Sifting Through the Gun Divide

Growing up on the outskirts of Colonel Glenn Road near the Pulaski County line, I heard the booming sounds of the hand cannon in my backyard. Attending classes in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, a community that steeps itself in the middle of southern gun culture, I heard the cracks and pops of modern muskets as I set my course for the library on the occasional weeknight study session. 

Did I hit the ground? Did I shudder in fear? Did I stop my journey or game of catch? Not at all. Why? The sound of a gun going off was expected for better or worse. I did not question how it was used or how it was purchased. If I did, the same old adage would roll off my dad's tongue, "They're probably hunting, shooting skeet or something." I grew numb to the sound like a knee slap after any good joke.

Lines and Divides

The same cannot be said for every American. As thick as the partisan line is the divide surrounding guns. As many people who are opposed to housing shotgun shells and pistol caps are those who consider them necessary for efficient means of self-defense. The annual hunting trip to Grandpa's lodge and a potential snapshot with a buck are moments millions of young kids spend years building anticipation. The opposing individuals will find such anecdotes asinine or laughable at best and propagandizing or horrific at worst. 

There are hundreds of other organizations similar to the NRA whose sole focus is to keep the guns in the arms of law-abiding citizens and take great joy in twisting their opponents' words in the process. On the other side, an increasing number of advocacy groups like March for Our Lives and Everytown for Gun Safety push to limit the number of firearms in the country. In their most promising moments, these groups act in peaceful protest, but at their most harmful state, they seek to own the argument and deter their opponents even further.

The thought of compromise resembles a Jenga tower falling apart before the game begins. Policy solutions can't be accepted at the other side's expense, getting the better part of the deal. No one wants to talk to each other as the elephant sits in the corner of the room. Only when twenty-one innocent lives are lost at the trigger of a school shooter in Uvalde, Texas, do the conversational wounds open up, except they are rehashed to drop bombs on the other side to prove it was their fault all along. 

Sounds miserable, doesn't it? A sense of paranoia has followed the United States since Columbine and has only grown after each mass shooting. But the real story is etched between the words of the Second Amendment: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

You see that phrase on t-shirts, flags, and enough NRA material to cover the state of New Jersey. It has created a gun culture that says, "Go ahead, try to take them." It was recently reported that there are more guns than people in the United States, which is somewhat misleading considering police departments, armed forces reserves, and other military compounds with large arsenals. However, a 2020 Gallup poll shows that 32 percent of Americans own guns, and 44 percent say they live in a gun-owning household.

In the middle of the debate line is a culture of misunderstanding. The vast majority of responsible gun owners don't delight at the sight of the mass shooting, and most gun control advocates don't pray for the hunting trips to fade from existence. It's a prime example of narratives becoming lost in translation. Through the misnomer, the battle of us vs. them wages.

Levels in the Conversation

I have come to realize the number of levels in gun appreciation. You can do your best to put yourself into one of these categories or a combination of many, but if you close this piece by saying, "Noah was wrong because I'm just different," good for you, but you're not getting a gold star. So, let's get a low down into it.

Gun Idolaters: This group was coined by David French over the last week through his understanding of gun culture, most acutely found but not exclusive to the South. Our gun idolaters associate guns as a means of identity, and conversely, if their firearms were removed, so would a part of their being. You may see these people on second amendment subreddits and Facebook Groups, attending NRA rallies, and exposing their gun love at a local tattoo parlor or underneath the Christmas tree.

Gun Owners: This is a more moderate group of individuals who may enjoy the gun hunts, skeet shooting, or a semi-annual trip to a gun range. These people will have a couple of guns for protection at their house, but if they were seen on a regular street corner, their 401k, 2.5 kids, and white picket fence would look no different from the average American. This group would not be in favor of more strict gun laws and continue life as usual.

Gun Tolerants: The middle pack falls across either side of the gun debate. These people may have a handgun in possession, but they couldn't tell you the last time they used it. They may enjoy stricter gun laws on assault weapons but honestly couldn't give you a straight answer or solution, considering how difficult the debate can be. They would remain at peace regardless of the outcome either because they leave the decision with those who know more or could not care less.

Gun Passers: This group says no to guns. Instead, they'd pass on the subject because they've never seen a point in their existence. Pointing to mass shootings and other vital statistics, they consider the purchase of a gun as a non sequitur and would favor assault weapon bans, but like the Gun Owner, one could not spot a Gun Passer sticking out in a crowd.

Gun Controllers: This group scoffs in the face of a gun. Forget assault rifles; they don't see any need for guns. Vivacious on gun control, they might have had a personal connection to an assault weapon attack or felt personally moved in the aftermath of such shootings. They see the complete abolition of weapons as the only acceptable solution.

As expected, the top and bottom groups seem like the ones with the most members since their presence in culture seems the loudest, but the quieter, middle three groups contain the hefty percentage of Americans. Most of you reading this would likely agree and ascribe to their ideals. The moderate groups could come toward a solution if given some time, but it doesn't seem like that time will be provided.

Finding a Path Forward

We must realize that some gun-owners purchase a firearm neither for sport nor collection but simply because they fear their life. It's hard to argue that crime in America is not an issue. I hear Simplii Safe commercials practically every day, and one of the pulls for security systems is the number of home break-ins every day. People are scared, so they buy guns. 

Other people refuse to buy a weapon because they may consider their hands the wrong ones. Behind every decision is a motivation, and the mental health of our fellow Americans should not be cast aside. The thought of death can lead to inescapable trauma. People are broken, so they run from guns.

The gun conversation is more complex than we like to make it. We can attempt to pigeonhole gun control issues and make them self-explanatory. Still, no amount of constitutional law or marches will ever put into words a one-size-fits-all approach to fixing the state of firearms in America.

We must realize the place this debate should have in our culture. Truthfully, this would not be as hot of an issue if not for the toxic culture surrounding guns. The Gun Controller would not exist if the Gun Idolater did give them a reason to be. That may show a couple of my colors on the topic, but either way, a divide this large will never make room for a path forward.

So, where does that leave us? What do we do? How could a Gun Idolater ever understand a Gun Controller and vice versa? Similar to the partisan problems in our nation's capital, the walls of confusion have to be torn down, and bridges of compromise have to be built in their place, and "winning the debate" should be the last item on the checklist if not scrapped from the list entirely.

As Americans, we need to look to build bridges on this topic in our day-to-day exchanges. Not everyone may feel equipped to engage the issue, but everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard. Once the bridges are large enough to entertain, our elected officials will have to act in compromise. The conversation starts in our city halls and state legislatures, not only in DC, and we all have a significant role.

Through the divide, let's begin to build together.