Orlando. A tragedy, but an opprtunity to sort US Gun Control
I don’t know whether the Orlando shootings were motivated by religious hatred, homophobia or a simple streak of evil. And although speculation about that has already consumed hours and hours of TV and radio airtime, pages and pages of newspapers, and dominated conversation in pubs, between friends and among families, few conclusions will be reached. It’s probably fair to say that the only person who truly understood the motives behind the killings is dead.
And while his ex-wife, his father and former friends and work colleagues will all gain either notoriety, five minutes of fame or a salved conscience by speaking publicly about their fears or experiences of him, little will be achieved. The fact is that a man armed with two guns entered a gay night club, killed 49 people and injured 53 more, before being shot dead by police. And yet the majority of voters in America still seem to favour the right to bear arms over the right not to be shot.
The killer used two guns. One was a handgun and the other was a semi-automatic assault rifle, capable of expelling 45 rounds per minute. It can be bought off the shelf in Florida, even, it appears, by someone who was twice investigated by the FBI for suspected terrorist sympathies.
Pro-gun lobbyists are quick to argue that it’s not guns that kill, but people. They are also keen to point out that even without guns, mass killings can occur, citing the Oklahoma city bomber, the 9/11 terror attacks and the Boston Marathon bombings. Presumably their point is that evil will find a way, so it’s better to be armed to protect yourself than unarmed. That’s certainly the point that Donald Trump made after the Bataclan terror attacks in Paris.
And to an extent they are right. Evil does – and will – find a way, but everyone having guns does not, and cannot, make everyone safer. America needs to wake up to itself, but I fear things have gone too far. In a country where the strength of the National Rifle Association means that a known ISIS sympathiser can be prevented from flying but cannot be prevented from buying a gun, it is hard to see how even the strongest of liberal leaders could start to win ground on gun control.
The Land of The Free is at war with itself, and if Trump’s Tweets continue unchecked, is in danger of further antagonising the rest of the world. While presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke in a dignified manner of her horror at the news, her support for the LGBT community, and for stricter gun control reforms, her Republican counterpart was jumping to conclusions, condemning radical Islamic terrorism, accepting congratulations for his tough stance, and calling for Obama’s resignation.
When mass shootings occur anywhere in the world, I can’t help but think of Dunblane. Scotland reacted to that horror in the most appropriate way possible; with The Snowdrop Campaign. The guns Thomas Hamilton used to slay his victims 20 years ago were held by him legally, just as the Orlando shooter’s guns were held by him. But thanks to pressure instigated in the UK by The Snowdrop Campaign, the government passed a law the following year banning handguns above .22 calibre and restricting smaller calibre weapons to secure gun clubs. Furthermore, following a nationwide gun amnesty, 160,000 handguns were surrendered to police. There has never been a shooting in a UK school since then.
The UK is a smaller, more manageable beast than the US – here there was one law to change, in America each state has different laws. But other countries the size of the US don’t suffer from the same frequent mass killings. Something needs to be done. Ordinary citizens may feel powerless in the face of this latest tragedy – even Clinton, dignified as she is, doesn’t seem to think she can do much. But The Snowdrop Campaign should give hope. Ordinary UK citizens stood up for what they believed in, achieved change, and lives were saved.
If every American who has changed their Facebook profile photo to the ‘We Stand With Orlando’ Pride ribbon agitated for change, change could come. Come on guys – what have you got to lose?
Counting down to Empty Nest Day :)
That’s it. As last week’s school prize-giving ended our official duties as parents of schoolchildren came to a close. The last Leaver’s Form has been signed, we have shaken hands and said a heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to a really decent head teacher, and with almost undignified haste, Daughter #2 has already donated her school uniform to the charity shop.
So what does all this mean? It means than in ten weeks’ time Mr Marr and I become Empty Nesters. And to be honest, we can’t wait. Yes, the house will feel huge, and we will miss the sheer physicality of our girls; their laughter, their friends, their music, and their conversation filling our house. But the whole point of this ‘having children’ malarkey, is to create the next generation of independent, free-thinking adults, who will find their own ways in the world, and (hopefully) make us proud (as if we aren’t already) of the people they become, and of how they resolve the mistakes they will undoubtedly make.
We are ten weeks from Empty Nest Day, and I will cherish every day of those weeks that are left to us. But it’s time to turn the page. Wish us luck!
Exciting times ahead for Mr Marr and me!
This column first appeared in six SPP Group newspapers week ended 17th June 2016.
It’s good to share – and it’s easy, using the buttons below.