The Second Amendment issue should embarrass the United States…and not for the reason you think

At 12 years old I wrote my first article which ended up published locally where I grew up in New Jersey. I learned a lesson at a very young age in both history and the power of the written word.

In grade school, with the influences around me (and topical at the time), I had become convinced that the need for more gun regulation made sense. Back when current events were a permissible subject in school and debate was encouraged on even political topics, my pre-pubescent suburban logic just didn’t get why we had to be armed. Hadn’t we come past the days of the “Wild West”? Why did anyone need to have that kind of personal weaponry? It just didn’t make sense that we were an armed nation.

A few short weeks later, a rebuttal was published commenting both on my na?ve views as well as a failing public education system of which I was a part. After reading the article and the fury of young emotion and confusion, I sat down with my parents.?Raised in a Republican household, they really didn’t see eye-to-eye with my views but was lucky enough to have parents who would let the world have as much of an impact as they wanted to.???

?The crux of the rebuttal was simple. The Second Amendment was put in place because of a need for our new nation to be able to protect itself from King George or the prospect of the new office of the presidency becoming a kingship. A single sentence, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”?Essentially the Second Amendment’s intent is to assure the people have a method of holding the government accountable should tyranny being. While not controversial in 1789, it is causing major political discourse and igniting passions in citizens across the entire spectrum of the issue. In sitting down and talking this through with my parents, they recommended I read a bit more of our history. The guidance that created a lifelong interest in history and understanding the importance of contextual reading. ?

Fast forward to what is now three decades later, and this same issue has not matured in any way, shape, or form. Instead, we find ourselves continuing to further polarize as a nation with no workable legislation and stuck in an infinite doom loop. And caused by what really? All sides have valid perspectives to be understood and acknowledged.

One side of the argument clearly claims there is a right to have guns, which “shall not be infringed”. This aspect of our history has also made guns integral in our culture.?In many walks of life, guns and related sports are a very positive component of growing up and even family bonding. Many argue its use in their protection and home protection. Whether your personal weapon of choice or not, guns are protective elements. In addition, we also know guns to be used for senseless killings, mass shootings, inner-city violence etc. As responsible citizens, we can all agree that those bad things are not needed. The arguments continue endlessly however and, the point is, they really haven’t changed.

Yet, this issue continues to polarize the nation and amplify with what seems like more and more violence, more protests, and more derogatory labels and memes substituting for meaningful dialogue. Scary when you consider the intent of the Second Amendment. We also stand on the brink of victimizing another population of our culture by conflating mental illness with gun violence. In 30 years, we have made no progress. In fact, it can be argued this issue like many others has only gotten worse. What makes this so embarrassing for the United States?

A complete lack of sustained problem-solving leadership in legislative positions.

In these 30 years, we have lacked any leader who can truly unite people on divisive issues. Campaign slogans and speeches aside, we live in a society that has become increasingly divided around major issues like this. Gun control has simply been an opportunity to create division and gain votes. We are the oldest democracy in modern world history and the beacon to many nations for how people want to live. So what do “real” leaders do with issues like this? How do we begin to bring people together and come to some resolution?

Great leaders frame issues that drive results and bring people together. As an example, our Constitution is set on a basis of founding principles. The second amendment is based on the founding principle that the power flows upward from citizen consent. “We the People”, the first three words of the constitution define this sovereignty and the second amendment creates adherence to a mutual compact agreeing to our founding principles. A militia, well-armed, is merely the proven method of the time. If in 1776 a well-armed militia was the way to keep the power in the hands of the people, what is the 2021 equivalent? This is among the key questions not only are we not asking as a public but we hear nothing about from our lawmakers. How do we balance keeping a government in the hands of the people while also addressing the senseless violence nearly 250 years of “progress” has created?

In 30 years, we have yet to have the leadership necessary to mature as a nation and instead, further and further divide as a nation. It was Lincoln at Gettysburg, the closest historical reference to these polarizing times, who said, “…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from earth.” These words resonate more today than ever. In 30 years, we all have yet to have the type of leaders who will bring our nation and its people together and seek to truly solve complex issues exclusively in the best interest of the people.

That is embarrassing for what we all like to believe is the best and most powerful nation in the world.