Handguns in Chicago
NPR did a good analysis of the handgun debate today. The supreme court recently stuck down Chicago's ban on handguns as a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms.
Several things in their article struck me. They said, “Something that's clear in Chicago, where even with a handgun ban, guns poured in and gun violence soared.” Yes, it is irrefutable that thieves, robbers, drug dealers, and other criminals will have handguns – regardless of whether they are allowed or not. So the question to me is whether the government allows the citizens of this democracy to defend themselves, or is the government going to leave them naked and vulnerable?
The NPR article also said, “it's going to be very difficult for cities and states to regulate their own way out of the gun violence problem in the context of a country where we have 250 million-plus guns already in circulation, and in which it's very easy to move across city and state lines.” Yes, it does seem logical that America has now crossed the tipping point...or maybe we did that back on 15 December 1791 when the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. It guarantees individuals the right to possess firearms. This right of the individual to have a loaded firearm (the question has been the individual versus a well regulated militia) was reaffirmed by the 2010 supreme court case McDonald vs. Chicago.
In their analysis NPR states that “statistics show firearms are the most common method of committing suicide, and, in terms of all gun deaths, suicides far outnumber homicides.” An interesting statistic. I had not seen this before.
Some suicides are impulsive acts performed by people who are drunk or stoned. That is just plain stupid. A permanent solution to a temporary problem. But for some older people, or the folks with terminal cancer, I think of suicide as both a logical option and a basic civil right. I am in the late stages of incurable leukemia, and I see my .44 magnum handguns as a viable option. I have no intention of taking this route unless the pain becomes intolerable and shows no possibility of improvement. Having loaded handguns readily available to me at all times, and consciously making the choice not to use them is empowering.
When one is old, just extending one's lifespan for a few more months by allowing yourself to suffer horribly or perhaps even allowing yourself to grow so weak or senile that you no longer can even exercise the option of euthanasia/suicide makes no sense to me.
My mother and my grandmother each were hospitalized and eventually had their arms and legs strapped down in the days before they died. They both just wanted to end the pain and to be allowed die. They kept trying to remove the various tubes hooked up to them. Tying them down and forcing them to suffer was nothing less than torture from my perspective. When my paternal grandfather's terminal lung cancer reached a certain phase, he used his WWII Army-issue .32 semi-automatic handgun to shoot himself in the head. I remember the day in 1953 well - even though I was only about 5 years old at the time. I have always admired my grandfather for his strength of character in waiting until it was appropriate, and then having the balls to take this option.
LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128313243&f=1001&sc=tw&utm
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
