In the wake of yet another mass shooting in the United States, where the weapon of choice is an AR-15 assault rifle, we are left reeling yet again from senseless tragedy, anger, and calls to action from one side of the aisle against the stalwart resistance of politicians on the other side. This time, we see the students and the victims prepare to march on Washington, where they will stand firm in their convictions and work to see their demands be met.
In the meantime, people from around the country, who no doubt feel the call to action themselves, have begun devising plans and protests in order to further the efforts of necessary gun control. One of these plans, however, and others like it, I have an issue with.
A thread circulating on Reddit, a popular forum site where people can do a multitude of things back and forth with others, is calling to treat gun stores like those who are pro-life treat Planned Parenthood. This would involve picketing, protesting, and the shaming of those who walk in.
I’m local. I’ve been around guns my whole life, and I know people that own guns, and, chances are, the people that own the most guns, the ones that frequent gun stores, tend to be Republican or at least ideologically right-leaning, if not politically affiliated. As for gun store owners, they’re small business owners. They don’t make the rules. They don’t manufacture the guns themselves. At the end of the day, they’re trying to make ends meet, and if someone wants to sell guns, then that’s all up to them.
In my mind, this would only serve to energize conservative gun owners, from the voters on the ground to the politicians in Washington. People like Paul Ryan would use these tactics as grounds to “prove” the baseless accusation that “Liberals are coming for all of your guns,” and this would serve to alienate the Conservative voter base, especially in rural areas where hunting is common. This would bolster the fears that Liberals want to change how people live, and what they do. Finally, I don’t think that it would stop people. If people need ammunition for their hunting rifle, then they’re going to buy it. It’s not a high stakes purchase: in the hunter’s mind, human lives don’t hang in the balance of that purchase.
While I have no inclination to open a gun store, I certainly wouldn’t blame or criticize someone for wanting to do so with benign intentions. I’m a believer that guns shouldn’t be made illegal. However, they should be heavily regulated, and by looking at systems that are in place in areas such as Japan, Denmark, and other nations, we can learn a thing or two about effective gun control that also allows for people to hunt for sport.
In my opinion, a much more effective protest would be against the manufacturers themselves, targeting the corporation as a whole and the NRA for its aid and use in blocking effective, meaningful, and intelligent gun control legislation. An even more effective form of protest would be to vote out politicians who are funded by the NRA, and those who vote against gun control legislation. Take your power to the polls. Help take out the incumbents who’ve let senseless violence go on for too long. They’re the ones that should be protested, not the man or woman helping support a family through their small business.