Government Violence: The Missing Link in the Gun Control Debate

John W. Whitehead

By John W. Whitehead 

“We need to look more closely at a culture that all too often glorifies guns and violence.”—President Barack Obama

It didn’t take long for the tragedy of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings, which left 20 schoolchildren and six adults dead, to be co-opted by politicians and special interest groups alike, all eager to advance their ideas about how to prevent another deranged madman from taking innocent lives. President Obama is calling on Congress to issue gun control legislation that would limit access to assault weapons. The National Rifle Association (NRA) wants armed guards patrolling every school in America. Legislators in several states, including Florida, want to allow teachers to carry guns on school grounds. Others are clamoring for a lockdown of the schools, complete with metal detectors and guard dogs.

To our detriment, we have revisited this scenario in the wake of every school shooting since 12^th graders Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, and opened fire, killing 12 classmates and one teacher. Yet in the midst of widespread finger pointing (not even violent movies, crime dramas and violent video games have been spared) and calls for reform of the mental health care system and gun control, not a word has been said about the greatest perpetrator of violence in American society and around the world—the U.S. government.

Connecticut Shootings What No One Dares Say

Last week 27 Americans were murdered in a shooting spree, 20 of those killed were children. An enormous amount of attention is being focused on this event, even to the point of having the president make emotional speeches about it and visiting the families, and the story has been the top story on the news not just in the United States, but all over the world. Obviously this is an enormous tragedy for the families involved, however there is something very important that's not being said here.

The obvious attack on the 2nd amendment may be the main topic on your mind, but the problem goes much deeper than gun control or any of these other surface issues.

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