Violence and Guns in America
On April 2, 2012, former President Bill Clinton stated that the "'tragedy' of the killing of Trayvon Martin should cause a re-thinking of the 'Stand Your Ground' law."1 On the other side, the NRA, whose 2005 lobbying campaign got the law passed, initially supports the law in its current state, stating that it is "still a good law".2 Proponents of the stand your ground law suggest that its repeal would begin a slippery slope to the end of gun rights.3 Clearly, the killing of Trayvon Martin has exposed a perennial American conflict around the second amendment:
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.
On the right in America, this issue is about security and liberty. Owning a gun provides protection that the state is unable to provide against criminals. Citizens owning guns also reduces the state's monopoly over the means of violence - and the means of defending liberty. This is an understandable position if you hold the premise that all criminals own guns, or if you remember the asymmetric violence the state is able to produce.
Liberals tend to argue that the constitutional amendment is, indeed, sacred, however there are limitations to this. First, increasing the number of guns and gun owners sets off a spiral of escalating conflict. They may also point to statistics on gun use in cases of domestic violence,4 or psychological studies that show carrying a gun makes you believe others are also carrying.5 Largely, the liberal argument looks at particular cases and seeks to reform existing laws with arguments based on the ambiguity of the amendment in order to protect innocents.
Whether the goal is to enhance or limit the second amendment, they are both aimed at protection of self and other, as a means to promote liberty in America. Unfortunately, both tactics fail to assess the reason why Americans resort to violence when feeling insecure or threatened. Gun violence is a symptom of a larger social process of alienation. Therefore, emphasis on gun laws is a misdirection when it comes to the promotion of liberty and security, as it is impossible to "combat alienation with alienated forms."6 Guns and gun laws are neither the problem nor the solution, rather it is mistrust of an alienated and marginalized 'Other' (a process that sometimes manifests as racism), and the solution is solidarity with the other, and building an American community that is whole.
Let us take a moment to reflect on something. Trayvon Martin is dead. We cannot change this, however with solidarity we can prevent this from happening again.
Endnotes:
1 Jake Tapper (April 2, 2012). "President Clinton Hopes Trayvon Martin Case Leads to Reappraisal of 'Stand Your Ground' Laws." ABC News. http://ow.ly/an2Df
2 Amanda J. Crawford (March 30, 2012). "Trayvon Killing Stalls Stand Your Ground Laws." BloombergBusinessWeek. http://ow.ly/an4la
3 A. Trullinger (March 30, 2012). "Who Does the 'Stand Your Ground' Law Really Protect?" Opposing Views. http://ow.ly/ an40w
4 "Facts on Firearms and Domestic Violence." Violence Policy Center. http://ow.ly/an4m5
5 Malcolm Ritter (March 20, 2012). "Holding a gun may make you think others are, too." MSNBC. http://ow.ly/an4vg
6 See Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle. (New York: Zone Books, 1999): 122