Confessions of a Pacifist

     I have no desire to jump on the bandwagon of every hot button issue in the news.  Only when I do not hear what I believe--deeply believe--do I feel compelled to respond.  The Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings fall into that category.  Gun control.  [Presently, my thoughts regarding mental health services are not well formed--maybe later I will address that.  But, not without careful contemplation will I do so.]
     I shall examine gun control, but, not as you might think--not as it is addressed in common parlance.
     Under my rule, in a perfect society, no guns would exist.  Yet, I am not the ruler.  The world is not perfect--my understanding of guns does not suffice to be an "effective" advocate of gun control.
     We speak of background checks.  We speak of gun safety classes.  Common agreement seems to exist on the reasonable nature of those two elements of gun ownership--of gun use.
     Now, conceal and carry licenses are more controversial.
     Several issues lend themselves to consideration separately--media coverage; online information regarding guns.
     Media is moving toward avoiding mention of the names of the individuals who shoot numerous people--individuals who instigate rampages, or massacres.  Both the availability of information regarding guns, and media usage of the shooter(s)' name(s) are driven by the concern that there will be copycats, who seek fame.  That is sensible to me.  Yet, I want to address some issues, and related questions separately.
     All this is well and good.  Yet this is not all that is needed by a second group of people involved in the gun control debate--advocates of gun control.  I may be condemning all individuals who are advocates of gun control, who are more informed than I.  I will take that risk, in the hope that I might be clarifying issues and questions not sufficiently included in the discussion--the national conversation regarding gun control that seems likely to be forthcoming.  I do not know how to address directly the ardent supporters of the Second Amendment--those individuals who oppose gun control.  My intent is not to inflame the debate.  That is useless.  Clarity is the essence of effective advocacy--advocacy regarding any issue.