David Frum was a special assistant to George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002. He is the author of eight books, including a new novel, "Patriots," and a post-election e-book, "Why Romney Lost." He is also a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast, and a CNN contributor. Here’s a short excerpt from a recent article he wrote on gun violence in America:
The basis of the whole gun debate in the United States is the belief by millions of Americans that they need a firearm in the home to protect themselves from criminals. Testifying to Congress last month, a gun advocate named Gayle Trotter presented a vivid image of how guns might be used.
"An assault weapon in the hands of a young woman defending her babies in her home becomes a defense weapon, and the peace of mind that a woman has as she's facing three, four, five violent attackers, intruders in her home, with her children screaming in the background, the peace of mind that she has knowing that she has a scary-looking gun gives her more courage when she's fighting hardened, violent criminals."
Thrilling. Also wholly imaginary. Such Rambo-like defenses of home and hearth do not happen in real life, unless the home also happens to contain a meth lab. (The oft-cited statistic that gun owners draw in self-defense 2.5 million times a year is a classic of bad social science.
Incidents like these, however, do happen -- and tragically often:
"A fourteen year-old girl jumped out of the closet and shouted 'Boo' when her parents came home in the middle of the night. Taking her for an intruder, her father shot and killed her. Her last words were 'I love you, Daddy.' "
That true story, reported in the Boston Globe in 1994, appears on page 70 of the classic study "Private Guns, Public Health" by David Hemenway, director of Harvard's Injury Control Research Center. It's just one of thousands of similar incidents in the United States every year.
Hemenway again: "Between 1990 and 2000, an annual average of 320 children zero to fourteen either committed suicide with guns or were accidentally killed by guns." American children are much more likely to suffer these tragedies than children in other countries. States with more guns suffer more than states in which guns are less common.
You can read the rest of this piece on CNN.
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Gun Control is now at risk. Read The Latest Hurdle to Gun Law Reform in The New York Times. Your help is needed now.
Please sign the petitions at Demand A Plan, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, One Million Moms for Gun Control, We The People, and Americans for Responsible Solutions.
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Please read my previous posts on gun control: Repairing the World: The Truth About Ending Gun Violence Now (December 20); There is No God: Continuing Thoughts on Gun Control (December 27); Sabbath to Stop Gun Violence (January 3); Christina’s Letter: More Thoughts on Gun Violence (January 10); Bad News/Good News (January 24); Interfaith Call-In Event to Prevent Gun Violence (February 1); The Challenge of Reasoned Debate: Addressing the Issue of Gun Violence in America (February 7); Is Change Possible? Continuing Thoughts on Gun Control. (February 14); and Guns and Beauty Shops (February 21).
Your comments are welcome.
Rabbi Mark Sameth is the spiritual leader of Joyful Judaism: Pleasantville Community Synagogue an inclusive, progressive synagogue – with members from twenty towns, villages and cities all across Westchester and “A Hebrew School Your Kids Can Love.” Read The New York Times article. Follow Rabbi Mark on Twitter . Weekly meditation at the synagogue every Saturday morning at 9 am is open to the public; everyone – without exception - is welcome and warmly invited. OUR WEEK-LONG OPEN HOUSE ("PCS PALOOZA") RUNS MARCH 10 - 17. COME VISIT! See “Top Ten Reasons to Join PCS” - as well as service times and events - at www.ShalomPCS.com.
SUGGESTIONS: Gratuitous Hollywood violence and video games, over medication issues, songs and singers who promote violence; especially violence against women, access to firearms by unauthorized individuals, legal authorities NOT enforcing the gun laws already on the books, mental health issues and the law(Why are these people out walking the streets?), reporting individuals who have the potential & access to commit a violent crime without the "snitch" stigma made so infamous by Hollywood/ TV/ Rap music.
The above mentioned scenario where the Mom protects her babies from intruders Rambo style just does not happen. It's a collective myth conjured up by our minds ironically reflective of those self-same violent movies which are oft cited as "inspiration" for acts of violence. Only in America is gun fetishism sanctioned by law. It is a perverse insanity amplified by an increasingly politicized Supreme Court. In a rational society, gun ownership as a matter of national health policy would be greatly curtailed. But not here. Here we are forced to live with daily blood letting. The roots of the Second Amendment do not lie solely in the 1785 Unites State's fear of an invading British Empire. It also partly and rightfully has to do with fear of slave rebellions and "threats" from aboriginal peoples. (One could argue that the Second Amendment abetted the near genocide of our native peoples) THe Rabbi will continue to "make his point" as will I. If the deaths of 20 innocent babies won't motivate the gun fetishists to see beyond the pettiness and irrationality of their own arguments, then perhaps the only thing left to do is to organize to change the law. It is our rights as citizens to do so.
-- Thomas Jefferson "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." --Thomas Jefferson
http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-mom-hiding-kids-shoots-intruder/story?id=18164812 I guess the police missed the meth lab. some others: http://www.khou.com/news/local/21-year-old-protects-family-kills-suspect-during-home-invasion-in-NW-Harris-County-192475271.html http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/24/nc-homeowner-shoots-kills-alleged-intruder-police-say/ This one is rich: http://nation.foxnews.com/gun-control/2013/01/10/flashback-anti-gun-politician-shoots-intruder%23ixzz2Kk1OBGsg http://articles.philly.com/2013-01-17/news/36376087_1_assault-weapons-background-checks-intruder Remember, this never happens in real life, you plebes.
http://nation.foxnews.com/gun-control/2013/01/10/flashback-anti-gun-politician-shoots-intruder%23ixzz2Kk1OBGsg
Really? Did Ted Bundy love video games? Did McVeigh listen to rap? These are incredibly dumb scapegoats. Blaming rap? Gee how original...you ever heard of Marilyn Manson or Metallica? To bad the majority of people who take part in these activities (listen to "rap" and watch tv) DON'T commit violent crimes so you have to come up with another excuse other than "rap and tv"
You think people who like to shoot big guns have a "fetish", well, you can say the EXACT same thing about sports cars. Yet, there are times and places where BOTH big guns and sports cars have legitimate purposes (see: NASCAR and TOPSHOT). Both contestants and spectators can get seriously injured and killed racing cars at speeds of 200mph as we've seen. the point is, the majority who do use guns, just like fast cars, use them responsibly. If drinking and driving is illegal why is alcohol served whne we go out to dinner? Because MOST are responsible enough to drink without killing someone, even though SOME may be IRRESPONSIBLE and drive and kill someone. You can apply similar logic here
Really? Did Ted Bundy love video games? Did McVeigh listen to rap? These are incredibly dumb scapegoats. Blaming rap? Gee how original...you ever heard of Marilyn Manson or Metallica? To bad the majority of people who take part in these activities (listen to "rap" and watch tv) DON'T commit violent crimes so you have to come up with another excuse other than "rap and tv" Mr. Gruber, Excellent points and you just added a few more examples of what I'm talking about. Bundy & McVeigh? One was a serial killer and one used The Turner Diaries/ Waco & Ruby Ridge as inspiration. They have NOTHING to do with what we're talking about. Unless you know something that the FBI hasn't uncovered all of these years?
1) Bundy and McVeigh BOTH killed dozens of people (McVeigh) obviously killed more) WITHOUT the use of guns. Yet banning guns takes away one's best defense AGAINST people like Bundy. 2) Neither were infatuated with "rap" or "violent television", they were PSYCHOPATHS 3) Rap and violence on tv are common scapegoats for simple minded people. Almost EVERY genre has violence in their lyrics and there are plenty of other places to see violence other than a tv set, try school for one. 4) Guns are NOT the be-all end-all to violence, As seen by McVeigh and Bundy, there are still HUNDREDS of ways to kill many people quickly. This is the ultimate goal of people like Bundy, McVeigh and Lanza, something many people don't seem to understand
You lost me Sir (Maybe I'm one of the simple minded?). I think we're both saying the same thing but from different directions. 1. I agree that weapons are the best defense against the Bundy's of the world. 2. I'm not sure about their choice of music; McVeigh was born in Upstate NY so I'm sure he had access to TV/ Radio etc. 3. Rap music, violent video games / TV have been shown to have an influence on these people. Did you read the recent reports on Adam Lanza (Sandy Hill shooter)? He was in fact involved with these types of video games. Goggle it and see for yourself. 4. Agree, on guns not the "end all" for violence. Last year's (2012) violent crime reports guns created the majority of deaths followed by things like bats, knives etc. I enjoyed your comments.
Who is paying you Rabbi? for what end? The stink is huge.....
Even now innocent blood is crying out from the ground, and you want to play the role of progressive secularist. Amazing.