, so neither you nor anyone else has to face that horror again. Let’s start by doing things most of us agree on and most of us want done today anyway, which is some degree of moderate gun control. As you can see from Gallup (or pretty much anywhere you look), there is consistent majority interest in some degree of additional gun control in the USA:

Gallup Poll: Increasing Support for Gun Control

We just haven’t done anything. Why? The answer is obvious: there are powerful groups and wealthy special interests that oppose all gun regulation, and those groups have far more power in US democracy than they should. They think they have the right to direct the story of your life. It’s up to you to take that power back. They’re not going to give it to you.

How do we take that power back? Part of it’s easy; we have to stop believing the story they’re telling us. Gun control is not always government tyranny. You can reduce deaths without stripping Americans of their 2nd Amendment rights. And once we get past the mythology, it’s easier to see the moderate and sane gun control measures that are right in front of us.

Rational & Effective Gun Policy Options

Back in 2017, the New York Times tried to put together a list of exactly those sane and effective gun control policies, in priority order. I know it’s a liberal source, but if there’s a conservative source offering anything  other than No!, I can include that too. I don’t care, as long as the answer isn’t to keep doing nothing.

With that in mind, here is what the NYT came up with. This is a matrix showing popular support along the vertical axis and probable effectiveness along they horizontal axis. Policies closest to the top right are most popular and effective. Effectiveness was evaluated by professional criminologists:

NYT: Where Experts and the Public Agree

Here is the same information presented in tabular format, but including only to the most effective and popular policies (The full list is on the NYT page):

If we begin at the top right of the matrix and work our way down, we should be able to prioritize gun control policies by both effectiveness and probability of implementation.

Gun Policy Options in Priority Order

There is nothing in this list about banning guns or any argument for or against the 2nd Amendment. These are just reasonable, moderate options for regulating gun ownership and purchases while fully supporting the 2nd Amendment, presented in the order of greatest support and probable effectiveness.  I offer them this way because, I hope, we’ll start at the top and work our way down only as necessary–starting with Universal Background Checks.

1. Background Checks for Firearms (& Ammunition) Purchases

According to Wikipedia, a universal background check (UBC) would require that most firearms purchases  in the USA, including those at trade shows, go through the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) system. Wikipedia further notes that: “In a 2017 survey, a panel of 32 scholars of criminology, public health and law rated universal background checks as the most effective policy to prevent gun deaths, ranking it #1 of 29 possible gun-related policies.” This is the same survey referenced in the introduction.

Background checks for firearms is a policy that enjoys wide public support, even among gun owners and NRA members, as shown in this 2018 Washington Post article. There is slightly less support for the same checks for ammo purchases.

Capital Insight: Support for Background Checks

What I’m suggesting is a policy that requires UBCs for both firearms and ammunition, and that sales are banned to specific groups of people:

• People who have been convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanors, including domestic assaults until they are a reasonable number of years past serving all prison and probation time;
• People who have been convicted of stalking until they are a reasonable number of years past serving all prison and probation time;
• Anyone under a current restraining order for domestic abuse;
• People who have been reported as dangerous to law enforcement by a mental health provider, with a clear definitions of what types of mental illness applies, and for how long.

With the exception of restraining orders, this corresponds exactly to the most effective and popular policies in the NYT poll of criminologists (shown in green):

Background Checks and Rejection Criteria

Note: I don’t support a firearm purchase ban for anyone suspected of anything, including domestic abuse, terrorism, etc. This has to be done with full due process, or it’s an overreach.

Some states have already enacted similar legislation, including Connecticut, which went much further by:

…expanding an existing ban on the sale of assault weapons, prohibiting the sale of magazines with more than 10 rounds and requiring the registration of existing assault rifles and higher-capacity magazines. The state also required background checks for all firearms sales and created a registry of weapons offenders, including those accused of illegally possessing a firearm.  – New York Times

I ‘m not advocating for or against what Connecticut has done. My only comment is that if you are concerned with excessive limitations on your 2nd Amendment rights, supporting a Universal Background Check is one way to take a gradual approach that may prevent states from doing much more on their own. Burying your head in the sand is not going to work. Being part of the solution just might.

WILL BACKground CHEcks HELP?

Yes. This one policy change, requiring purchases for both firearms and ammunition to go through a reasonable, instant background check, should have minimal impact on law-abiding citizens while reducing the incidences of gun violence. If any single policy change should be enacted ASAP, this is the one.

In fact, according to a study in The Lancet, the combination of firearm and ammunition background checks are two of the most demonstrably beneficial firearm regulations:

After adjustment for relevant covariates, the three state laws most strongly associated with reduced overall firearm mortality were universal background checks for firearm purchase, ammunition background checks, and identification requirement for firearms.

Any such policy should be tracked to ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximizes chances for success and minimizes impacts on law-abiding citizens.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “Gun Background Checks“
• Lancet: “State Level Study“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support Universal Background Checks for firearm purchases, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for Universal Background Checks for all gun and ammo purchases, whether made in retail stores or at trade shows and other venues.

For too long, criminals and the mentally ill have been able to purchase firearms without consistent background checks. American citizens are dying by the tens of thousands. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

Additional Thoughts

The only real intellectual opposition to this is from conservatives who claim that background checks will lead to a giant government database that can later be used to restrict the rights of Americans. I cannot emphasize how archaic this argument is. Do you honestly think the government doesn’t already have this database?

We allow them to collect just about everything for security reasons via numerous NSA and other programs. This includes email, phone numbers, contacts, associates and god knows what else. There’s your list. They have it. You’re on it. If you support NSA surveillance of electronic communications, then you  already support the existence of a list of Americans. And if you don’t, who cares? It already exists.

In other words, there is no rational fear of the government creating a list that it already has. The only list it does not have is a firearm registry, and the creation of that list is not recommended here as a policy suggestion (see below); it is of dubious value, and will never pass at the national level. There is no reason irrational fear should get in the way of a universal background check process.

Given that there is no net additional threat to American liberty posed by universal background checks, I fully support them as national policy. I hope you do too.

2. Outlaw Modifications to Create Automatic Weapons

This isn’t on the NYT list, because it’s already supposed to be the law. Automatic weapons and machine guns are already illegal. Bump stocks such as those used in Las Vegas are just a technical way to get around the law. Close the loophole and enforce it.

WILL THIS BAN HELP?

Probably. It’s a little hard to know, because bump stocks and other equivalent modifications are so easy to make yourself. Black market kits are easily obtained. It’s worth doing for the simple reason that a bump stock serves no practical defensive or hunting purpose; you can’t aim worth a damn when firing with one.

Any such policy should be tracked to ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximizes chances for success and minimizes impacts on law-abiding citizens.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “Bump Stocks“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support a Ban on Bump Stocks, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for Banning Bump Stocks and all Conversions kits and methods that result in Automatic Firearms or the equivalent.

There is no reason for anyone to have an automatic weapons. They are not used in self-defense or hunting. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

3. Require Firearm Licenses (& Training?)

According to the (liberal) Giffords Law Center, “We require a license for many activities, such as driving, fishing, and working as a teacher, but most states do not require a license to purchase or possess a gun. Licensing laws help ensure that gun owners exercise their Second Amendment rights legally, safely, and responsibly by requiring them to get a license before buying a firearm… Licenses may only be issued or renewed after the applicant has undergone a background check, completed a safety training course, and passed written and performance-based tests showing that the applicant knows relevant gun laws and how to safely load, fire, and store a gun.”

There are of course many ways to define firearm license requirements, though most incorporate Universal Background Checks or the equivalent. As you can see from the chart below, criminologists rate licenses as effective, and they are also popular with the public, but related safety training requirements are seen as far less effective. Given the difference in expert support, I would strongly support gun license regulation even if it omits the safety requirement, so that at least a basic license can be enacted nationally.

Gun Licenses (& Training?)

WILL Gun LIcenses and training HELP?

Probably. However, I’m a big fan of evidence. Most of what I see online is based on correlation to gun crimes rather than causation. What about a license reduces firearm violence, and how does it work? What is the best type of license? I have no problem with a basic, affordable, non-bureaucratic license to start, but we should also invest the time and money to figure out what works best and modify regulations accordingly.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “Gun Licenses“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support Gun Licenses & Training, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for requiring Firearm Licenses and Reasonable Safety Training.

Anyone with a firearm should have at least the common sense licensing that you have with, say, driving a car. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

4. Require Reporting of Lost or Stolen Firearms

This is one of the most highly effective policies, according to criminologists, and enjoys relatively high popular support.

WILL Reporting lost or stolen weapons HELP?

Yes. This is largely an effort to better understand how guns are getting into the hands of criminals. If owners are held responsible for their weapons, it’s harder to accidentally let them fall into the hands of people who would fail to pass the Universal Background Check.

Any such policy should be tracked to ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximizes chances for success and minimizes impacts on law-abiding citizens.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “Reporting Stolen Guns“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support Requiring Owners to Report Lost or Stolen Firearms, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for Requiring that Owners report Lost or Stolen Firearms.

There is no reason for anyone to allow firearms to fall into the hands of criminals, or otherwise bypass fair background checks. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

5. Increase Mental Illness Treatment & Funding

This is one of the few policies that seems to have conservative support, largely because it has no impact on the Second Amendment. There is still a debate about whether mental illness actually correlates to gun violence, with advocates for the mentally ill asserting vehemently that no such correlation exists. On the other side, there is research such as that done by the LA Times:

According to our research, at least 59% of the 185 public mass shootings that took place in the United States from 1900 through 2017 were carried out by people who had either been diagnosed with a mental disorder or demonstrated signs of serious mental illness prior to the attack…

Mother Jones found a similarly high rate of potential mental health problems among perpetrators of mass shootings — 61% — when the magazine examined 62 cases in 2012.

Whatever you believe, there can be little doubt that there is benefit to keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill (if only to help reduce suicide rates). And given that both sides seem to agree on keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, there’s no reason not to try and see if it works.

Mental Illness Treatment

WILL MENTAL ILLNEss SCREENING & SUPPORT HELP?

Probably, but only in conjunction with Universal Background Checks. It will also require substantial funding to be fully successful, making it one of the most expensive options on this list. It’s important, I support it, but I’m dubious that we as a nation will adequately fund anything at this point. So, would it help if done right? Sure. Will it ever happen? I doubt it. It feels like a distraction.

Any such policy should be tracked to ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximizes chances for success and minimizes impacts on law-abiding citizens.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “Mental Illness and Firearms“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support Mental Illness Treatment & Funding, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for Mental Illness Treatment for and Adequate Funding in order to help decrease firearm violence.

There is no reason for our country to ignore the needs of the mentally ill until it’s too late. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

6. Consider a 3-Day Waiting Period?

This is a policy that is probably effective, but which has relatively weak popular support. I would strongly suggest that legislators not allow inclusion of a waiting period get in the way of passing, say, more popular Background Check laws and regulations.

Waiting Periods

WILL Waiting periods HELP?

Yes, but more for suicides than, say, mass shootings. A Harvard University discussed in Science Magazine found demonstrable benefits of waiting periods when implemented at the state level:

When the researchers analyzed the data, they found a sharp 17% drop-off in gun homicides and a 6% reduction in suicides when those states had waiting-period laws, they report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Any such policy should be tracked to ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximizes chances for success and minimizes impacts on law-abiding citizens.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “Firearm Waiting Periods“
• Science Magazine / Harvard: “Gun Waiting Periods…“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support Waiting Periods for Firearm Purchases, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for Waiting Reasonable Waiting Periods for Firearm Purchases in order to help decrease firearm violence and suicides.

There is no reason for our country to allow people to die needlessly, and in the heat of the moment, if a simple cooling off period could save lives. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

7. Consider a High-Capacity Magazine Ban?

According to Wikipedia, “A high-capacity magazine ban is a law which bans or otherwise restricts detachable firearm magazines that can hold more than a certain number of rounds of ammunition. For example, in the US, the now-expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 included limits regarding magazines that could hold more than ten rounds.” This a popular policy among liberals, but criminologists don’t appear convinced that it’s very effective.

High-Capacity Magazines Ban

WILL Magazine Size LIMits HELP?

Maybe, but only with mass shootings, and only to the extent that reloading and/or carrying multiple clips slows the shooter down. This is one where we should try it and see if it makes a difference; if not, it’s easy enough to undo.

Any such policy should be tracked to ensure that it is implemented in a way that maximizes chances for success and minimizes impacts on law-abiding citizens.

Want MorE INformation?

There are many resources online, all with their own biases. Please take the time to learn what all sides have to say before making your decision.

•  ProCon: Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?
• AllSides: Search by “High-Capacity Firearm Magazines“

Why not Take Action Today?

If you support Limiting Firearm Magazine Size to Less Than 10, contact your Senator, Representative and your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full support for Banning  High-Capacity Firearm Magazines.

There is no legal reason for larger magazines, which make it too easy to kill multiple people in mass shootings. Something has to change.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take the death of innocent children.

Please pass appropriate legislation and/or regulations TODAY.

Thank you.

8. DO NOT Create a National Gun Registry

I’m not going to go into the reasons why right now. This is a policy that is of dubious benefit and will cause massive backlash. Let’s focus on doing what we can to protect our children and families.

9. DO NOT Overreach on Regulations

All political groups tend to overreach when they have power. And there is always a backlash proportional to that overreach. I’m not saying take it slow. I’m saying take it gradually. Start with policies we know will work (and can pass), like background checks, and evaluate the impact. Get all parties on the same side. Otherwise, we’ll still be having this argument 100 years from now, children will still be dying, and that sounds awful.

10. DO NOT ARM TEACHERS (!)

This is so crazy I don’t even know how to describe it without sounding crazy. You want to give the same public officials and teachers you (the right) hate, degrade, dismiss and de-fund to be given access to federally funded firearms and firearms training? You want public schools full of socialist teachers and libtards to be heavily armed, give them access to government-managed stockpiles of weapons, and just hope they decide not to shoot you with them?  It’s almost like you don’t care about liberty as much as you care about gun manufacturer profits. That’s just crazy, right?

If you really mean that we should fortify schools, hire security guards, buy metal detectors and turn our schools over to the TSA, I assume you’re ready to spend millions more on public education? I didn’t think so.

WILL ARMING TEACHER HELP?

 No! Back away from the crazy. Here’s a great article on how, if you arm teachers, they’ll probably just end up shooting their own students. Maybe that’s what the NRA wants? Fewer future liberals. Genius.

Why not Take Action Today?

If you oppose Arming Teachers, contact your US Senator, Representative AND your state legislators today. Here’s a letter you can copy-paste into an email or contact form:

Hello:

I’m writing to express my full opposition to Arming Teachers in public or private schools.

As you know, public school employees are government employees, and we don’t need the government to have any more firearms.

While I know you have many constituents, if you think my vote counts, you’ll take this letter as seriously as I take this threat to my freedom.

Please DO NOT pass legislation and/or regulations to arm school teachers. Ever.

Thank you.

Other Suggestions?

The previous suggestions are just that; policy options that have been vetted and discussed for years, but only suggestions. Do you have better ideas? Do you think there are other things we can do to protect our fellow Americans from gun violence while protecting gun owner rights? What are your ideas? Bring it.

Pending

• One thing we may add to this list is Gun Violence Restraining Orders.

Contacting Your Representative

Whatever your viewpoint, it doesn’t matter unless our legislators and politicians hear from you. They’re working of a script written by lobbyists and special interest groups. Wouldn’t you rather they listen to you?

• Common Cause: Your Federal and State Contacts
• US Government: US Senators 
• US Government: US Representatives

You Can Change the Script (And Save Lives)

When the old Sheriff in No Country for Old Men tasked with hunting down Chigurh talks with his predecessor, he gets no sympathy. “What you got ain’t nothin’ new,” he says from his wheelchair. “This country’s hard on people. You can’t stop what’s coming. It ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” It sounds like wisdom, but it’s just surrender.

America is no longer a country for old men. Students like David Hogg are finally standing up and demanding that we do something. They don’t accept that evil is inevitable. They don’t accept that life should be lived on the edge of a coin. They don’t ever want you to stand in the rain at a funeral and choke out your daughter’s name one last time before you bury her in the dirt.

Why do you?

Peace.