Gun Violence--Our Out-Of-Control Cancer

I'm weary of hearing nothing can be done about gun deaths.

"A well regulated tobacco industry being necessary to the prosperity of a free State, the right of the people to grow and use nicotine products shall not be infringed."
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If an Amendment such as this had become a part of our Constitution we would be having some serious debate over how we should define or defend it. But hopefully, we wouldn't just throw up our hands and avoid doing whatever possible to limit deaths from cigarettes and other nicotine products.

I propose an all out war on gun violence that would resemble the one we have been successfully waging on cancer.

Here are some parallels:

Cancer is a major cause of deaths among adults and children alike, as is gun violence. No one is safe from either threat, and no one knows all of its causes nor all the different forms these two killer problems can take. We recognize that no groups or individuals are immune from their harms or free of blame for contributing to them. There are no simple answers, no easy cures.

Since cancer is a complex disease which takes many forms, most reasonable people agree that ongoing research is needed over whatever time necessary in order to reduce cancer deaths and produce cancer cures. In the case of gun violence, Congress, under intense and ongoing pressure from the NRA, has actually withheld funds for such research.

In the case of deaths by cancer, we would consider it inadequate and inappropriate for legislators refusing to fund research or work at solutions to simply offer condolences to victims, as in, "You are in our thoughts and prayers."

Just because we can't pinpoint all of the reasons for deaths from cancer we don't throw up our hands and assume nothing can be done. As with any killer disease, we know some of what we need to know already, but recognize much more needs to be learned, and we are willing to join hands with people everywhere in search of a way to save as many lives as possible.

If one "shoe bomber" was given three life sentences and the rest of have had to take off our shoes at airports ever since, we can likewise commit to "regulating" the use of all explosive devices in the interest of saving lives, whether musket loaders (as allowed by the founders), hand grenades, shoes packed with gun powder, or other far more deadly weapons.

Tackling gun violence in these ways should never be seen as a left or right, liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican issue. This is about saving the lives of men, women and children everywhere. In the near term, we won't be able to save everyone, but pro-lifers everywhere must do everything possible to preserve as many human lives as possible.

Here are some links to other posts on the subject:
http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/search?q=gun+violence