The Politics of US series: Guns
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In this week's edition:
- Cover story: A gun-rights advocate working to reduce the No. 1 cause of gun violence
- By the numbers: Increasing gun sales, but fewer homicides
- Civics 101: The Second Amendment
- The candidates: Where they stand on gun laws
- Interview: World shooting champion Dianna Muller
- Engage: Join a Living Room Conversation or visit AllSides.com
- Our picks: "A Liberal鈥檚 Case for the Second Amendment" 鈥� and more 聽
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An unusual alliance to curb gun suicides
By Simon Montlake/Staff writer
Hooksett, N.H. 鈥� As the longtime owner of a gun store, Ralph Demicco is passionate about his firearms. At his New Hampshire home, he keeps a collection of rifles, shotguns, pistols, and antique weaponry, including two cast-iron cannons that he stores in the barn beneath an oval wooden wall plaque inscribed with the Second Amendment.
Despite his love of all things with bullets and buckshot, however, Mr. Demicco is also part of a quiet movement that makes him anathema to many of his gun-owning brethren: He is working with mental-health experts and community groups on a campaign to reduce suicides by firearms, which account for the vast majority of gun deaths.
The initiative has now been adopted in various forms in 20 states. Experts believe it will save lives 鈥� and is already helping to build mutual respect across one of the most intractable divides in American society.听
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BY THE NUMBERS
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CIVICS 101: The Second Amendment
By Christa Case Bryant/Staff writer
The laws governing gun ownership in the United States stem from the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which states: 鈥淎 well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.鈥澛�
James Madison, the author of the amendment, had previously written of the 鈥渁dvantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation鈥� and criticized European governments for being 鈥�.鈥澛�
The ability to defend oneself and one鈥檚 nation against a tyrannical government clearly resonated with at least some of the members of the House of Representatives, who were only six years removed from the American Revolution when in 1789 they took up debate of the proposed amendment (then referred to as the fourth proposition).
According to a record of the proceedings in Congress, a Mr. Gerry stated, 鈥淲henever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins. This was actually done by Great Britain at the commencement of the late revolution. They used every means in their power to prevent 鈥︹赌澛�
But an additional provision included by Mr. Madison 鈥� 鈥渂ut no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms鈥� 鈥� proved unpopular, and was struck from the amendment.
For insight on how this amendment has since been interpreted by the Supreme Court, we recommend the聽.
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THE CANDIDATES: Where they stand on gun laws
We encourage you to contact the Monitor on Twitter or by email csmpolitics@csmonitor.com if you can improve our chart!
Sources: The Johnson-Weld Campaign, , , , , , , , , , , and .
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INTERVIEW: NRA World Shooting Champion Dianna Mueller
Meet Dianna Muller. She was a police officer in Tulsa, Okla., for 22 years, and now she is a professional 3-Gun shooter and a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). In September, Ms. Muller won the NRA's World Shooting Championship in Glengary, West Virginia.
The Monitor's Story Hinckley recently interviewed Muller. Her answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.听
Q: What鈥檚 the biggest misconception that people have about you 鈥� as a gun owner and a member of the NRA?
The biggest misconception is that I, as a gun owner, am somehow the bad guy鈥�. Gun owners are like non-gun owners. We care about others. Our hearts break when we see evil people inflict harm on our kids, citizens, and our country.
I've been to many NRA annual meetings that have hosted 70,000 to 80,000 people under one roof, with hundreds of thousands of guns in the same place and nobody gets shot. 聽We are good people who respect life and teach our children responsibility for not only firearms, but for life. 聽
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ENGAGE: Living Room Conversations and AllSides.com
- with half a dozen friends who have diverse opinions. Enjoy this simple, respectful, structured program that begins with human relationships.
- . Engage with people and ideas from all sides of the issue using this online interactive tool.
- . See the latest news, opinions, and policy proposals from across the Web, from the left, center and right.
- , 鈥溾��, and 鈥溾�� from different perspectives across the political spectrum.
- Schools: using a specialized lesson plan that teaches respectful dialog, fostering mutual respect and understanding.
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OUR PICKS: Recommended reading and viewing
1. The state of gun violence in the US,聽) VOX
Public mass shootings get all the attention because they鈥檙e often so indiscriminate. But the truth is mass shootings are unlike most gun deaths in America鈥�. Most of those killed 鈥� 58 people a day 鈥� are suicides.听
2. 鈥淕unfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America鈥� by Adam Winkler, constitutional law expert (2011)
Despite what the extremists tell us, gun rights and gun control are not mutually exclusive. We can have both. Indeed, the story of guns in America is one of balancing gun rights with public safety, respecting the right of individuals to have guns and the ability of lawmakers to impose reasonable restrictions on guns to enhance public safety. Over the past forty years, we鈥檝e lost sight of that balanced approach.
3. Library of Congress overview on聽
On June 26, 2008, in聽聽(PDF), the United States Supreme Court issued its first decision since 1939 interpreting the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution鈥�.听The outcome of DC v. Heller left some issues unanswered, including whether the Second Amendment restricts state regulation of firearms, and the standard for evaluating the constitutionality of other laws and regulations that impact the Second Amendment right.
4. 鈥�,鈥� an adapted lecture by聽Edward Erler,聽professor of political science at California State University, San Bernardino.听
鈥� we must be clear 鈥� the Second Amendment is not about assault weapons, hunting or sport shooting. It is about something more fundamental. It reaches to the heart of constitutional principles 鈥� it reaches to first principles.听
5. 鈥淟iving with Guns: A Liberal鈥檚 Case for the Second Amendment鈥� by Craig Whitney, veteran New York Times reporter (2012)
What we can鈥檛 do is remain stalemated. Those on the left can鈥檛 continue to hold out hope for a gun-free America that won鈥檛 ever come to be, and those on the right can鈥檛 blind themselves to the responsibility that must be attached to gun ownership. If we continue to hang on to these illusions, the debate will never end.
