After the Juneau Assembly unanimously voted to amend the city’s code two weeks ago, the Planning Commission seems set to grant a Conditional Use Permit for a private company to build an indoor gun range near the airport. People will then be able to practice firing automatic weapons. That’s what 20-year-old Blaec Lammers allegedly recently did in Missouri. He never owned a gun until he purchased two assault weapons. According to police, who were contacted by his mother, Lammers stated he went to a firing range to practice using them because he was planning to commit mass murder.
I know a ban on assault weapons might not have prevented the July shootings in Aurora, Colo. that claimed 12 lives. The one in place from 1994 to 2004 didn’t stop the Columbine High School shooters from killing 13 people. Obviously something else is wrong. Part of the problem may be that we’re locked into the wrong debate. If we look at Japan’s gun history we might understand the issue is about a false sense of personal power, not freedom.
In Japan, private ownership of most types of guns is illegal. In 2006 there were only two gun homicide cases there. But what’s really worthy of study is the period known as Sakoku when no foreigners were permitted into the country. One of the most detailed accounts of this unique piece of firearm history is presented in Noel Perrin’s book “Giving Up the Gun: Japan’s Reversion to the Sword, 1543-1879.”
Prior to Sakoku, Japan used more guns in military battles than any European nation. But during those two centuries they almost entirely disappeared from Japanese consciousness. One of the primary reasons was the belief that guns diminished the valor of the warrior class by shifting the value of one’s fighting skills from the individual to the gun manufacturers. In other words, they recognized that power belonged to the gun, not the person wielding it.
All power has the potential to corrupt, and guns are no different, especially when the overwhelming fire power of automatic weapons is factored in. I’m suggesting that Lammers and the mass murderers who used them were psychologically corrupted by the power of their weapons. They mistook the power of the gun as their own.
We have to ask ourselves if the false sense of personal power derived from firearms could be predominantly a male problem. Men have lorded over the domain of guns forever. The board of directors of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest and most powerful gun lobby in the country, is almost 90 percent male. About four out of five attendees at its national conventions are men. But the main evidence is that men were the assailant in all but one of the 60 gun related mass murders that have occurred in America during the past 30 years.
Men, not guns, kill people, gun rights advocates will argue. That may be true, but it doesn’t matter to the killer who can’t distinguish between personal power and the false power gained from possessing firearms. And a male dominated culture that glamorizes its most powerful weapons not only enables such delusions, it makes it difficult to recognize the young men among us susceptible to developing an unhealthy attachment to them.
Now I’m willing to accept guns as a necessity for law enforcement purposes. I believe they have a place in our society for hunters and for those who believe they need them to feel safe in their homes. Not assault weapons though. No one benefits from the absolute sense of false power they hold. As Mitt Romney said in 2004 when he signed a law banning them in Massachusetts, they’re “instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.”
In pursuit of his presidential ambitions Romney succumbed to a different kind of false power and changed his view. But private ownership of AK47s and other machine guns is not a matter of freedom just because the NRA argues that it’s our constitutional right to bear arms. They should be banned. And without fully understanding the corruptive power of these weapons, gun lobbies and businesses shouldn’t be encouraging people to fire them for entertainment.
• Moniak is a Juneau resident.
Comments (91)
Add commentFascinating piece, Rich
And definitely a hot button topic guaranteed to incur the wrath of the gun worshipers. If only you had somehow woven Sarah Palin into your essay to achieve maximum firepower.
Your premise about the corrupting power of guns rings true. And I suspect it has a lot to do with our society's tolerance of spending more on our military than the next 15 countries combined. The corruption goes far beyond assault rifles...
While I support our right to
While I support our right to bear arms, until we can do something about the level of guns obtained illegally I also support regulating weapons that are not designed for personal protection or hunting. Too many people die because someone can walk down a shady street and buy a gun. Remember its not the responsible gun owner giving guns a bad name.
What's your problem?
The indoor range, NRA, men, Mitt, the Constitution .............
Real purpose,
Looks like it's time for a lot of people to study the purpose of the second amendment, it can be obtained by reading some of the Federalist Papers, ALSO keep in mind that as more states OK carry laws and more guns are sold, the crime rate keeps going DOWN.
Stu, which guns are you
Stu, which guns are you talking about? What constitutes a gun designed for personal protection or hunting? The most popular hunting round, the 30-06 is a military round, designed for killing people. It also works great on deer, elk, moose, etc. My personal favorite, the 45-70 is another military round designed to kill people. 12 ga shotgun? Most feared sound on the planet is a pump 12 ga jacking in a round! Works on ducks and geese too, and is a great home protection devise.
Face it. Guns are a part of our country and always will be, unless we have a complete totalitarian regime who will ruthlessly hunt down anyone with a gun. And even then it wont work. It never has. The good guys may give up theirs, but the criminals dont. And all the anti gun nuts who seek a ban on automatic rifles etc, please explain to me how that will help as there has never been a crime committed with a legally registered automatic weapon... And if you managed to outlaw all firearms manufacture and sales, there are a lot of us who can make our own. And are pretty handy with a bow. Or a sharp stick.
You guys are missing Rich's point
It's not the type of gun or gun laws that are the problem. It's the people who are seduced by guns and use them to compensate for other shortcomings that are the problem.
I own several guns of various flavors. I also own a couple of chain saws. They're all just tools for doing a job. Both can be dangerous without due respect. And sometimes running a chain saw can be fun. So can shooting a gun.
Sorry,
An AK47 is not a machine gun, period. I have no intention of giving credence to anyone who cannot distinguish between simi and full automatic. Educate yourself first Rich, then come back. Full autos are very heavily regulated!
Rich's point is that guns are
Rich's point is that guns are bad and should be outlawed. I didn't miss it, I just totally disagree with it.
Then you got a different point, KP
Bobc - How many of the 60 mass gun murders in the past 30 years were conducted with fully automatic weapons?
The problem isn't the gun.
Japan's "valor of the warrior class" was reserved to a special
caste system. The average folk were successfully kept under the yolk of these 'honorable warriors' for centuries until WWII when they nearly destroyed their own country in pursuit of an 'honorable' end.
It was not the common criminal which turned the Japan citizenry away from guns. It was their own government.
I think Rich is advocating
I think Rich is advocating for the further wussification of the male species! That testosterone is such a problem...
@ alaskabobc
"machine gun
a gun for sustained rapid fire that uses bullets; broadly: an automatic weapon "
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machine%20gun
The AK-47 in full-auto has a burst rate of fire of 100 rounds/min. In other words, it falls under the definition of "machine gun."
An AK-47 is the poster child for the types of weapons that have no purpose other than war.
Also see Amendment 2 to the US Constitution: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Note the first four words... "A well regulated Militia..."
Clauses 15 and 16 to Section 8 of Article 1 of the US Constitution deals with the militia.
"Clause 15. The Congress shall have Power To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.
Clause 16. The Congress shall have Power To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress."
@alaskabobc has some "Definition Issues"
First Issue: The AK-47, today, comes in a variety of Models, some are Full Auto, some are Select Fire, and most in the USA are Semi Auto... Only the First two models ARE "Machine Guns" and are HIGHLY Regulated by the NFA of 1934 as amended.
Second Issue: MANY AK-47semsiautos legally owned, here in the USA, ARE used for hunting... Contrary to the above's popular belief....
Third Issue: Apparently the above poster is NOT familiar with the SCOTUS Findings, in Heller vs USA, where the Supreme Court help that the 2nd Amendment WAS an Individual Right, and in a later finding in a Chicago Case, that this Individual Right, is to be applied to ALL US States, and Territories. This totally debunks his unsupported, and unsubstantiated, thoughts on the meaning of the 2nd Amendment, being only for "Militia" or some other BS...
SCOTUS HAS RULED on this Question, and that is FINAL...
I would take the NRA more seriously
if they would react reasonably and in proportion to the level of regulation that guns have incurred over the years. As they seemingly get more angry as they contintue to get what they want, it's obvious they don't have a clear goal, other than tanks and bunkers behind every white christian family's home in America.
But they do help if anyone is looking for a quick buck come election time. Gun sales went through the roof again this election, thanks to the predictable nature of scared old white men in America. It's the fear that has overcome them. It's obvious. Better go buy another gun cuz ol' obama is definitely gonna take em away this time... dur
Maybe we are looking at the
Maybe we are looking at the wrong side of things. People are getting weapons illegally, THAT is the problem. So the punishment for people having illegal guns or unregistered guns should be far more serious. You get caught with an unregistered gun or illegal gun you get 5 years min no chance at pleading. That will keep the gun enthusiasts happy since they all are responsible gun owners and follow the law and the people that think only banning guns is the solution will be happy when you see gun crime drop.
Hunting with an AK-47? rotflmao
Someone may hunt with an AK-47 just to do it, but any hunter with any desire to actually get meat would use practically anything over an AK-47.
The AK-47 was designed for mass infantry encounters. It was not designed for hunting. It is designed for one thing and one thing only-killing people.
You can kill a deer with a cannon, but does that make it a hunting weapon? How about a flame thrower? You can certianly hunt with a flame thrower, but why would you want to? Answer: to prove you can do it.
cheesepuff - you're a bigot.
cheesepuff - you're a bigot.
"tanks and bunkers behind every white christian family's home in America"
"scared old white men in America"
And this type of language from the "tolerant" left that continues to lecture we conservatives on proper behavior.
I'll say it again - projection is a beautiful thing.
Somehow we'll get this country straightened out. I wonder what kind of heLL we'll all have to go through first, though?
AK47
Is not sold by your local gunshop in full auto mode, it takes a very special permit to sell or own one. No definition problem here.
But...
I really want to shoot a Tommy Gun. Anything called a "Trenchbroom" has gotta be a hoot to shoot...but it got that nickname in WWI when it used used to kill people in the trenches.
But I think that is the point of the editorial here... I collect comics. Some people (like my dad) collect guns. They are not the problem. The editorial makes the point that the people who go whack and kill people start with a sense of powerlessness and paranoia that leads them to accumulate guns as a talisman against their perceived enemy. Then at some point they snap, and start shooting.
That is the issue-keeping guns out of the hands of whackos. I really do not have a problem with guns. As long as they are in the hands of people who know what they are for and how to use them...and most importantly...how NOT to use them.
If I snap...
...it'll be with my chain saw.
really?
Moniak's use of Japan as an example of peace loving honorable folk is laughable. They have been known throughout history as evil slavers every where they ever invaded
Easy Make Fully Auto
Making a semi-auto AK 47 or AR 15 to full auto is very easily done with a twisty tie for the AK and a paper clip for the AR.
Lots of web info out there on how easy it is.
You can't do that with a bolt action or revolver so yes they are machine guns.
Far more honorable then any
Far more honorable then any European nation ever but that's besides the point., ill agree crappy point.
calypso,
tolerance is being free from bigotry. The NRA is a bigotted organization. I am free from the NRA. Have been for some time now. I am not a bigot for pointing this out. You need to learn what bigotry is, because this whole "blaming liberals, i.e., minorities, for the downfall of society" is a classic bigot argument. And you bring it up in almost every post you make. Think it over.
Nonsense
This letter is total nonsense. Why shouldn't there be an indoor facility in Juneau to safely use automatic weapons? I think that Rich has definitely been neutered.
Check your info el_boorba
A "trenchbroom" was a nickname for an M1897 pump action shotgun, made by Winchester. Typically loaded with 6 rounds of 00 buckshot, one could hold the trigger down and pump away, due to a lack of disconnector.
And the Thompson, was still in development when WWI ended. So, not used then. It did perform well in WWII.
And as far as hunting with an AK-47 (most likely an AKM), why not? Let's see, a rifle made to be accurate and lethal out to 400 meters, requiring an absolute minimum of maintenance. Whats not to like? The only real hitch there is, way underpowered to take on a brown bear. Not everyone hunts in bear country. Oh, and to be legal to hunt with, it can only be semi-automatic, not selective fire.
Latitude......you crack me up.
Chainsaw indeed. I wonder how long a tank of fuel lasts......
I have a friend who makes
I have a friend who makes rifles from scratch, milling down bar stock, etc. Every single component. Just try stopping someone like him from owning a gun... And look everywhere that they have banned them at what the result was - more violent crime...
Ah Ha
Before you make a sweeping generalization about Japan and the Japanese people, I humbly suggest that you take the time to study Japanese history - and then compare that history to the history of Europe, the Mideast, China, the US and immigrants' treatment of indigenous people. You may find that others have been more "evil slavers" in their history.
@dartbucks...
thanks for the correction! i obvs missed the point that it was not used in wwi...i just hear trench and thin wwi. wiki does state that thompson wanted a "trench broom" and lists it as a nickname for it. i like tommy gun myself.
fascinating read about M1897! thanks for the tip! wiki has its nickname as the "trench sweeper."
wiki has its faults, one of them being that well meaning amateurs like myself sound stupid when using it as a source. i lament for our youth's bibliographies!