Have We Learned Nothing From Last Year's Tragedy ?

The picture above is of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) and her husband. Exactly one year ago Rep. Giffords was shot in the head at a public meeting with her constituents in Tucson. Her survival is nothing short of miraculous. A dozen other people were also wounded in the melee of gunfire -- and saddest of all, six people were killed (including a nine year-old girl and a federal judge). The story was huge and went nationwide, and many Americans (including me) hoped at that time that the tragedy would shock Americans into passing some common-sense regulations for gun ownership and gun crimes.

This weekend, thousands of people are expected to show up in Tucson for a memorial to the tragedy. In addition to the large memorial, at least 30 other memorial events are also planned for the weekend. This is a good thing, because we need to remember the horror of what happened last year. But there are signs that we, as a nation, have learned very little from this tragedy.

Guess what else is happening in Tucson this weekend? That's right, a gun show! The Crossroads of the West Gun Show was scheduled for the same weekend and in the same city as the memorial to the Tucson tragedy. Could anything be more callous and insensitive than that? Surely this was not the only weekend the show could have been held. Personally, I wonder if the gun-lovers didn't intentionally pick this particular weekend for their show to make some kind of ridiculous point.

But that is far from the only thing that shows we really haven't learned very much from the tragedy. Back in 2007, the Congress passed a law requiring background checks for anyone wanting to purchase a gun (although they left a big loophole by exempting gun shows). But that law doesn't mean much since too many states still have not submitted the names to the national database of those who are dangerously mentally ill. Earlier this year, we learned that 9 states have submitted no names at all, and another 17 have submitted less than 25 names. How many years must pass before these states comply with the law, if they ever do?

And then we have our leaders in the United States Congress. They are trying to pass a ridiculous law that will make the gun regulations in many states little more than a joke. They want to force all states to honor the concealed-carry permits of all other states. The problem with this is that there are states that pass out concealed-carry permits to anyone that coughs up a few dollars, without requiring any classes on gun safety and laws or requiring even a minimum degree of proficiency with a firearm -- and some states even allow convicted felons to regain the right to own a gun.

While states may have to right to have their own gun regulations (or the lack thereof), they should not have the right to force those inadequate regulations of states with more common-sense gun regulations. Hopefully, this silly law never gets passed (or gets vetoed by the president), but 246 House members and half of all Senate Republicans have signed on to support it.

But perhaps the scariest thing of all is what happened this last holiday season. It seems that one of the most popular purchases this christmas season was, you guessed it, firearms! USA Today reports:

In the six days before Christmas, gun dealers submitted nearly half-a-million names for checks on criminal records and mental health issues, with 20% coming Dec. 23, according to news reports. That was the second-busiest gun-buying day in history, topped only by firearm purchases on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.


Final tallies for the entire month haven't been released, but December gun purchases will eclipse November. As of last week, 1,534,414 names had been sent to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

What did Americans learn from the Tucson tragedy a year ago? Apparently nothing.

(NOTE -- In the interest of full disclosure, I need to say that in September of 2005 I was a gunshot victim -- having been shot in the stomach by a carjacker.)