I read the Current’s cover story from Jan. 8, entitled One in a Million, Zionsville mom Shannon Watts takes on NRA and urges Congress to act on gun control. I found several items in the piece striking.
First, let me say that as a parent, the last thing in the world I would ever want to do is to bury one of my children under any circumstances – so I certainly feel for the parents and families of the murdered children and educators of Sandy Hook Elementary School.
However, I do not know what “common sense” solutions Mrs. Watts is suggesting. Does she want to ban firearms all together despite the Second Amendment? Gun control laws around the world have had sinister implications (including those in the United States), which is why many of the Founding Fathers insisted on a Bill of Rights and, in particular, the Second Amendment.
“Pulling together the skills of moms – being organized, building coalitions, protecting. When you bring together these skills all over the country it becomes an unstoppable force.” I found this quote of Mrs. Watts odd. What is she trying to accomplish here? Who or what does she want to protect? Children? If this is the case, then I would think the NRA would be her best friend since I cannot figure out how she is protecting kids by starting a Facebook page, building coalitions, or having exceptional organizational skills. Since criminals do not respond to gun laws, a far simpler solution would be to arm select teachers, school administrators, and staff to help deal with Columbine and Sandy Hook-type situations.
Mrs. Watts wants to wage war against the lobbying powers of the NRA as demonstrated by her ironic comment, “We have to fight fire with fire.” She certainly understands that money is needed to fight the opposing side’s money, but cannot grasp the simple concept of fighting “FIREPOWER with FIREPOWER” – especially when you are staring down the barrel of a gun.
Another statement she makes is downright bizarre. “We can’t let profit drive the conversation about what we do about gun control. It has to be common sense.” Where does “profit” have anything to do with the criminal act at Sandy Hook? This is nothing more than a red herring to divert attention from the person responsible for this tragedy. I will say that gun control lobbyists and politicians for gun control do use these mass shooting tragedies to raise funds, and Mrs. Watts is clear that she needs money to fight the NRA. Most Americans who legally own defensive firearms just want to exercise their right to protect their families and their homes, and the Supreme Court has made it plain that there is no legal obligation for anyone, including the police, to protect your life other than yourself.
But the most stunning quote is where she states, “It would be tragic to see teachers with handguns and armed guards at schools.” I don’t know how that can be tragic in comparison to the body count of the Sandy Hook shooting.
I may not know Mrs. Watts’ end goal. However, I do know this. There are bad people in this world – oppressing, hurting and killing other people. The first recorded murder is documented in the Bible and the weapon of choice was a rock. I, too, would love to live in a perfect world where there are no weapons, or hate, or jealousy or mental illness. I just hope that I am allowed into that perfect place when my time here ends.
Paula J. Kasnick
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