More than zero gun deaths is too many
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It's only Jan. 10, 2011, and already this year we've had one school shooting, resulting in two deaths and one injured, and a horrific mass shooting of a U.S. congresswoman, killing six and wounding 14.
Those are just the high profile shootings. On average, 32 people a day are murdered with guns. This attack got more attention, of course, because it was an attempted assassination of a member of Congress.
As a friend of mine observed over the weekend, more than zero gun deaths is too many.
I can't get over that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords made mention during the 2010 campaign of Sarah Palin's web page that listed 20 Democrats to "go after," with a gun sight over those Democrats' districts. Tellingly, Palin took down this web page after the shootings.
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We've spent too many aftermaths of mass shootings in this country in denial, refusing to call attention to the obvious elephant in the room: guns. And then we go on to the next event or news item that captures our fancy and we forget how we felt when we learned that another mass shooting had happened in the United States. This time, because it affected a sitting congresswoman, I have hopes that it will be different. All in Congress now feel vulnerable and shaken by the senseless and surprise shooting of their colleague.
Will we keep our heads in the sand and ignore what just happened? Let's hope not. In the history of our nation, only five sitting members of Congress have died of gunshot wounds. That is why this incident is so unsettling for Americans.
The House of Representatives has canceled most of its business for this week in order to deal with the implications of this event and to take heed of the obvious safety issues surrounding all of its members now. On Sunday I attended an event to interview local legislators about issues before them. To a person, they all mentioned how vulnerable and nervous yesterday's shooting made them. How sad.
Jared Loughner, the young man suspected of the shooting, allegedly had two ammunition clips, each holding more than 30 rounds. He was attempting to load the second clip when he was tackled by some people at the scene. A witness thought it took only about 10 seconds to shoot off the first clip. If the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 had not been allowed to lapse in 2004, this type of high-capacity ammunition clip would not have been legal to import or sell in gun stores, making it more difficult to obtain. With traditional clips, the attacker might not have been able to shoot as many people as he did. The gun lobby hated the Assault Weapons Ban and did everything in its power see that it lapsed. Score one for the NRA.
Could a law have stopped this man from getting his gun? Maybe; maybe not. We have almost as many guns as we have citizens. This is not the case in other countries. It requires taking leave of our senses to believe that more guns have made us safer.
We don't know yet what motivated the Arizona shootings. But much has been said about the atmosphere of violent talk and actions that were amplified during the health care debate of last year. Gifford's opponent, Jesse Kelly, posted an ad in the heated campaign last fall inviting supporters to join him to: "shoot a fully automatic M16," to "get on target for victory" and "remove Gabrielle Giffords from office." We have seen violent rhetoric before, from both sides of the political spectrum. There is no excuse for it, whoever engages in it.
Eventually the truth will be told. Eventually we will have the conversation about guns and violence that the country deserves to have. Eventually our politicians will have to face what just happened head-on.
This is a national tragedy that has shaken us all. Certain of us who know what it's like to have a loved one shot to death watched with sadness, knowing what the families and loved ones of those killed and injured have in their futures. It was a hard weekend for us -- too many memories.
And too many victims. More than zero is too many.
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Joan A. Peterson, Duluth, is co-president of the Northland Chapter of the Brady Campaign and is active in other organizations that advocate for gun control. Her sister, Barbara, was shot to death in Minneapolis in 1992. This commentary is adapted from a longer version available on her blog.
