Gun Control Discussion Continues and Sid Switches Subscriptions

MORE ON GUN CONTROL and the SECOND AMENDMENT

I feel that gun control and the Second Amendment are questions of such importance that I have no qualms about repeatedly addressing that subject.  We all recognize that there has been a lot in the news media these days (and on this blog) about the subject of citizens’ bearing and keeping assault weapons, and whether reforms which would not allow such military type hardware in their hands would compromise their rights under the Second Amendment. I continue the discussion.

It has been said, with some evidence to back it up, that a ban on such weapons would not reduce gun violence in this country, most of which involves weapons of other types.   Because of this, blame for some of the numerous massacres in our recent history has been directed toward inadequate identification and treatment of those with potentially dangerous mental disorders and toward violence in the media, specifically in motion pictures and video games,

  rather than toward the weapons themselves.  This serves to divert blame for gun violence away from the availability of such weapons, specifically the kind where the perpetrator can get off many rounds quickly, which is really the crux of the problem. 
 

There have always been crazy people out there and there has always been violence in literature, but the ability for one person to shoot many people quickly is a twentieth century innovation.  As laudable as efforts to improve care for mental

illness and to tame the media might be, improvements in those areas cannot by themselves provide a solution.  Guns are the crux of the problem, and specifically, the kind where the shooter can get off may rounds quickly. 

But, even if tight rules for such weapons and the ammunition they require were instituted, some observers say such restrictions would be meaningless anyway because of the large supply already out there in the country.  So why bother?  There are many arguments being made against controlling such weapons.

Yes, it is apparent that there is a strong current of opinion supporting continuing the availability of such weapons.  The NRA has been active in supporting this position.  They even favor a wider distribution of weapons so that more civilians would be equipped to be able to return the fire of an attacker.  I disagree with this. I do not want to live on a dusty Main Street in a western movie where two gunslingers warily eye each other and all of the residents duck for cover in the nearby saloon.

A conservative reading of the Second Amendment and a look at the history that motivated it suggests that government should not be trusted and weapons were necessary for individuals in the event that a government became tyrannical.  I personally know a few people who believe our present administration is tyrannical.  Read what some columnists have to say.     Listen to talk radio.  Watch Fox News. In such a situation, if some citizens felt that they must do something about it, weapons beyond those available for simple self-defense, hunting and target shooting would be necessary.  At a minimum, military type assault weapons would have to be available.  

Some of those who claim such weapons are merely needed for personal self-defense in case multiple shots are necessary to fend off a thief or an attacker, or if there were multiple attackers, may be sincere in their feelings.  Many others, I believe, however, base their position on a lack of trust in our government and in today’s polarized political environment, fear a breakdown of law and order which may make possession of such weapons advantageous for use against roaming attackers or even the government itself.  I feel that is what opposition to a ban on assault weapons, or limits in magazine size, is really all about.  Don't be fooled by the NRA's arguments.   And don't listen to the many otherwise intelligent people who have been conned into believing their malarkey.  

The first step which the nation must take is to reduce the polarization which has taken place over the past decade.  This requires compromise between the Senate, the House of Representative and the President so that they do not fear each other.  The President is no more planning on leading the country into a Marxist revolution than the Republicans are planning to turn its destiny over to a few wealthy individuals and corporations, despite the millions of people who believe either of these scenarios to be the case.  Once this is understood and people are talking to each other in a reasonable manner, the question of individuals’ supposed Second Amendment rights to bear and keep weapons capable of killing many people quickly can and must be addressed on a national basis.  
Meanwhile, it is being addressed on a state-by-state basis which guarantees that the final decision will rest with the Supreme Court.   What are your thoughts on this subject?

Jack Lippman

                                                                         

                                                                   

And we might just as well let one of our Alberto Vargas girls get into the discussion:

" Get out of my face, Jack.  This ain't no assault weapon!"

                                                                           

SID'S CORNER

GOODBYE NEWSWEEK, HELLO TIME (AGAIN)      

                               

Sid Bolotin

In my recent essay regarding my experience with Newsweek’s transition to digital I said that I’d try a few more issues to see if I could adapt to the non-paper format. Well, I have tried, and cannot adapt.

I tried using my wife’s IPad so that I could sit at my kitchen table and flip through an issue while having lunch. That just added to my frustration because I had to “pinch” the screen and expand it to enlarge the text to a readable size…thereby layering the glass with smears of peanut butter.

Furthermore, although the pad was convenient in that I could bring it to the table, my stubby fingers brought grief as I tried to use them to navigate through the digital issue. And using a stylus to poke at the screen just added to my distress…duplicating my exasperation when navigating at my desktop with my mouse. Experimenting with her IPHONE was an equal disaster.

Even in my design-engineering career in Aerospace I was loathe to embrace computers. I was the only character on the engineering staff who refused to have one of the new-fangled Apple gizmos that my company was providing. I preferred paper pads and a white “blackboard” for sketching out my designs and flow-charts. However, I did utilize the gadgets to perform complicated parametric calculations combing many variables based on our customers’ ever-changing requirements.

I wasn’t stupid enough to stick with my slide-rule or a hand-held calculator…any more than an early motor car driver would want to use his buggy whip instead of stepping on the gas pedal. I just like the tactile feel of the pencil, chalk, paper, and board when going through the creative process. And, although I now use the computer world primarily for email, story-writing, and information-gathering, I am still addicted to the “feel” and convenience of hard copy books, newspapers, and magazines.

So, with no hesitation or equivocation I called Newsweek and sadly cancelled the remainder of my subscription. And this morning I spoke to “Aaron” in India who signed me up for my new subscription to Time Magazine which still is provided as hard copy.

     

        Goodbye, Newsweek                          Hello, Time

 
The irony is that long, long ago I had switched from Time to Newsweek because I like the format of the latter better. Well, any port in a storm of digital-ese is a haven indeed.  

                                                                                 

                                                                             

                                               

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Jack Lippman

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