In the second of three blogs this week on the role of guns in our society, Tony Payan, visiting Baker Institute Scholar for Immigration Studies, lays out why the political conversation about gun control isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
- Read the first blog in the series, “Corruption: A lethal wepaon, too,” by Baker Institute nonresident drug policy fellow Gary Hale, former chief of intelligence for the Houston field division of the Drug Enforcement.
Normally, shocking incidents or crises — particularly those that draw public attention and media coverage — generally prompt a debate on one or more aspects of the issue, including the philosophical, constitutional, regulatory or even technical aspect. The event often leads to investigations that result in a change in public policy to prevent or deter its reoccurrence. Air travel accidents, public infrastructure failures or financial crises come to mind. This is the “normal” route.
If the pattern were followed, recent tragedies such as the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the massacre at a Colorado movie theater should have led to a serious consideration of the failures of public policy. Policy itself should have been examined and tweaked until better policies regarding gun access and ownership were found. Gun incidents, however, rarely lead to political action or a public policy change. The ideological charge and the high emotionalism that surround the regulatory apparatus of guns are extraordinary and completely bypass the “normal” path to public policy change.
Very few shocking, violent gun-related events lead to substantial policy change regarding guns or even a shoring up of gun regulations enforcement. The issue of guns is not a “normal” issue in public policy and should not be considered as such. If we continue to think of it along the same lines as other public policy issues, the country will continue to be polarized and successful policies, which keep guns away from criminals, the mentally ill and other actors, will never be achieved.
A new framework for thinking about guns should be created, one that neutralizes the ideological and emotional factors that surround it and achieves effective gun control while maintaining a reasonable interpretation of the Second Amendment.
If the exceptionalism of guns as a public policy issue is not considered, we will continue to experience horrific incidents, the lessons of which will be completely lost on both the public and the government.
Tony Payan is the visiting Baker Institute Scholar for Immigration Studies.