Mass shootings in which four or more people die have become an epidemic. While each has its own etiology, what they all have in common is gun ownership.
The Second Amendment gives American citizens the right to bear arms. When this gets referenced, only rarely do we hear mention of the purpose behind the Second Amendment: for the purpose of maintaining a militia.
There was a time when local sheriffs and police officers did not exist. While the right to self-defense has always been axiomatic, there was a time when skepticism toward government, such as it was, was very real.
Things change. The 18th century was nothing like our 21st century United States. Sheriffs, police departments and courts are part of our permanent landscape and have completely replaced the reasons for which the Second Amendment was formulated.
Today, gun ownership is rampant. Not only does our Constitution allow this, but it is also used to justify the ownership of weapons that were developed for war. No other country in the world has as many weapons in private ownership as our own.
Not surprisingly, no other country in the world has as many mass shootings as our own. Connecting these dots does not require a degree in actuarial science.
There are very legitimate reasons for people to own guns. Hunters and gun collectors lead the list.
Target shooting is also a favorite pastime for many. Self-defense may also be a legitimate reason for wanting to own a firearm. Repealing the Second Amendment would not necessarily make these legitimate aspirations illegal. It would simply require that people who choose to own firearms be trained in their use and be licensed.
Automobiles can kill people. Training and a license are required before anyone can drive a motor vehicle.
Training and licensing for gun ownership should be no different. This is simple common sense.
Mental illness is a terrible kind of sickness. Our hearts go out to people whose mental health is compromised in various and sundry ways. The fact that a person who is afflicted in this way can walk into a store and buy a firearm without any questions asked should cause us all to think seriously about the reasonableness of this potentiality.
If we were building our country from scratch today, is this something that we would like to include? Probably not.
It is often said that when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. While this sounds clever, it suggests that we are living in some kind of Wild West with the likes of Wyatt Earp and Davy Crockett.
We will always have outlaws and violent lawbreakers, but this is the reason we have police departments. When lawlessness happens, we do not take the law into our own hands and go after the lawbreakers with guns blazing. We call the police who generally do an excellent job of protecting us and arresting violent criminals.
When it becomes more difficult for everyone to own a firearm, this will include would-be criminals as well.
Our Founding Fathers thought a great deal about the tyranny of the majority. Today, we are confronted by the tyranny of the minority. The vast majority of Americans favor a sea change in the way in which we deal with guns in our nation.
A majority of the members of the National Rifle Association also support substantial changes with regard to gun safety, gun sales and ownership. The minority are a collection of gun manufacturers, NRA leadership and libertarians who forget that freedom without responsibility is anarchy.
It is time to repeal the Second Amendment and begin to deal with gun ownership in a reasonable and sensible way. The blood of the children of Sandy Hook, and so many others, cries out to us from their graves.
Msgr. Paul V. Garrity is the former pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Lynn and the current pastor of St. Brigid and Sacred Heart Parishes in Lexington.
