Getting control of America’s gun epidemic

David Webber, Columbia MISSOURIAN, February 24, 2024

The shootings in Kansas City after the Super Bowl celebratory parade show the unpredictable madness of the American gun culture. Apparently the two males being charged as adults didn’t know one another but happened to get into an altercation in which guns were instantly drawn. This wasn’t really a “gun fight” but rather an “instantaneous reaction by two guys who had guns.” It was random madness that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander and the wounding of about 25 others, mostly children.

While we don’t yet know the likely causes of the post-parade gun altercation, it does not appear to be gang related, or terrorism, or by a lone crazed madman. It appears to be the result of the random path-crossing of two guys brought up in the American gun culture. One report was that somehow one guy didn’t show the other “respect.” The tenor of the altercation caused guns to be drawn and used because of the availability of guns. Without guns, a few punches may have been thrown, and a few vulgarities hollered that some surrounding fans might have found offensive, but no one would be dead, and 25 bystanders would not have been wounded. But guns changed that.

No killing is justified. Very few shootings are justified, but some, e.g. self-defense, may make sense and be understandable. But, ruining your life, and that of 25 other people, in the blink of an eye over some social altercation, is not only wrong, it also makes no sense. It is road rage without the road. Recently, there was a shooting in a movie theatre because someone was talking and an event in a St. Louis grocery store where a guy pulled a gun after he was accused of having too many items in a self-checkout line.

The U.S. leads the world in senseless fatalities that destroy families and have a chilling effect on community activities. While mass shootings are irksome, they are not a leading type of fatality. Of the approximately 48,830 gun-related deaths in 2021, the most frequent cause of death is suicide. Mass shootings receive lots of media and public attention, but totaled 106 deaths in 2021.

With an estimated 446 million firearms for a population of 330 million people, the United States has 1.3 guns per person. But the majority of Americans do not own a gun. In 2023, 32% of Americans personally own a gun, with another 10% living in a household where someone owns a gun. Forty percent of men compared with 25% of women own guns. Republicans are more likely than Democrats (45% to 20%) to own guns, 47% of people in rural areas own guns compared with 30% in suburbs and 20% in urban areas. Thirty-eight percent of White Americans own guns, compared to 24% of Blacks, 20% of Hispanics and 10% of Asian Americans.

The federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, enacted in June 2022, is the most significant change in federal gun laws in 30 years. The law enhances background checks for gun buyers under 21, provides billions of dollars for mental health services and closes the so-called “boyfriend loophole” to prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm for five years. In addition, the law incentivizes states to start crisis intervention programs, clarifies the definition of a federally-licensed firearms dealer and creates penalties for so called “straw purchases” and gun trafficking.

The Pew Research Center surveyed public opinion about the new law, finding surprising results. Two-thirds of U.S. adults (64%) approve of the new gun law, compared to 21% who disapprove. However, most Americans are not optimistic it will do much to reduce gun violence in the country: 78% think the new gun law will do a little or nothing at all to reduce gun violence. About two-thirds (63%) say they would like to see Congress pass another round of legislation to address gun violence, compared with 35% who do not.

American politics have spent decades debating gun control with limited results. There may be a glimmer of hope now that the National Rifle Association appears to be in the midst of financial and generational change that may weaken the NRA’s bloated image as a grassroots organization. I propose that Missouri consider these reasonable changes.

1. Gun ownership should be registered, just like that for vehicles, boats, motorhomes and motorcycles. That will be the extent of gun control for most owners. If a gun is used in a crime, the registered owner will be charged with “failure to control a firearm.’

2. Gun ammunition purchases should require regulation like the purchase of methamphetamine precursor chemicals in cold medicines. Most people accept showing identification and registering their purchase for buying cold medicines. The same should be required for bullets.

3. All gun purchasers, not just those under 21, should be required to submit to background checks. Volunteers at homeless shelters, renters for apartments and some job applicants undergo a background check.

4. State and local government should be encouraged to develop and test “red flag” and other prevention programs.

5. Guns are for adults. Any gun incident should automatically be treated as an adult incident for purposes of immediate disclosure of arrest. Parents should be held responsible for the actions of their children.

6. Open-air, mobile events such as parades should be declared gun free zones for the length of the event and a reasonable pre-setup period and post-takedown period.

7. Communities experiencing a mass shooting should have a local task force asking, “How could this have been prevented?” The task force should identify social, individual characteristics, enforcement and other factors that could have prevented the tragedy.

David Webber joined the MU Political Science Department in 1986 and wrote his first column for the Missourian in 1994. He now writes twice a month.

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce could reach new heights as power couple

David Webber, Columbia MISSOURIAN, February 10, 2024

Super Bowl LVIII with the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift would have both been huge in 2024, even if Aphrodite had not brought them together.

I am familiar with the long history of the Super Bowl, with the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I in 1967, but I did not notice the rise of Taylor Swift.

I was unaware of her music and accomplishments until about five years ago. One of first times I heard her name was when a TV reporter asked a young girl what she was going to do after she completed her cancer chemotherapy treatments, she broke into song with “Shake it Off” “just like Taylor would do,” she said.

I’m sure I noticed her name a few other times and probably dismissed her as another teenage pop star who would fade away without the staying power of a Joni Mitchell, a Bruce Springsteen or a Michael Jackson.

In 2022 I saw that Swift was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by New York University. As a sucker for most things academic, I checked it out on YouTube. I was impressed.

She is a captivating storyteller who projects humility, wisdom and political savvy.

In self-deprecating style, she pronounced “I’m pretty sure the only reason I was selected is because I have a song “22” and the NYU graduates went wild — like she was Elvis or the Beatles.

Having not heard of “22,” I checked it out. I can see why the song is so popular — it’s a catchy tune with a good story. It captures the mixed sentiments of generations of college graduates at age 22.

She went on to describe how “we are a patchwork quilt of our experiences” and that “someone read to you, explained things to you, explained why we eat salad but don’t eat grass.

She advised the grads to express their gratitude to those who helped them in “your steps and missteps.”

Swift said, “I won’t give you advice, because no one likes that, but I will give you some life hacks that I wish I knew when I started my out my career about navigating life, love, pressure, choices, shame, hope and friendship.”

That’s a pretty good list of life topics, especially for a 33-year-old. The single most important message she had for recent college grads might be: “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortless is a myth.”

That NYU speech was about the end of my Taylor Swift education until this Travis Kelce thing came along. Something big was growing.

Granted, everyone follows a celebrity romance, but Swift had an army of followers waiting for some drama. Kelce had last year’s Super Bowl against his brother to bolster his image.

Swift’s selection as Time magazine’s “Person of the Year’ on Dec. 6 first struck me as way too much. How could anyone have more impact on America than a political leader, a business tycoon or the creator of artificial intelligence?

Upon closer examination, however, I see that Time made a credible decision. They cite her entertainment successes — most requested song on Spotify, international popularity of her “Eras” tour, and her economic success of becoming a billionaire.

But one sentence in their announcement haunts me.

They rightly proclaim that 2023 was a rather dark year and that she was one of the few lights. They wrote, “In a divided world where too many institutions are failing, Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well.”

By golly, I think Time got it.

Swift’s lasting impact may be on the recording industry where she has challenged the practice of artists signing away the rights to a recording company at the infancy of their careers when young artists are full of ambition but short on legal expertise.

Taylor Swift, and now by association, Travis Kelce, may be on the leading edge of an era of niceness and brightness. They are likable, skilled at their professions, comfortable at being in the public eye in the social media age yet aim to protect their privacy.

They appear to be genuinely nice people. One survey found that 70% of Americans like Swift. They may be riding the leading edge of a wave of America’s frustration and “fed-up-ness” with division and negativity.

Kelce has maybe two to three years remaining in his Hall of Fame professional football playing career; Swift has another two or three decades.

I imagine Kelce will maintain his “New Heights” podcast with his brother and expand his public image and community involvement wherever he is. Swift has the opportunity to maintain her musical achievements and visibility.

My hope is that Kelce becomes a bit more serious, and that Swift focuses her song writing increasingly on social issues. I think they will; aging tends to do that.

So how did I miss the rise of Taylor Swift? First, if I had habitually watched the annual Grammy Awards, I would have noticed her repeat performances.

Second, if my playlist was not almost exclusively Bruce Springsteen and 1970s folk music, I would have known that Swift had a lot more to say than just “Shake it Off.”