If anything positive can be said to
have resulted from the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, it may be that it has
generated a national discussion about gun control that seems to have more
seriousness and staying power than that which followed other recent mass
shootings. President Obama has set forth
a concrete plan to address the issue, a combination of actions that can be
taken immediately via executive order and legislative proposals which will
require action by Congress. Vigorous
discussion is taking place in the news media and social networks. One can only hope that reasonable and
effective regulations will eventually be put in place as one step in efforts to
reduce the slaughter.
It is not my purpose here to rehash
the hundreds of arguments that are being made for and against the President’s
plan. Instead, I want to invite
reflection on our attitudes toward violence.
For purposes of this discussion, I will focus on physical violence,
while recognizing that verbal violence can also do substantial harm.
