Good opinion piece re: gun culture [View all]

[OneGrassRoot]

While I realize there are laws that require change, I'm more focused on the gun culture on which the NRA feeds and which leads to legislation. Imho, this is a thoughtful, intelligent opinion piece from March 2013:

The challenge for this generation of Americans is to address not only our own fears by curbing access to guns, but also to reassure the country's most devoted gun advocates that their government is not after them.

One obvious step is to start changing the image of government. Too often, the overwhelmingly needed and successful services of federal, state and local government are overlooked by a culture that focuses on the unusual failures — so much so that the failure of government appears to be the norm, not the exception. We need a new effort to remind people about the many constructive services government provides, everything from food safety and public education to trade promotion, environmental stewardship and basic retirement for seniors through Social Security and Medicare.

Local and national authorities need to find ways to assure Americans that a safe society is one in which well-trained law enforcement is the best answer to controlling crime and assuring safety.

But we also need to listen and consider those legitimate fears of government that do need to be addressed as part of an effort to reach consensus. Have the drug-war police become too militarized? Is the post-9/11 intelligence state too big and too intrusive? Have the rights of property and business owners to be left alone eroded too far?

READ MORE: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/03/05/americas-gun-culture-needs-to-change-column/1965495/