The grave situation the United States faces is far more than a macho obsession with weapons. It goes beyond an obsession for personal safety. America faces a population with a tragic addiction to the feelings of power that arise from the possession of a firearm.
It can be hard to comprehend: whilst the world’s richest and most powerful nation sits at the helm of the Western world’s democratic table, carefully presiding over the growing threat of ISIS, it is being crippled by an internal mortal culture.
“They’re the means that preserve of our liberty!” one cries. “Guns don’t kill people, people do!” bellows another. Yet, tragically, these calls do not come from the mouths of an outnumbered extremist faction. Instead, those chanting are amongst almost half of the US population who opposes anti-firearm laws.
After the recent Oregon shootings, the speech Obama gave was equal in its anger as it was in its sincerity. And the President is right to feel such frustration, with the killings taking the number of mass shootings this year to 45.
The cyclical nature of these events is particularly tragic. Once the initial media hysteria has cooled, pro-gun America continually reacts in the same way that any addict does to criticism of their dependence – insisting it is not to blame for such pain. The scapegoating of the convicted as crazed or isolated individuals can be seen by an onlooker as the establishment’s excuse for its intractable lack of action, and its unwavering defence of the status quo.
The addiction is now a culture in US society, and a strong one at that. Take, for example, the fact that all US police officers carry guns. To a large amount of Americans, it is baffling that the average British police officer is not armed, and it is unfathomable as to how they would go about protecting citizens. Yet, the US police have now killed over 900 people this year, compared to the UK police’s 1 – are firearms really keeping people safe?
With the establishment setting such an example, it is hardly surprising that there are roughly 90 guns for every 100 Americans. This brutal culture has catalysed the unrest between police and many young African Americans, with one only having to look as far as the events in Ferguson to see the effects of the unchanging US constitution.
To an outsider, the solution is clear: less guns, more gun control. However, it is critical to remember that it is not simply an obsession of the few; it is an addiction of the many. The size of the US gun lobby shows that the right to bear arms is a product created and maintained by fear, with the phrase ‘profits before people’ concisely summarising the motives of those who have the power to implement change.
Overall, it seems impossible not to sympathise with Obama, whose tenure as President has been rife with countless numbers of mass shootings, though his hands remain firmly tied by the delusion of the house.
To foresee a solution with America’s virtually unchangeable 2nd amendment seems almost impossible. Yet, the number who have fallen victim to such a devastating addiction continues to rise.
Dominic Johnson
Image courtesy of Steve Dipaola/Reuters