Second To Last

I'm just going to talk about what everyone else is talking about--the mass murder in Tucson, Arizona over the weekend that left 6 people dead, 12 wounded, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords clinging for her life and currently in critical condition. I'm bringing this up not only because it's relevant to talk about the fact that violence begets violence and the fact that it seems to be increasing exponentially--but also because I was in Tucson about two miles from where this happened--when it happened--and it really upset me. The most simplistic thing to say in the aftermath of what President Obama is calling an "unspeakable tragedy," is to say, "What the fuck?"

But the question everyone should be asking shouldn't just be about suspect Jared Lee Loughner's motive for wanting to assassinate a United States Representative, but rather, we should be talking about the flaws in the second amendment.

Believe me, I am all for protection of the individual, protection of a family, and most importantly, as the Constitution says, "the right to bear arms." But in the twenty first century, you'd have to be of a very pedestrian mindset to say that the right is as simple as that. It's not. It's a cyclical problem that we all contribute to in this country. Person A buys a gun because they fear for their life with regards to Person B. Person B is already likely armed and person C buys arms because they are either aware of the conflict between A and B or live within a proximity of either A or B and are concerned that they themselves may need protection from either each of the aforementioned individuals or just from the chance of being caught in the crossfire. And now we all have guns to mitigate a fear that perhaps wouldn't be a concern if guns weren't so readily available to us.

But here's the real problem. If and when you buy a gun, sure, many states have a full process that involves a background check of your age, history with the law, etc. But why aren't you required to complete a mental assessment? When you adopt a child or seek custody of a child in a failed relationship, the courts often take a thorough examination of your psychological well being to determine whether you are 'fit' to be a parent. Why shouldn't the same rule apply here? Let's face it. If passing a psychological evaluation was required for Mr. Loughner to purchase his semi-automatic 9mm gun, I wouldn't even be writing this op-ed right now.

The second amendment is a flawed and antiquated addendum to the Constitution. That doesn't mean it can't exist, but it itself may need to be amended. The amendment may have enmeshed itself perfectly during the American Revolution, the period of Manifest Destiny and when we were annexing land, and the Civil War--but this is not the Wild West. This is 2011--the age not just of war, but of psychological warfare. And until we start acknowledging that and figuring out how to effectively assuage the death toll its taking, we're not being serious about anything.

Bring on the ink blots before it's too little, too late.