Honestly, I didn’t want this next entry to have anything to do with more violence so I’m going to keep this short and to the point. I had it in mind to tackle something else entirely but each time I started something else blew up. Beyond the continuing crisis devolving on the other side of the world and all the hatred spewed here because of it, we couldn’t even make it through Thanksgiving weekend without massacring each other again. The sheer number of mass shootings and the insane rhetoric that surrounds each event is just too much. Without getting into the specifics of any one of the 350+ instances we’ve had so far this year, let’s talk about the ramifications. What has been the end result of all this tragedy? Unfortunately, nothing positive. Just more fighting, name-calling, finger-pointing, and stomping feet. Even trying to have a civil discussion is called politicizing. The simplest suggestions are taken to the nth degree. The minute you try and start the conversation the first thing you hear is “stay away from my guns!” Hell, we can’t even agree to study the effects of gun violence without an argument, let alone take any actions to stop it.
So what can we do? Since we will never get rid of all the weapons already out there, and the guns aren’t really deadly by themselves, why don’t we concentrate on the part that is? The only real common denominator in all of these events was the huge amount of ammunition each perpetrator had. Isn’t it possible that a lot of lives could have been saved if stocking up all this ammo had raised a red flag somewhere? Isn’t it reasonable to say that law-abiding citizens that just want to protect themselves or go hunting don’t need 1000’s of rounds?
So here’s my solution. Simply track the brass. Why not start a database to track and limit the purchase of ammo the same way we do cold medicine? You wouldn’t even have to include things like shotgun shells, just the primary people killers. Why not place limits on the amount you can get and how often you can buy it? Why not have a system that red-flags people who are stock-piling? (Yes plinkers, there could be exemptions for ammo bought and used at the range.) Not only would it give law enforcement invaluable information as to who might be a legitimate threat to prevent the next mass shooting, it would also go a long way in cutting down on street crime. Just imagine what the limited flow of ammunition would actually mean on the streets of America. How many fewer drive-bys would there be if gang-bangers only had a few rounds instead of being able to run to Walmart to buy as much as they want?
I know that this certainly won’t fly with all the gun nuts as it’s too close to actually limiting their gun rights. However, the only thing I remember being in the 2nd Amendment is the right to bear arms, not to fill them. There is nothing in the constitution that says you have any right to amass modern ammo. Although I can see the argument based on the invasion of privacy, given that we’ve surrendered so much or our rights without benefit already, why not do something that could actually prevent the next tragedy? The way I see it, unless you are planning on doing something illegal with it in the first place, you shouldn’t care anyway.
So there it is. Keep it simple – just track the brass. If they won’t do anything to limit the weapons – let’s do something to make them less usable. It still won’t keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them but at least it would be harder for them to kill a lot of people once they’ve got them. Seems like the least we can do if we ever want to ebb the violence that has overcome our country. We cannot continue to just do nothing.
