Editor’s note: This commentary is by Bill Dunkel, of Windham.
[I] am appealing to Vermonters who are members of the NRA to act patriotically and courageously by fighting back against the epidemic of mass shootings that is plaguing our country. The recent massacre at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the 307th mass shooting of 2017 according to the Gun Violence Archive, occurred on the 308th day of the year. These senseless tragedies are now so common that we have begun to accept them, fatalistically, as a fact of life in America. We should not.
I believe that the rank-and-file members of the NRA are our best hope for stemming the tide of gun violence; indeed, they may be our only hope. It is obvious that our political “leaders” will do nothing. They are so afraid of offending the NRA that they refuse to even discuss gun control. Even as the president expressed his condolences to the families of the latest victims, he hastened to add that the slaughter was a mental health problem, not a gun problem. The Texas attorney general added that it is “naïve” to believe that an assault weapons ban would do any good because only law-abiding citizens would obey it while “bad guys” ignored it. Let’s think about that for a moment.
Drugs, like guns, are cheap, easily attainable and lethal. In 2016 there were over 64,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. (up from fewer than 20,000 in 2001). But no one is arguing that we should get rid of laws against drug trafficking; no one says it is naïve to have such laws because bad guys always will find drugs to sell to their customers. Indeed, the president recently declared the opioid epidemic to be a national emergency and he promised to take rigorous action to combat it.
Similarly, everyone in America has the right to get a driver’s license at age 16 or 17, and consume alcohol at age 21. Last year an average of 28 people died every day in DUI accidents, but no one argues that it is naïve to have laws against drunk driving. On the contrary, as alcohol-related fatalities have increased we have created stricter DUI standards.
Why is it that when it comes to discussing an assault weapons ban, tougher background checks or prohibiting unregulated sales of guns, it suddenly is “naïve” to consider such measures? No one believes that drug or DUI laws will totally prevent overdoses or car fatalities. We have those laws because we feel we are safer with them than without them. Why does the same logic not apply to commonsense gun control regulations?
There is a way to respect Second Amendment rights while making it more difficult for psychopaths to get their hands on assault weapons. No one needs an AR-15 or an AK-47 to hunt or to protect their home. However, we have no chance – zero — of enacting practical commonsense protections unless a vocal multitude of NRA members demand it. Until politicians and NRA leaders fear a backlash from this now silent majority, they will continue to be impediments to change.
So, my plea to friends and neighbors who are solid citizens and NRA members in good standing is to rise up. Please do something – refuse to pay your dues, cancel your membership, demonstrate, write a letter or, better yet, elect new leaders. Join with your non-NRA neighbors to demand that something be done. If we do nothing, it is inevitable that there will be more and more tragedies like the recent horrors in Texas and Las Vegas. In the past, Vermont has had a great impact upon national affairs despite its modest size. We can do this again.
