Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from author Carl Schowengerdt's book, "Human Ethics," and was submitted for publication by CS Lewis & Co. Publicists. Interested in submitting your own article? Visit IVN's Publish forum. Photo by Alex Shuper on Unsplash+.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, as part of the Bill of Rights, was placed in force on December 15, 1791: A 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.
We should all agree with that statement. We, the people, should have the right to defend ourselves from those who wish to do us harm. There are plenty of those in our society who wish to steal from us or overcome us. Our governments are sometimes too uncaring to protect us. Sometimes our governments become overbearing, unduly punishing us. We are sometimes unjustly accused. There is still inequality of opportunity and racism in our societies. There are multiple opportunities for other persons to take away our lives and our quality of life. We deserve the ability to protect ourselves from assaults on our lives and loved ones, when negotiations fail; but like all rights and truths, this basic right to bear arms becomes evil when carried to excess; and gun lovers have most certainly done that.
The National Rifle Association carries this basic right to an insane, destructive, extreme level. They insist that this means all citizens have the right to buy any bullet projecting device without impediment. They believe this includes weapons of war, meant to produce the greatest amount of killing in the shortest amount of time. They are opposed to any age restrictions, background checks, red flag laws, mental health assessments, bans on war weapons for civilians, or waiting periods.
The NRA is deadly wrong on all counts above. Only these measures will bring sanity back to our society and save our children and minority citizens, from slaughter. The right to bear arms most definitely does not mean the right of civilians to bear weapons of war; that makes no rational sense. Those nations which have placed laws into effect restricting the type of gun ownership that its citizens are allowed have been able to return to a stable nurturing society, without daily gun massacres. Canada and Australia are prime examples. In this country, the slaughter continues. Congressmen and Senators, who are heavily supported by the gun lobby, vote in favor of weapons of war in the hands of civilians, rather than in favor of our children and minority citizens. These members of Congress should not only be forced out of office, but should be prevented from ever holding office again, in shame.
The result of this mass psychosis, produced by the gun lobby, is a nation which has, in some communities, five firearms for every citizen. There are 400 million firearms in the United States today. Of those 400 million, 20 million are AR15 assault weapons of war, the favorite weapon used for mass murders. Since 2015, to 2023, we have had over 19,000 American citizens either killed or wounded in mass shootings. There were over 600 mass murders in 2022, and at the time of this writing we are on track to have the same number of mass murders in 2023. Guns are now the leading cause of death for any young adult or child, below the age of 24. The gun lobby has been telling us that the answer to gun violence is more guns, more lenient gun laws, arming our teachers, and making our schools guarded fortresses. We have proven, beyond any doubt, that the opposite of that premise is true: the more guns we have, the more guns will be used to shoot and kill; the more assault weapons there are, the more our minorities and children will be the subject of mass slaughter. In other words, our senators, congressmen and women who oppose strict gun laws are voting for inequality. They are voting against democracy. They are voting against a peaceful society. They are not in their right minds.
There are some who say that raising the age required to purchase a gun to age 21 should take care of this mass murder endemic. That is a step in the right direction, but it is inadequate. The human brain is not fully developed until age 25. The prefrontal cortex, which is primarily the processing center for long term planning, is not completely operational until that age. Young men and women are not able to see the future consequences for actions taken today, until after age 25. As those consequences become apparent to us, we are able to see what our actions will have on our life and other peoples’ lives in the future. We become more compassionate. It would be better for no one to possess missile weapons of death below the age of 25, unless under direct adult supervision, police or military.
Military assault weapons must be banned for civilian use.
The legal age required to purchase a gun should be raised to age 25.
No one should be able to purchase a firearm without completed background checks.
No one should be able to purchase a firearm without an attestation of mental health.
All firearm purchases should be accompanied by a required waiting period.
Australia, Canada and Great Britain have already accomplished most of these measures; as a result, they enjoy more peaceful and protective societies. If we do not establish these measures above, it will be the ultimate hypocrisy for a nation which professes to be the champion of equal opportunity for all its citizens.
Our children and minority citizens who have been slaughtered by guns will never have any opportunity, equal or unequal, to pursue their life fulfillment, their happiness. Hang your heads in shame, senators and congressmen who oppose strict gun laws. You are making evil, rather than ethical decisions about gun control in a democratic society.
About The Author
Carl G. Schowengerdt is a retired surgeon who grew up in a family of daily religious and ethical discussions. His father was a Methodist minister, his brother a Methodist bishop. Schowengerdt instead studied medicine, became a physician, and practiced surgery for 40 years, specializing in lung and esophageal cancer, as well as family practice. He chaired the Ethics Committee for Genesis Health Systems, was medical director of the Genesis/James cancer unit and Rambo Memorial Respiratory Health Clinic of Muskingam County, and was president of the nonprofit Appalachian Primary Care. His new book is Human Ethics. Learn more at YCityPublishing.
