Gun Violence and Human Rights

By Prof.Kirthi Tennakone

The gun is the cruelest invention of the humankind designed primarily for murder members of the same species. Those who possessed guns conquered the lands where dwellers didn’t have them. Shootings had killed thousands and thousands of humans and animals and the trend continue. Every day we hear some sort of gun violence somewhere. On Tuesday 24 May, a gunman having entered an elementary school in Texas, United States, opened fire, killing 19 children and two teachers. A life time agony to close associates of the dead and a pain of mind to concerned persons worldwide.

Imagine the torment of children confined to a class room, when a man aims a rifle to kill and wound them one by one. Survived children have seen their fellow classmates falling and dying. Think about the mentality of parents after seeing blood stained and torn-out bodies of their sons and daughters.

During past several decades so many similar massacres had happened in United States – far in excess of such incidents elsewhere – more than two thousand school shootings since 1970 and about 30 so far this year.

Inaction and indifference to gun violence are violations of human rights. Why is the establishment not doing sufficient to stop the gun menace?

The cause of gun violence

Apparently normal person, turning abnormal is a psychological possibility not uncommon in the society. Easy access to weapons would allow such individuals to commit crime if they turn violent. Disproportionate gun ownership and absence of rigid gun control legislation, immensely escalate the chance an agitated person gets hold of a firearm. Civilian owned firearms in United States exceeds the population – approximately 120 items per 100 residents. Laws governing the sale and use of firearms continues to be less restrictive in United States, despite the wake of frequent mass shootings in schools and public places. In many of such acts, the offenders had planned and purchased weapons for the purpose of committing the crime. Strict background checks in permitting firearms will nearly eliminate gruesome killing and wounding of children in unpredictable shootings – a fact following from reforms to firearm regulations introduced by other nations. Naturally more guns and relaxed control regulations make a country highly susceptible to sporadic gun violence.

Ethically, it would not be possible to justify possession of a firearm – an instrument meant for the purpose of killing. However, social establishments sometimes permit a citizen to own a gun for self-defence after an assessment of credibility by a licensing authority. Firearm regulations vary widely from country to country and state to state in United States. Generally, gun control regulations everywhere stand firm against issuing gun licenses without strict background checking. Amendments to gun laws introduced in response to unforeseen lapses have markedly reduced the occurrences of gun violence in Europe and Asia. The situation is different in United States. Quoting the Second Amendment “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”, gun lobbyists pretend that everyone has a right to own and use firearms. Pro-gun politicos thwarts moves to introduce stricter gun control measures. As his immediate reaction to Texas carnage, President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to defy powerful lobbies that have successfully foiled gun control legislation for decades. Biden continued saying “Where’s the courage to stand up to very powerful lobby. We must ask when in God’s name will we do what needs to be done”.

A constitution, a law or a regulation is something man made to guide and streamline procedures for the benefit of citizenry. They are not immutable but allow; amendments, reinterpretations or repeals.

Scholars have argued that second amendment would not constrain gun control regulations. Hair splitting arguments to interpret one sentence phrase in favour of gun rights at the expense of human rights (the right to live) is cowardliness.

Polls prove a large majority wants strict firearm control. In this situation inability to enact amendments owing to disagreements based on political agendas rather than public interest, tarnishes the virtues of a democracy. After Texas shooting, the American television host Jimmy Kimmel, spoke emotionally, telling “Americans support common sense gun control but our ‘cowardly’ elected leaders are not listening to us. They are listening to people who write checks, who keep them in power, because that is the way politics work”.

Which is more important, the precious lives of children or clearing avenues for gun makers to earn more profits?

Gun culture

Gun culture or the attitude towards firearms in a society influences gun violence. Western world presumes that hunting is a sport. Bernard Shaw famously said: When a man kills a tiger it is sport and when a tiger kills a man it is cruelty. British colonial sportsmen gunned down thousands of elephants in Sri Lanka. One of them is reported have killed 1,300 elephants starving much larger number of baby elephants to death.

Some breeds of dogs, shiver at the sight of a gun or smell of gun powder smoke. When dogs are accompanied in hunting, they are the first to witness the trauma and pain of an animal struggling after the gun shot injury- inflicted just for fun – a sport. Consequently, dogs have acquired instinctive antipathy and fear for the gun. Whereas for the man who triggered the weapon, death of the animal was a pleasure and the gun a delightful barrel of metal which served the purpose. To a perverted person brought-up in an environment of the aforesaid gun culture, killing innocent humans could be a sport.

Imitation guns are among the preferred toys given to kids – precision aiming to kill poised as an accomplishment. A main theme of popular video games is shooting. Studies have failed to prove statistically and scientifically a direct link of toys and games to the escalation of gun violence. The authenticity of above studies is also questionable because gun lobbyists want it that way. Nevertheless, these games exalt the status of the gun in the society in front of children disguising its evil.

Gun violence sponsored by governments and rebel groups

Gun brutalities sponsored by governments and rebel groups kill thousands each year. Police and armed forces are legally entitled to hold fire arms. Politicians in power sometimes illegally employ members of police or armed forces to confront and assault political opponents or radical groups considered unfavorable to their agendas. We have heard so many stories of extrajudicial executions not investigated but hidden under the carpet. Such incidents are rare in democratically elected governments of the West but frequently reported in our region. Similarly radical groups armed with guns have massacred civilians, members of the police and armed forces- we have been beleaguered by this category of gun violence as well. Irony is that a good number of the general public and political establishment remain indifferent to serious human rights violations.

All forms of gun violence entail human rights issues, respective governments held responsible for inaction. Responding to mass shooting at the Elementary School in Texas. The Amnesty International commented. “We reiterate our longstanding demand for comprehensive, common-sense human right based gun safety reform at the state, local and federal levels, without further excuses or delay”.

United States frequently expressing concerns regarding human right violations elsewhere in the world should enact laws to restrain mass shootings in schools.

After every mass shooting episode the lawmakers mourn, make emotional speeches and demand swift action to impose firearm controls- but nothing materialises thereafter. We hope the same trend would not continue. The safety of school going children and teachers needs to be assured. Anguished world yearns the same unbearable carnage will not happen again.

The author can be reached via email: ktenna@yahoo.co.uk