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The number of guns in the US outnumber people. Even if new legislation could halt sale of a single additional weapon, over 400 million handguns and rifles would remain on the street! That’s bad news.
Even worse, these weapons, including millions of assault weapons designed purely to kill during war, would still be accessible to individuals whose inner demons lead them into committing unspeakable crimes.
What to do? Here’s a modest win-win proposal.
Our government should sponsor a generous buy back program. It could be patterned à la Australia’s successful 1996-97 program when close to a million guns were removed from the streets. Those weapons were then destroyed.
Inspired by the words of Isaiah 2: 3-4, 'beating swords into plowshares', most were likely melted down and repurposed into useful tools. We should do the same. But if we already have sufficient 'plowshares and pruning hooks', as a Plan B the guns could be shipped to Ukraine to aid its fight to save democracy and its sovereignty.
In either case, for an outlay just peanuts compared to the billions the Feds are appropriating in aid to Ukraine, this modest proposal would jumpstart transition to a safer American society and could significantly aid Ukraine in its most critical mission and at the country’s most critical hour. Truly a win-win.
A timely post! I hope the recent tragedies have made policy makers more open to making real change, like your proposal.
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