{"id":136496,"date":"2018-05-19T23:40:25","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T05:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=136496"},"modified":"2018-05-26T18:10:16","modified_gmt":"2018-05-27T00:10:16","slug":"oversimplifying-public-policy-debates-doesnt-make-them-simpler-guns-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/19\/oversimplifying-public-policy-debates-doesnt-make-them-simpler-guns-edition.html","title":{"rendered":"Oversimplifying public policy debates doesn’t make them simpler (Guns Edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"

So. Guns.\u00a0We do have a gun violence problem in this country — less, net-net, than in decades past, but with more notorious \/ spectacular instances (i.e., mass shootings).\u00a0And the biggest problem I see about it is a desire for a Silver Bullet to Fix The Problem.<\/p>\n

We need more guns! We need fewer guns! We need more gun laws! We need fewer gun laws! We need law enforcement to monitor all social media! We need more people to inform the police when someone is acting twitchy! We need to get rid of illegal immigrants! We need to more fiercely prosecute drug crimes! We need to legalize drugs! We need to arm everyone! We need to disarm everyone! We need to solve poverty! We need to solve mental health! We need to fully research and explore gun violence! We need to anonymize all shootings so that people don’t it for fame\/infamy!<\/p>\n

None of these things, by themselves, will solve this problem. Some of them, taken to extremes, will not only not solve the problem, but will introduce interesting new problems.<\/p>\n

There are things we can do to nibble around the edges of the problem (or, more strictly speaking problemS<\/i> … the gun violence by gangs in parts of Chicago has very limited connection mass murder in a Florida high school, for example). Some of the above ideas, in moderation, could have an impact. A holistic approach would almost certainly help.<\/p>\n

But our modern political discourse — on pretty much everything, let alone guns — not only means that everyone feels their One Single Cause is their hill to die on, the only possible solution, but that anyone who disagrees is an agent of evil and anyone suggesting a more nuanced or complex approach is a compromising fool.<\/p>\n

I don’t have the<\/i> answer, by any means. I have some<\/i> answers that I think would have an effect in some areas. That’s frustrating, but, generally speaking, the best you can hope for in a public policy arena. The real world is complex — guns (or poverty, or education, or geopolitics) don’t lend themselves to simple answers.<\/p>\n

Anyone who says they can stop gun violence with one simple idea is … well, being simple. Or trying to sell you something.<\/p>\n

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View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So. Guns.\u00a0We do have a gun violence problem in this country — less, net-net, than in decades past, but with more notorious \/ spectacular instances (i.e., mass shootings).\u00a0And the biggest problem I see about it is a desire for a Silver Bullet to Fix The Problem. We need more guns! We need fewer guns! We … Continue reading “Oversimplifying public policy debates doesn’t make them simpler (Guns Edition)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,298,9],"tags":[1197,1624],"class_list":["post-136496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plusposts","category-guns","category-politics-law","tag-guns","tag-silver-bullet"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/america+bullets+guns.jpgimgmax=660.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42433,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/07\/guns-guns-guns-guns-2.html","url_meta":{"origin":136496,"position":0},"title":"Guns, guns, guns, guns","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 7-Jun-14 11:28am","format":false,"excerpt":"Ran across the below, and it prompted a flurry of tiny aneurysms. \u00a0If your prime counter-example is a domestic terrorist from almost twenty years go, it seems you're reaching -- especially when the number of people killed by guns in that same time frame is much, much higher.The analogy falls\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BoQai8fIgAAk6n6.png.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31851,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/19\/simple-gun-answers-are-generally-simplistic-gun-answers.html","url_meta":{"origin":136496,"position":1},"title":"Simple gun answers are generally simplistic gun answers","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 19-Dec-12 5:37pm","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been thinking a lot about the Connecticut shooting (et al.), but not doing a lot of actually table-pounding posting about it because, aside from inarticulate wails of grief, there's not a lot simple, straightforward, concrete to say to try and fix what caused this. Because, sadly, there is no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gaming"","block_context":{"text":"Gaming","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/gaming"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/0725-guns-sale-up.jpg_full_6001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/0725-guns-sale-up.jpg_full_6001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/0725-guns-sale-up.jpg_full_6001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31796,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/16\/firearms-insurance.html","url_meta":{"origin":136496,"position":2},"title":"Firearms Insurance","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 16-Dec-12 11:07pm","format":false,"excerpt":"By which I don't mean insurance to pay for replacing stolen firearms, but liability insurance for damage that might be done by same.I've seen a lot of suggestions about mandating this at some level as a way of \u00a0(a) paying for the damages done by people irresponsibly using (storing, playing,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":128269,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/10\/09\/mike-huckabee-is-a-dolt-shooting-off-ones-mouth-edition.html","url_meta":{"origin":136496,"position":3},"title":"Mike Huckabee is a Dolt (Shooting Off One’s Mouth Edition)","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 9-Oct-15 5:09pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Hey, Mike! Long time no talk with! Seems ages ago since you were the avuncular guest visitor on Jon Stewart. Y'know, the guy who was clearly conservative, but also clever, friendly, smiling, and probably a neat fellow to have over to the house. So what's new? Oh, you have an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Elections 2016"","block_context":{"text":"Elections 2016","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/elections-2016"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mike-Huckabee.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mike-Huckabee.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mike-Huckabee.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mike-Huckabee.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mike-Huckabee.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mike-Huckabee.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":134893,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/10\/02\/no-way-prevent.html","url_meta":{"origin":136496,"position":4},"title":"“No Way to Prevent This”?","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 2-Oct-17 9:31am","format":false,"excerpt":"Not mocking the tragedy with that Onion article, but being angry about it, and the thousands of other gun deaths in this nation, every single year, month, day. And, no, I don't want to hear \"There's no way to completely stop all crazies with guns, so we shouldn't do anything\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/unnamed-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":134962,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/10\/06\/guns-and-myth.html","url_meta":{"origin":136496,"position":5},"title":"Guns and Myth","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 6-Oct-17 2:26pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Even as the number of gun owners (and hunters) declines in the US, guns continue to be a hot commodity, with a small fraction of the population buying up ever-increasing weapons for ... well, for all sorts of reasons, including some ever-escalating fear-mongering from the unofficial lobbyists for the gun\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/unnamed-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136564,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136496\/revisions\/136564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}