Locked, loaded—and lethal

Christina Green, a 9-year-old girl born on 9/11, is one of 6 people slain outside a supermarket in Tucson amid a vicious attack on a popular Congresswoman. Vicki Kaspar, an assistant principal, dies hours after a shooting at Millard South High School in Omaha. Police officers Brandon Paudert and Bill Evans die in West Memphis after a traffic stop turns violent. Virginia Tech, Columbine, Pearl High School—the images of violence, death, and despair never seem to end.

Then again, why should that come as a surprise? We have a system that allows gun buyers to escape scrutiny at gun shows in certain states and in private transactions, a dysfunctional background check process that lets the dangerously mentally ill obtain guns with impunity (people with mental disorders have Second Amendment rights, too), and a patchwork of state reporting laws that leaves wide gaps in compliance.

Everyone needs a high-capacity semiautomatic Glock 19! It made sense to allow the Federal Assault Weapons Ban to lapse in 2004. After all, who knows when I might need an Uzi while navigating the latest traffic snarl! And I am particularly delighted to know that I don’t need a permit for a gun in Arizona and that it’s legal to carry my concealed weapon on school grounds, just in case some students get rowdy!

I am truly delighted by the tone of our political rhetoric: of hit lists, cross-hairs, and targets. What nice subliminal messages to send our youth about solving problems and civil discourse. How can I express my pride in a country where resources for violence prevention and care of the mentally ill take a back seat to budget slashing and reducing “Big Government,” and where active psychosis need not be a barrier to bearing arms?

I was so “happy” to hear Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) reframe the issue: “I think, frankly, that we need to move forward toward the biggest challenges in front of us, making sure we get Americans back to work, tackling our deficit and our debt, dealing with the conflict in Afghanistan.” Thank you so much, Senator, for your edifying remarks.

I, for one, am sick of such complacency, and I hope many of my fellow family physicians are, too.

I am troubled by the National Rifle Association, whose Web site offers prayers for the victims of the Arizona shootout while touting its Golden Bullseye Award and decrying attempts to strengthen gun controls. I’m offended by Sarah Palin and her disingenuous distancing from her Twitter comments urging “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: Don’t Retreat, Instead—RELOAD!” I’ve had it with the rhetoric from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that “…weapons don’t kill people. It’s the individual that killed these people.”

Tell that to Christina’s family.

Christina Green, a 9-year-old girl born on 9/11, is one of 6 people slain outside a supermarket in Tucson amid a vicious attack on a popular Congresswoman. Vicki Kaspar, an assistant principal, dies hours after a shooting at Millard South High School in Omaha. Police officers Brandon Paudert and Bill Evans die in West Memphis after a traffic stop turns violent. Virginia Tech, Columbine, Pearl High School—the images of violence, death, and despair never seem to end.

Then again, why should that come as a surprise? We have a system that allows gun buyers to escape scrutiny at gun shows in certain states and in private transactions, a dysfunctional background check process that lets the dangerously mentally ill obtain guns with impunity (people with mental disorders have Second Amendment rights, too), and a patchwork of state reporting laws that leaves wide gaps in compliance.

Everyone needs a high-capacity semiautomatic Glock 19! It made sense to allow the Federal Assault Weapons Ban to lapse in 2004. After all, who knows when I might need an Uzi while navigating the latest traffic snarl! And I am particularly delighted to know that I don’t need a permit for a gun in Arizona and that it’s legal to carry my concealed weapon on school grounds, just in case some students get rowdy!

I am truly delighted by the tone of our political rhetoric: of hit lists, cross-hairs, and targets. What nice subliminal messages to send our youth about solving problems and civil discourse. How can I express my pride in a country where resources for violence prevention and care of the mentally ill take a back seat to budget slashing and reducing “Big Government,” and where active psychosis need not be a barrier to bearing arms?

I was so “happy” to hear Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) reframe the issue: “I think, frankly, that we need to move forward toward the biggest challenges in front of us, making sure we get Americans back to work, tackling our deficit and our debt, dealing with the conflict in Afghanistan.” Thank you so much, Senator, for your edifying remarks.

I, for one, am sick of such complacency, and I hope many of my fellow family physicians are, too.

I am troubled by the National Rifle Association, whose Web site offers prayers for the victims of the Arizona shootout while touting its Golden Bullseye Award and decrying attempts to strengthen gun controls. I’m offended by Sarah Palin and her disingenuous distancing from her Twitter comments urging “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: Don’t Retreat, Instead—RELOAD!” I’ve had it with the rhetoric from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that “…weapons don’t kill people. It’s the individual that killed these people.”

Tell that to Christina’s family.

Christina Green, a 9-year-old girl born on 9/11, is one of 6 people slain outside a supermarket in Tucson amid a vicious attack on a popular Congresswoman. Vicki Kaspar, an assistant principal, dies hours after a shooting at Millard South High School in Omaha. Police officers Brandon Paudert and Bill Evans die in West Memphis after a traffic stop turns violent. Virginia Tech, Columbine, Pearl High School—the images of violence, death, and despair never seem to end.

Then again, why should that come as a surprise? We have a system that allows gun buyers to escape scrutiny at gun shows in certain states and in private transactions, a dysfunctional background check process that lets the dangerously mentally ill obtain guns with impunity (people with mental disorders have Second Amendment rights, too), and a patchwork of state reporting laws that leaves wide gaps in compliance.

Everyone needs a high-capacity semiautomatic Glock 19! It made sense to allow the Federal Assault Weapons Ban to lapse in 2004. After all, who knows when I might need an Uzi while navigating the latest traffic snarl! And I am particularly delighted to know that I don’t need a permit for a gun in Arizona and that it’s legal to carry my concealed weapon on school grounds, just in case some students get rowdy!

I am truly delighted by the tone of our political rhetoric: of hit lists, cross-hairs, and targets. What nice subliminal messages to send our youth about solving problems and civil discourse. How can I express my pride in a country where resources for violence prevention and care of the mentally ill take a back seat to budget slashing and reducing “Big Government,” and where active psychosis need not be a barrier to bearing arms?

I was so “happy” to hear Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) reframe the issue: “I think, frankly, that we need to move forward toward the biggest challenges in front of us, making sure we get Americans back to work, tackling our deficit and our debt, dealing with the conflict in Afghanistan.” Thank you so much, Senator, for your edifying remarks.

I, for one, am sick of such complacency, and I hope many of my fellow family physicians are, too.

I am troubled by the National Rifle Association, whose Web site offers prayers for the victims of the Arizona shootout while touting its Golden Bullseye Award and decrying attempts to strengthen gun controls. I’m offended by Sarah Palin and her disingenuous distancing from her Twitter comments urging “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: Don’t Retreat, Instead—RELOAD!” I’ve had it with the rhetoric from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that “…weapons don’t kill people. It’s the individual that killed these people.”

Tell that to Christina’s family.