Guns, laws, and politicians. Will it ever change?

A fight for freedom

The United States of America is a country of many rights including the freedom to bear arms. However, should we ordinary citizens be allowed to bear arms in our modern times? The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants citizens the right to "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." This amendment was established in 1791 and was influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689 which also allowed citizens to bear arms. James Madison's initial proposal to the bill of rights read: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person". The original intent of our forefathers was basically to allow citizens to be armed in order to participate in militias, in the defense of the country, and to put down insurrections. There was also a concern that the people needed a way to balance the power of any standing army that the federal government put in place. They believed that if citizens had the right to bear arms they would basically outnumber any standing army , and ensure that government didn't become tyrannical and oppressive.  When the second amendment was put in place this country was still the wild west. People needed guns for protection of all sorts. Protection from wild animals, protection from unfriendly natives, protection from criminals. The U.S. did not have a police force that could adequately protect their rights, and the U.S. didn't have a professional army, only the militias comprised of citizen volunteers. Fast forward to modern times and we no longer have militias. We have the largest military force in the world that outspends every other country combined. Every town, city, and state has multiple levels of police presence. We have the third largest police force in the world behind China and India. We also have 31,672 needless deaths a year with fire arms of all types as counted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). We rank number one in the world in the number of guns owned by it's citizens. We have 270 million total guns in the U.S. and that averages to 89 firearms per 100 residents. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993-2011 in the year 2011 there where 467,321 fire arms crime victims in the U.S. Since 1982 there have been at least 62 mass shootings in the U.S. In the past few years we've had mass shooting in movie theaters in Colorado, places of worship such as the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, at wok sites like the sign manufacturer in Minneapolis, and even in a elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut to name just a few. Three quarters of the 143 guns used in these horrific crimes where obtained legally and 71 of them where semi-automatics. Out of the 71 semi-automatics, more then half (48), would be outlawed if there where laws similar to the proposed Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 which failed to pass.

Modern hand guns

Pro Gun groups would like to have the country believe that everybody should have a gun. That every law abiding citizen has the right to self defense, and to protect themselves and their property. Wayne LaPierre the Executive Vice President of the National Riffle Association (NRA) said during the Conservative Political Action Conference "We trust our freedom, In this uncertain world, surrounded by lies and corruption, there is no greater freedom than the right to survive, to protect our families with all the rifles, shotguns and handguns we want. I ask you. Do you trust this government to protect you?" Thomas Jefferson in the Thomas Jefferson Papers states "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government". Having a gun in this country is legal and as James Banks said it "...does not mean that I feel a need to justify owning guns beyond the fact that I use them responsibly, am old enough to purchase them legally, and enjoy having them." Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stated that having a gun is "a human right for every person on the planet" and when running for president in 2012 he proposed that a treaty in the U.N. should be created to that end. Mr. Gingrich said that this would allow for "far fewer women would be raped, far fewer children would be killed, far fewer towns would be destroyed."

Where does that leaves us? A country that has lost according to the CDC National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 61, No. 4, May 8, 2013 well over 360,000 citizens from 1999-2010. That is more than all terrorist attacks to this country combined. The NRA has contributed more than $20 million toward political candidates since 1990, and another $32 million on lobbying since 1998. The NRA in 1996 successfully lobbied to cut funding of the CDC's gun violence research program which would've provided us with more useful information on the role of fire arms in this country. So we as a country could make informed decisions instead of emotional ones. Recently President Obama unfroze the program via an executive order.
Should the law be changed to allow only professionals with the necessity to carry fire-arms in carrying out their duties. This group of professionals being limited to the police force and other security professionals that protects the public's interest. Allowing anybody to own a fire arm just increase the pool of available weapons available to criminals. There are no reliable statistics that point out how law abiding citizen use their fire arms for self protection. However, the criminal element in this country has easily accessible weapons because of our constitutional right and because of that easy access crime with guns occurs. Other countries that have a stronger laws on fire arms have a much lower crime rates. In 2009 the UK had 138 gun deaths; in 2009 Canada had 173 gun deaths; in 2008 Japan's and 11 gun deaths; in 2010 Australia had 30 gun deaths.

Having such an abundant supply of fire arms and a culture of acceptance towards violence incorrectly allows criminals, vigilantes, people with mental health issues to take matters into their own hands. It allows criminals to commit more dangerous crimes against citizens. It  robs our inner city youth of their lives, and their futures. It allows massacres of the innocent in theaters, in workplaces, in schools, in military bases. On a more personal note my son in 2012 at the age of 17 was shoot 10 times by a criminal. The fact is that regardless if the fire arm was obtained legally or not ,or regardless of what laws where on the books this young man was in possession of a fire arm. My son did survive, and is just another statistic in this whole gun debate, and I venture to guess that if guns weren't readily available then that criminal element would find it harder if not nearly impossible to obtain a fire arm.

So what is the solution? Do we make it harder to own a weapon? Do we go the route of other countries and make it impossible? We as a country need to stop being so emotional over this issue. We need to sit down and have a real conversation of the issue, and find a solution. We should institute common sense laws, move to newer technology for fire arms. There are smart guns available that can negate the firing of the weapon by unauthorized users. The Armatix IP1 is one example of such a device. We should invest more in mental health services and education. We should remove the negative influence of lobbyist on this issue.

Ultimately, we should respect our laws, and honor the rights that so many of our citizens have died for, but we must remember that the constitution, and all works of men are not holly and sacred. We are flawed creatures, and our creations are only as perfect as we are. Times change and we adapt to the changes in our society, culture, and environment, and our laws should adapt with the changing times.

What the Frac...ing

The United States has been a major consumer of oil, coal, and natural gas. We have used those energy resources for the past 100 years. Our industrial sectors (manufacturing, agriculture, mining, construction), our transportation sectors (vehicles used to transport people or goods), our commercial sectors (office buildings, stores, churches, service industry, etc...) and even our homes depend on fossil fuels. As of 2012, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 81% of our energy needs came from fossil fuels, with only 9% from various renewable energy sources, and 8% from nuclear electric power. The United States in 2012 was able to produce 83% of the energy needed with the remainder imported. It's clear that we as a nation depend on energy to keep our economy going, but is the continued consumption of fossil fuel the right thing in the long run. It's estimated that we have enough oil to last anywhere from 50 to 140 years, depending on who you believe and that may increase with continued innovations and efficiencies to technology that makes oil accessible.Our need for energy is so demanding that we have created a new process called Hydraulic fracturing better known as fracking. Fracking drills a whole into the earth right above a shale deposit. The drill goes down a few miles then angles of horizontally for a couple of miles and then basically pushes water, sand, and chemicals into cracks made by the drill until natural gas is released.  Fracking is being done at the Bakken and Marcellus shale formation in the northern Appalachian Basin which goes through various states.

The U.S. Geological Survey 2013 reassessment of the Bakken and Three forks area found that the Bakken and Three Forks area contained "7.4 billion barrels of oil, 6.7 trillion cubic feet of associated/dissolved natural gas, and 0.53 billion barrels of natural gas liquids". The OhioEPA on their "Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus and Utica Shales: Environmental Regulatory Basics" paper states that there are "363 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough to satisfy U.S. energy demands for about 14 years." This enormous amount has brought the oil industry to expand into these areas. The oil companies have moved into these areas and leased the land from home owners and created thousands of wells. The wells are flushed with "...up to four million gallons of fresh water" and that water contains sand and chemicals. Most of the water stays underground and around 15% of it comes up the well within 7 days. The environmental impact of fracking hasn't be thoroughly studied, but there's a growing concern that the process may be contaminating groundwater. In 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report stating that chemicals from fracking were found in well water in Wyoming.

The environmental problems are just one of the issues surrounding fracking. The presence of newly found oil and gas brings a huge amounts of people from all walks of life from around the U.S. into the affected areas. The oil companies have to keep water, waste water, gas, oil, and other products moving to and from the sites. Oil workers of all types work at the rigs and become permanent workers of the areas as the wells can last 30-40 years. Small rural towns that weren't equipped to handle thousands of people find struggle through growing pains. The boom is great for local business like restaurants, bars, hotels, and stores. However, there is a darker side in the increase in crime, prostitution and the change in the rural communities culture. The towns don't have the resources, or the budgets, to build new roads, schools, or hire staff. Hiring staff becomes a problem as the towns can't pay as well a salary as the oil companies. The documentary "Boom! Behind the Bakken" by PBS Montana chronicles the issues around fast growth of the town of Williston in Montana, a small town around the Bakken area. Economically fracking is positive for the individuals, towns, region and country. It creates thousands of jobs and provides and energy resource that the country needs.

Fracking creates jobs. During the Conservative Policy Summit this year Senator Ted Cruz of Texas goes on the say that the average pay of North Dakota is $45 an hour. That McDonalds was given a $300 sign in bonus, that high school graduates can earn more than $80k driving a truck and Wal-Mart cashiers are making $17 an hour.  Daniel Simmons Director of State Affairs at the Institute for Energy Research stated that  "...multistate governmental agency representing states' oil and gas interests have found no evidence of groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing fluids." Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corporation explains fresh water aqua-firs occur from the surface to at most 1000 feet below the surface and that companies are fracking at a distance much further than that . He implied that the drinking water will be safe.

A 60 Minutes show aired on May 4, 2013 goes into details around the human errors that cause accidents, leakeages, spills, and explosions. The state EPA fined a fracking company after recording infrared images of hissing and poping smoke stack. The same video shows an accident in Lousiana where 17 cows died because they ingested fracking fluids that run off into their pastures. If those chemicals can kill a cow what do you think it will do humans? To make matters worst the companies that conduct fracking are not required by law to list what chemicals are being used to frac. This is because they where exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) via a loop hole known as Haliburton loop hole which was pushed by then Vice President Dick Cheney. Even with the issues documented with fracking it is still a real opportunity for the U.S. to become energy independent and remove OPEC from our energy equation. It shouldn't be an end all. We should continue with fracking but ensure that companies adhere to the law and that government puts in place stronger safety standards that minimize accidents. The corporations running the fracking sites should be held to a more stringent safety standard to ensure the environment isn't destroyed. Furthermore, government should continue to invest in the creation of cleaner, renewable energy and see the additional fossil fuel capacity of the shale formations as bridge to green energy. This will be the way our economy can transition from old and dying legacy fuels to greener, cleaner, healthier alternatives that can keep our economy growing without destroying our environment.

Reflections...

On the afternoon of April 15, 2013 I was home with my husband. I was prepping the ingredients for our dinner for that evening. We were laughing, talking and just enjoying each others company. As usual the television in the kitchen was on, when all of a sudden out of nowhere there was an interruption on the news about what was happening in the 117th Boston Marathon. We both sat down watching in disbelief as another terrorist attack was unfolding in our own backward. My first thoughts were for real? How can this be? It felt surreal. I saw the images on the television but couldn't believe it was happening. I remember my husband saying god bless those people and give them strength. I felt the pain of those poor people as if it was me in the middle of that chaos. How I would freak out, feel confused, scared, and not be sure of what to do or where to go. How can somebody in the middle of all that chaos know where it was safe to go?

The city and our Government learned that the country is still vulnerable to terrorist attack. The nation realized that the "war on terror" as President Bush declared isn't over. The world learned that people will do evil and cowardly things to make their points, and that Boston citizens are tough and don't cave in to terrorism. We are Boston strong. We all saw the bystanders that run into the blast to help out their fellow citizens.That horrible event also showcased how as Richard Serino stated in his statement to the hearing for Lessons Learned from the Boston Marathon Bombings: Preparing for and Responding to the Attack on July 10, 2013 "It was an amazing example of humanity, service and teamwork". In the same hearing Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, III stated that "The community plays one of the most important roles in our Nation’s fight against terrorism. They contributed to the success, efficiency and safe resolution of the investigation by providing videos, photographs, information and sheltering in place." Dr. Arthur L. Kellermann stated that "Boston’s responders were both lucky and good". The real lesson learned in this horrible event is that we as people don't really have the power to stop a lone wolf intent in hurting people, but we have the power to live and help those in need.



As a society we have to understand that terrorism is a form of manipulation. It is meant to terrify a community to despair and and give in to the terrorist demands. So what do we do about it? We do like that old British propaganda saying "Keep Calm Carry On". We don't let the terrorist dictate how we live. We live our lives without fear even if the possibility of an attack is around the corner. The minute we lock ourselves away and stop living freely we lose to the terrorist. We become stronger by continuing living and not fearing. We remember the victims of these horrible acts and turn it into moments of solidarity. Our next steps should be to identify how this happened. How a person living in this country can so easily turn into a lone wolf terrorist and use the very freedoms guaranteed by our constitution to terrorize.

The latest terror threats we receive are from Muslims extremist intent on harming the west by any means necessary. As a country we need to look into the war on terror, and be honest in determining if these wars have made us safer or left us with more enemies. In an analysis by James L. Payne of Osama's bin Laden's statements and interviews documented in the book "Messages to the World (2005)" by Bruce Lawrence 72% of bin Laden's statement revolve around "Criticism of U.S./Western/Jewish aggression, oppression, and
exploitation of Muslim lands and peoples". The percentage is staggering and telling if the ill will towards the west comes from our involvement with Muslims lands and it's people ,then why not give the terrorist what they want. Let's leave those country alone. Let them figure out what they want for their own lives, governments, and countries.

People do horrible things and this is nothing new. After all we been dealing with terrorism for decades, prior to 9/11 we had domestic terrorist. We have people dying through mass shootings in schools, malls, and churches. We also have empathetic, altruistic and brave people that jump into the fray and help out others. That characteristic of the american psyche is was makes me proud to be an american. We are strong, independent and don't give up easily.