In the whirlwind aftermath of the killing of 27 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Friday, the gun debate has enraptured millions of Americans.
In public, there does not seem to be much of a debate at all as to whether we need a gun control agenda.
“No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society,” said President Barack Obama at the memorial service Sunday for the victims. “But that can’t be an excuse for inaction.”
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut U.S. Senator Joseph I. Liberman, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and California U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein are a few of the many politicians who made fervent pleas for gun control in the court of public opinion over the weekend. Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association and its leadings supporters in Congress have sat quietly on the sidelines. Thirty-one senators who support gun rights were invited to appear on “Meet the Press.” All of them declined, David Gregory, the show’s moderator, told The New York Times.
In private, it appears more Americans are willing to support stiffer gun laws. A new HuffPost/YouGov survey found that 50 percent of Americans support stricter gun laws and 43 percent want them to stay the same or be made less strict, compared to 44 percent and 47 percent, respectively, in a poll in August.
But this data also show Americans are wrestling with the issue. Do I protect my children, my students by pushing for harsh gun laws or pushing for increased security? Do I focus on snatching a gun out of the hands of the offender or putting a gun in the hand of the defender?
It appears to me that many Americans are doing both—a searing paradox. It appears to me that after most mass murders we react this way in paradox.
