Brooklyn, NY. North
Miami Beach, FL. Gilroy, CA.
What is the common factor here?
All three of these communities were hit by gun violence this weekend. At festivals
in Brooklyn and Gilroy. An apparent hate crime outside a synagogue in North
Miami Beach. Festivals and a synagogue. The Brooklyn festival was at a
playground. The Gilroy festival was at a park. Places of carefree fun and joy.
And the North Miami Beach shooting was at a place of worship. All places where
there should be no hint of violence.
In Brooklyn, a 38-year-old man
died of a bullet to the head. 11 others were hospitalized, one in critical
condition.
In North Miami Beach, a man in
his 60s was shot four times from a passing car as he waited for evening
services.
In Gilroy, 18 people were injured
and three of them died. Among the dead was, reportedly, a
six-year-old.
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According to the Sikh American
Legal Defense and Education Fund, over 10,000 hate crimes annually in the
United States involve a firearm. Yet, not all who are convicted of a hate crime
are prohibited from buying or possessing guns.
*******************************************************
As of midnight PDT July 28, 2019,
there have been 246 mass shootings in the US this year. Mass shooting is defined
as 4 or more people shot during one incident. July 28 is the 170th
day of the year. That is an average of 1.44 mass shootings per day in the US
this year.
********************************************************
Whenever the topic of gun violence comes up, the focus
quickly shifts to the sanctity of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. When
the Constitution was adopted in 1789, the arms to which the Second Amendment referred
were muskets and flintlock pistols, each of which held one round at a time. An
expert musket shooter could attain a firing speed of up to three shots per
minute, with a maximum accuracy range of 160 feet – a little over half the
length of a football field. Compare the 1789 weapon with the popular Colt AR-15
rifle of today. An AR-15 has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds and a firing
speed of up to 45 shots per minute, with a maximum accuracy range of 1800 feet –
the length of six football fields laid end to end. Let’s look at those
comparisons:
· Musket
o
one round capacity
o
three shots per minute
o
maximum accuracy range of ½ football field
·
Colt AR-15
o
30 round capacity
o
45 shots per minute
o
maximum accuracy range of six football fields
It is not unfair to say that an angry 18th
century musket owner would not have been able to shoot multiple people before
being disarmed by those standing near. However, an angry 21st
century AR-15 owner has the ability to shoot many people in a matter of minutes
before those standing near have the opportunity to disarm them. (A witness to the Gilroy shooting reported
hearing someone shout “Why are you doing this?” The reply was “Because I’m
really angry.” CBS News)
I studied constitutional law as an undergraduate. I believe the
US Constitution is among the most brilliant documents in the world. And one of
the things that makes it so brilliant is the design that allows it to be
changed - not in haste, but with thoughtfulness and deliberation. The US
Constitution has been amended 27 times since its inception, and it is time for
number 28. It is time for the Second Amendment to be changed, to acknowledge
the immediate deadly force of modern weapons. Consider a previous controversial
change: In 1865, we amended the Constitution to recognize what many knew to be
a fundamental truth, that no one may hold another as a slave in this country. Please
understand, not everyone was in favor of the Thirteenth Amendment, and there
was a great deal of dismay and dissent. No matter – the change was made, and
the country was (and is) better for it. In a similar manner, we must change the
Constitution to reflect the monumental difference between the arms of the late
1700s and modern weaponry. This change can be done in such a manner as to insure
the legal right of firearms ownership by law-abiding people, while putting
regulations in place that will require secondary market background checks and providing
a uniform waiting period for the purchase of a handgun. These changes will not be perfect - some will find ways around the regulations. But it will affect the impulse purchases of handguns (which experts agree will have the additional benefit of a positive effect on suicide rates), and it will make it more difficult for those with a history of violence to acquire firearms. Law-abiding people will not be adversely affected by these changes.
Will this upset some
people? Yes. Will some consider this to be a governmental over-reach? Yes. Will
some believe that Constitutional changes such as these will violate their
individual rights? Yes. Do these objections matter? No.
Your right to own a gun is not of greater importance than
a six-year-old’s right to be alive. Period.
References:
**Edited for accuracy after law enforcement announcement regarding victims.
