Why gun owners are not persuaded by mass shootings

In the wake of a mass shooting, sentiments vary, but often sound something like, "Surely now they will believe what we've been saying all along." The irony is that this sentiment comes from both liberal, anti-gun folks on the left and conservative, pro-gun folks on the right.

The appearance of this conviction paralleled in groups of Americans with wildly opposed views seems ironic until we realize that mass shootings are convincing both sides that they are right. Both sides of the argument have beliefs that are reinforced every time a mass shooting occurs.

Preconceived notions reinforced

People who have no desire to own guns believe that nobody needs a gun and that keeping guns out of the hands of Americans will prevent violence. These beliefs are vigorously reinforced when a mass shooting occurs and unarmed people are killed by people with guns.

Likewise, people who own guns--especially law enforcement and veterans--believe that having a gun is an integral part of self defense and home safety. These beliefs are vigorously reinforced when a mass shooting occurs and unarmed people are killed by people with guns.

Who is to blame for mass shootings?

Those who have no desire to own a gun are convinced that gun owners are to blame when a mass shooting occurs. Reporters and politicians, eager to let no tragedy go to waste, are quick cast blame on gun owners--after all, the shooter is always a gun owner.

The gun owner hears these accusations and the demands for gun control and scratches his head wondering "Why are they blaming me? I wasn't even there." Gun owners believe that mental illness or Islam is to blame and that belief is reinforced by every mass shooting--after all, the shooter is always mentally ill or Muslim.

Too easy to deamonize

Growing up around knives, bats and hammers has enabled Americans to feel safe with them around their homes--even in the hands of children! Nobody would take seriously a proposal to ban these items, but those things are used to kill far more people than the rifles that the liberal, anti-gun folks are trying to criminalize.

Gun owners, those who grew up around guns, veterans and law enforcement officers do not have a fear of guns. A ban on rifles seems just as irrational to a gun owner as a ban on baseball bats would seem to an athlete or a ban on hammers would seem to a carpenter.

Nobody is trying to take your guns!

Liberal, anti-gun folks on the left honestly believe it when they say, "Nobody is trying to take your guns." This is the result of a campaign of disinformation waged by the left to convince Americans that only fully-automatic machine guns are being targeted by gun legislation.

Actual assault weapons were banned in 1934 and only a handful still exist in the hands of civilian collectors. The term "assault weapon" is now being used to describe regular rifles that have been painted black instead of green, camouflage or wood grain.

Gun owners understand this and hold no delusions when they believe that their rifles are the guns that will be criminalized if "assault weapons" are banned. Making guns illegal is, in effect, taking them.

What solution to use?

No solution can be expected to work until we have identified the problem. Attempts to solve a problem that hasn't been identified have unintended consequences.

Gun control has been tried in places like Chicago, Washington DC and California with disastrous results. Gun owners look at the disproportionately high rates of violent crime in those places and conclude that the problem isn't guns, but the anti-gun folks form the exact opposite conclusion.

Start by protecting our children.

Perhaps gun safety courses in our schools would be a great start--that's where many children learn to use bats and hammers. Learning about guns in a safe environment can't be any more dangerous than letting them learn on their own or from people who themselves do not know how to safely handle a gun.

Sure, some would oppose teaching children how to use guns safely and, instead, teach them only to fear guns. That mentality will probably do as much good for America as it did when it was applied to sex education.

Start by putting bigotry and fear aside.

Forming a consensus that doesn't demonize any one group for the unpredictable actions of a few members is probably a good start. Taking public safety seriously instead of criminalizing anything that some people are afraid of would be an even better start.