Writers Circle: Guns and violence

On Oct. 5, members of The Gazette Writers Circle met to continue a conversation about gun violence in Cedar Rapids, this time focusing specifically on the issue of guns and gun control.

START WITH THE FACTS ABOUT GUNS

Alan Lewis, Gazette Writers Circle

Whenever there's a mass shooting, we decide it's the time to have a conversation about gun laws. Regulations are proposed. Many reply that these proposals wouldn't stop the type of shootings that prompted the discussion in the first place. In many cases, that might be true.

But is that a reason not to consider gun-control proposals? We should not be having the conversation only after these news-making stories. We should have a clear picture of who dies from gun violence, and how, and develop proposals that will do the most good.

There are more than 30,000 gun deaths in the U.S. every year (34,000 in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). About two-thirds of those deaths are suicides. Most of the rest are homicides. A small number (1 to 2 percent) are accidents. Mass shootings account for a fraction of 1 percent, despite a rate of about one such event per day in 2015.

Most gun homicides are committed by acquaintances, and this is even more true for women than men. Gun homicides have remained steady over the last decade, while gun suicides have increased about 25 percent. Suicide attempts by gun (mostly men) usually succeed (about 85 percent), while suicide attempts with pills (mostly women) usually fail (less than 5 percent).

More gun ownership means more gun deaths. This holds true across countries, and it holds across states in the U.S. Except that Iowa (along with a few other states, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast) has relatively high gun ownership, but relatively low gun deaths. Other states have higher-than-expected gun death rates (mostly in the South and West). Could disparities in education or income explain this difference? If we can raise a kid to age 24: alive, with an education and a good job, we might make real progress in reducing gun deaths without specifically addressing the gun issue at all.

How should we prioritize gun-control measures? If we're talking numbers, we should address suicide first, 'typical” homicides second, accidental deaths next, and mass shootings last.

Still, we focus on the mass shootings. Like other sensational deaths (such as by terrorism or plane crashes), they grab our attention. They're seemingly random, and they feel out of our control. So we pass laws, and spend billions to get back that sense of control. If we pass the right laws, our thinking goes, maybe we can create a sense of control around mass shootings. But as statistics show, those laws wouldn't necessarily prevent most gun deaths.

How should we prioritize addressing gun violence as opposed to other causes of death? In the U.S. in 2013, lung cancer killed 156,000 people - about five times as many as all gun deaths, combined. These deaths are almost entirely preventable.

Drugs, cars, guns, and alcohol each kill similar numbers of Americans (about 30,000 to 45,000 each, with some overlap). Should we focus on cars, because there are nonpolitical, technological solutions? Or alcohol, because it contributes to all kinds of deaths? Or guns, because the threat seems so random (but actually is not)?

Let's start with facts, and go from there.

' Alan Lewis is a mechanical engineer living in Cedar Rapids and working in Coralville. Comments: alan.lewis@siemens.com

' ' '

WORK TO PASS STRONGER GUN LAWS

Jeremy Brigham, Gazette Writers Circle

Cedar Rapids has experienced an increasing number of gunshots in recent years, and is on track to have even more this year than in previous years. Cedar Rapids is not the only community in Iowa with an increasing number of gunshots. This is true for Dubuque and Waterloo, at least. All are troubled by the gunshots and grieving for the deaths inflicted and families torn by deaths and injuries.

Many are seeking ways to reduce the level of violence. A step that needs to be taken is to strengthen laws regulating guns. After all, the Second Amendment begins with the words 'well-regulated.”

The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has evaluated states in regard to their gun laws and gun deaths. They give Iowa a C- but ranked the state 15th best in the country. Twenty-seven states, including Missouri and Kansas, earned an F. In terms of gun deaths, Iowa is 43rd lowest, which is good but could be better.

What are the strong points in Iowa's laws? According to the Law Center, Iowa requires an annual permit to acquire a handgun. This requires a background check and a three-day waiting period. Those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses must surrender their firearms, and those subject to domestic violence protective orders also must surrender firearms. Mentally ill people prohibited from possessing firearms must be reported to NICS - National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Iowa imposes a child-access prevention requirement on gun owners, for children younger than 14.

However, weak points are that a person may buy a long gun from an unlicensed individual without a background check. No state license is required for firearm dealers. There is no registration of firearms, which would make tracking them easier. Assault weapons, large-capacity ammunition magazines and 50 caliber rifles are allowed. Firearm owners are not required to report the loss or theft of a firearm. Local governments may not regulate firearms.

Many people have laid the responsibility for local gun deaths and violence on the local community. State and federal laws set the conditions for what we are able to do in Cedar Rapids. This includes gun laws, but also education and mental health funding.

What happens in other states, especially those nearby, also affects what happens here. If law enforcement in Cook County, Ill., does not provide the disposition of felony arrests to law enforcement in counties in Iowa, local law enforcement is left in the dark about how to treat those who have come here with prior arrest records in Chicago. If the governor and Legislature are at loggerheads in Illinois, so that vital services such as 911 are shut down, the quality of life there suffers, making the move to Iowa more attractive. To make other states more responsible we need to call on our federal legislators to address the support that large municipalities may get to carry out their mandates.

The bottom line of my message is this: Be politically active. Elect legislators, governors, presidents, who will strengthen gun laws and provide incentives to urban counties to keep their records up to date and available to those who need to know the backgrounds of those who move from state to state. Elect city council members and county supervisors and sheriffs who will work for stronger gun laws.

' Jeremy Brigham is executive director of Iowans for Gun Safety. Comments: brighamjeremy@q.com

' ' '

ENGAGE KIDS IN POSITIVE ACTIVITIES

John Swanson, Gazette Writers Circle

'No quick fixes, no easy solutions.” That reflection can be attached to most all of our social ills. But one of the 'ills” that most often captures our attention are the mass shootings, most recently Roseburg, Ore. We react in dismay and incredible regret; we seek a solution but know an easy fix simply does not apply to something that is both ingrained into our culture, through interpretations of the Second Amendment, our 'Old West” history, and a massive political lobby that intimidates legislators.

While the Roseburg, Aurora, Fort Hood and Newtown shootings dominate our thinking; further under the radar screen are the appallingly larger number of 'drive-bys” and other ‘random' shootings that occur almost daily in towns across our country. Add suicides on top of that and you encounter a total number that dwarfs more high-profile shootings.

What provokes this? What drives someone to be so insensitive to the value of another's life, or their own? Even when they have a grudge, what tells them this is the way to settle it?

I believe we have solutions, but they won't be quick or easy. In a nutshell, they center on the concept of self-esteem and establishing that each of us is capable of being more than we currently are.

The backbone of making each of us feel good, important and productive lies with our educational system. Other agencies and groups can provide meaningful support. It must start early. The first five years of life are the most critical. Just read the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences; it's incredibly sobering.

I am gratified that our school districts, United Way and many of their partner agencies are finding cooperative ways to build a young person's self-esteem. Keeping a child profitably busy makes them less likely to find destructive alternatives on the street. It matters not whether this is their studies, athletics, show choir, or a book club. Get them engaged, give them a goal, the more they get into it, the stronger their self-esteem becomes.

Yes, it's best if it starts at the preschool level, but for those beyond the primary grades there are plenty of options. It takes a bit more self-motivation, but community encouragement can make that happen. Partnerships between our K-12 schools, community agencies, the faith community, our corrections systems and Kirkwood Community College have developed creative ways to meet the needs of those who must find more productive ways to occupy their time.

' John Swanson serves as a Trustee on the Kirkwood Community College Board and is a member of the Health Solutions Team of United Way. Comments: jwsltd@msn.com