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One…in a million moms
Guest Editorial One…in a million moms Kathy Robinson, RN, CEN, EMT-P, Bloomsburg, Pa
I
don’t recall the day, or the season, whether it was cloudy or sunny, the kind of car I drove at the time, or even his name.… I do remember the street, the house, the concrete entry steps, the color of carpet on the floor, and the smell of burnt gunpowder, blood, and brain matter when we entered the room. A 15year-old boy lay dying on his own bed, while his mother pleaded for us to save his life. I found a still smoking .38-caliber handgun on the floor, and I will never forget the distorted look on his father’s face (a local businessman I knew), as his son became another statistic among thousands. On May 14, motivated solely by my experiences in emergency care, I joined nearly a million moms, dads, kids, and others on the mall in Washington, DC, in a grassroots effort that has spurred a national dialogue on gun safety. I think I’ve read a couple hundred news accounts and editorials and listened to as many network reports since then. The pro-gun lobby says it wants the same thing as the million moms… safe kids (and people). The difference of opinion about the definition of “safe” and how to achieve safety can trigger strong emotional responses, outright defiance, and even rage. There are extremists on both sides, manipulating crime and injury data and various interpretations of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution to make their point, embracing the notion that, “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.” I am neither a law professor nor a lawyer and I don’t intend to argue or malign the Constitution, but I don’t believe our founding fathers intended to protect one freedom or right at the expense of another. I
Kathy Robinson, Susquehanna Chapter, is Staff Nurse/ED Case Manager, Emergency Department, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa. For reprints, write Kathy Robinson, RN, CEN, EMT-P, 671 Eyersgrove Rd, Bloomsburg, PA 17815-9752; E-mail: [email protected]. J Emerg Nurs 2000;26:291-2. Copyright © 2000 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 0099-1767/2000 $12.00 +0 18/61/109466 doi:10.1067/men.2000.109466
am far from a scholar of the Declaration of Independence, but I am compelled to reiterate a guiding principle from some of the very same authors as a counterpoint: “…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Katz had to pass through no fewer than three separate metal detectors. Our defenseless children (and teachers) do not enjoy such protection in the classrooms. As I stood in the crowd on that warm spring day, hearing one story after another of irrevocable loss, I thought foremost of loved ones and then of colleagues, at that very moment caring for victims of violence and irresponsibility. Little victims. Defenseless victims. I thought of parents helpless to keep children from harm’s way. Of victimized adults, as well, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of legislators unwilling to risk reelection votes at the hands of a well-funded industry. Mary Leigh Blek, current president and “chairmom” of the Million Mom March, recently wrote of Mandy Katz, a DC-area mother who attended a Senate vote. Blek noted, “that to protect Congressmen, pro-gun and otherwise, [Katz] had to pass through no fewer than three separate metal detectors. Our defenseless children (and teachers) do not enjoy such protection in the classrooms where they spend their days.” At the Million Mom March, a
August 2000 291
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING/Robinson
recurrent statistic of “12 children every day” killed by firearms has been widely criticized by those who want to deflect attention from the real issues by challenging the credibility of March advocates. “12 kids a day” includes anyone, 19 and under, including a population of 17- to 19-year-olds involved in gang or drug related activity. Does it really matter how many children are lost each and every day to guns? One child, of any age, is one too many if it’s someone you love.
We need to hold our legislators individually accountable for taking campaign money from special interest groups and not passing laws intended to protect innocent victims of crime and acts of carelessness. And we need to reward those who are advocates for safety and responsibility with votes. I’m not against guns. I believe in a person’s right to defend himself or herself against threats and aggression. I’ve grown up in the company of sportsmen and collectors and respect their opinions regarding ownership and efforts regarding safety. I own several registered firearms that are safely stored and have no compunction about being asked to demonstrate personal proficiency. It seems to me that if all of society acted responsibly, there would be no need for government. But clearly, our complacency and permissiveness reinforced by glamorous and unrealistic images from Hollywood is killing children. Enforce the laws we already have? Even in areas with ambitious judicial systems, existing laws don’t seem to be enough.1 It is estimated that although drivers with blood alcohol concentrations in excess of 0.15 represent only 1% of drivers on weekend nights, they are involved in nearly 50% of all fatal crashes at that time. Would anyone argue that licensing and registration
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of vehicles, laws regarding drunk driving, and regulation of the auto industry to protect their occupants are not needed? Why should guns be any different? This is a complex problem. It is unrealistic to think that one particular strategy or law is the answer. I’m worried that the current emphasis on gun locks will fool people into thinking that locks alone are adequate protection. In addition to mandatory safety education and regulation, we need to promote selfesteem and self-control. We must teach kids how to effectively deal with feelings of grief, frustration, and anger, and that death is permanent. They need to learn how to recognize and handle threatening situations and alternatives for avoiding them. We need to hold adults, including dealers, who provide deliberate or unintentional access to guns and ammunition accountable for what happens with them. We need to hold our legislators individually accountable for taking campaign money from special interest groups and not passing laws intended to protect innocent victims of crime and acts of carelessness. And we need to reward those who are advocates for safety and responsibility with votes. We need to demand technology to make guns safer, that “recognize” their owners, don’t misfire when dropped, and cannot be operated by first graders. We must alert manufacturers that we believe they share liability for guns that disable and kill innocent victims. As nurses, ours is a weighty burden. Whether we choose to accept or reject the challenge to implement change, we are frequently firsthand witnesses to the harsh realities of bad judgment or bad luck. If we keep that knowledge to ourselves and abdicate an inherent responsibility, we will have to accept the frustration that complacency brings and not complain about it. We can help the moms create a new reality. Some EN CARE chapters are already collaborating with Million Mom March chapters. It’s time to step up to the plate with a unified voice and remind our legislators that “it’s the right of the People to… institute new government.” And while we’re at it, tell them that the “cold, dead hands” WE pry are all too often clinging to blood-soaked teddy bears. Reference 1. Chaiken JM. Crunching numbers: crime and incarceration at the end of the millennium. Natl Inst Justice J 2000;Jan:10-7.
I
don’t recall the day, or the season, whether it was cloudy or sunny, the kind of car I drove at the time, or even his name.… I do remember the street, the house, the concrete entry steps, the color of carpet on the floor, and the smell of burnt gunpowder, blood, and brain matter when we entered the room. A 15year-old boy lay dying on his own bed, while his mother pleaded for us to save his life. I found a still smoking .38-caliber handgun on the floor, and I will never forget the distorted look on his father’s face (a local businessman I knew), as his son became another statistic among thousands. On May 14, motivated solely by my experiences in emergency care, I joined nearly a million moms, dads, kids, and others on the mall in Washington, DC, in a grassroots effort that has spurred a national dialogue on gun safety. I think I’ve read a couple hundred news accounts and editorials and listened to as many network reports since then. The pro-gun lobby says it wants the same thing as the million moms… safe kids (and people). The difference of opinion about the definition of “safe” and how to achieve safety can trigger strong emotional responses, outright defiance, and even rage. There are extremists on both sides, manipulating crime and injury data and various interpretations of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution to make their point, embracing the notion that, “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.” I am neither a law professor nor a lawyer and I don’t intend to argue or malign the Constitution, but I don’t believe our founding fathers intended to protect one freedom or right at the expense of another. I
Kathy Robinson, Susquehanna Chapter, is Staff Nurse/ED Case Manager, Emergency Department, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa. For reprints, write Kathy Robinson, RN, CEN, EMT-P, 671 Eyersgrove Rd, Bloomsburg, PA 17815-9752; E-mail: [email protected]. J Emerg Nurs 2000;26:291-2. Copyright © 2000 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 0099-1767/2000 $12.00 +0 18/61/109466 doi:10.1067/men.2000.109466
am far from a scholar of the Declaration of Independence, but I am compelled to reiterate a guiding principle from some of the very same authors as a counterpoint: “…Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Katz had to pass through no fewer than three separate metal detectors. Our defenseless children (and teachers) do not enjoy such protection in the classrooms. As I stood in the crowd on that warm spring day, hearing one story after another of irrevocable loss, I thought foremost of loved ones and then of colleagues, at that very moment caring for victims of violence and irresponsibility. Little victims. Defenseless victims. I thought of parents helpless to keep children from harm’s way. Of victimized adults, as well, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of legislators unwilling to risk reelection votes at the hands of a well-funded industry. Mary Leigh Blek, current president and “chairmom” of the Million Mom March, recently wrote of Mandy Katz, a DC-area mother who attended a Senate vote. Blek noted, “that to protect Congressmen, pro-gun and otherwise, [Katz] had to pass through no fewer than three separate metal detectors. Our defenseless children (and teachers) do not enjoy such protection in the classrooms where they spend their days.” At the Million Mom March, a
August 2000 291
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING/Robinson
recurrent statistic of “12 children every day” killed by firearms has been widely criticized by those who want to deflect attention from the real issues by challenging the credibility of March advocates. “12 kids a day” includes anyone, 19 and under, including a population of 17- to 19-year-olds involved in gang or drug related activity. Does it really matter how many children are lost each and every day to guns? One child, of any age, is one too many if it’s someone you love.
We need to hold our legislators individually accountable for taking campaign money from special interest groups and not passing laws intended to protect innocent victims of crime and acts of carelessness. And we need to reward those who are advocates for safety and responsibility with votes. I’m not against guns. I believe in a person’s right to defend himself or herself against threats and aggression. I’ve grown up in the company of sportsmen and collectors and respect their opinions regarding ownership and efforts regarding safety. I own several registered firearms that are safely stored and have no compunction about being asked to demonstrate personal proficiency. It seems to me that if all of society acted responsibly, there would be no need for government. But clearly, our complacency and permissiveness reinforced by glamorous and unrealistic images from Hollywood is killing children. Enforce the laws we already have? Even in areas with ambitious judicial systems, existing laws don’t seem to be enough.1 It is estimated that although drivers with blood alcohol concentrations in excess of 0.15 represent only 1% of drivers on weekend nights, they are involved in nearly 50% of all fatal crashes at that time. Would anyone argue that licensing and registration
292 Volume 26, Number 4
of vehicles, laws regarding drunk driving, and regulation of the auto industry to protect their occupants are not needed? Why should guns be any different? This is a complex problem. It is unrealistic to think that one particular strategy or law is the answer. I’m worried that the current emphasis on gun locks will fool people into thinking that locks alone are adequate protection. In addition to mandatory safety education and regulation, we need to promote selfesteem and self-control. We must teach kids how to effectively deal with feelings of grief, frustration, and anger, and that death is permanent. They need to learn how to recognize and handle threatening situations and alternatives for avoiding them. We need to hold adults, including dealers, who provide deliberate or unintentional access to guns and ammunition accountable for what happens with them. We need to hold our legislators individually accountable for taking campaign money from special interest groups and not passing laws intended to protect innocent victims of crime and acts of carelessness. And we need to reward those who are advocates for safety and responsibility with votes. We need to demand technology to make guns safer, that “recognize” their owners, don’t misfire when dropped, and cannot be operated by first graders. We must alert manufacturers that we believe they share liability for guns that disable and kill innocent victims. As nurses, ours is a weighty burden. Whether we choose to accept or reject the challenge to implement change, we are frequently firsthand witnesses to the harsh realities of bad judgment or bad luck. If we keep that knowledge to ourselves and abdicate an inherent responsibility, we will have to accept the frustration that complacency brings and not complain about it. We can help the moms create a new reality. Some EN CARE chapters are already collaborating with Million Mom March chapters. It’s time to step up to the plate with a unified voice and remind our legislators that “it’s the right of the People to… institute new government.” And while we’re at it, tell them that the “cold, dead hands” WE pry are all too often clinging to blood-soaked teddy bears. Reference 1. Chaiken JM. Crunching numbers: crime and incarceration at the end of the millennium. Natl Inst Justice J 2000;Jan:10-7.