Overview - Guns and Crime

Firearms, legal and illegal, are involved in violent incidents in the United States to a greater extent than in any other First World nation, and they cannot be separated from the subject of violence in general. By conservative estimates, more than 16,000 violent crimes are committed or attempted every day in the United States. Violence involves many factors and spurs many viewpoints, and this diversity impedes our efforts to make the nation safer. The U.S. pro-gun lobby is stronger than anywhere else in the world, and though they have made many good points regarding firearms and their use in crime, they have, mainly out of a desire to protect their own access to such weapons, been reticent to accept much of what is known about the impact such weapons have had on the lethality of violent crimes. Likewise, the anti-gun lobby, though more generally more in touch with the science and sociological factors relevant to crime than their pro-gun counterparts, have in public and Congressional discourse neglected many valid points made by that lobby, and in so doing undermined the effectiveness of many of their campaigns. These factors have seriously impeded attempts to stem the tide of violence in America and the contributions firearms make to its lethality.

Guns and Youth

And on that note, kids are a particularly critical poignant example of the problems posed by easy access to guns. Contrary to popular belief, youth crime rates have fallen more or less steadily since the mid-1990s. Yet public fear and political rhetoric over the issue have heightened. The Columbine shootings and other sensational incidents add to the furor. Often overlooked are the underlying problems of child poverty, social disadvantage, and the pitfalls inherent to adolescent decision making that contribute to youth crime. Many, if not most, Americans feel threatened by such crimes and prefer solutions external to their own lives and affairs. Yet an increasing body of knowledge suggests that solutions to juvenile crime must involve us all, in social and spiritual ways as well as economic and political. Mere changes in law, policy, or taxation are not enough by themselves—without changes in the attitudes of the American public and their knowledge of the issues surrounding adolescents and crime, nothing of substance will ever happen. As a society, we will only continue talking, or ranting, about problems that can only be solved with measures we won't be willing to accept.

From a policy standpoint, adolescent offenders are caught in the crossfire between nurturance of youth and punishment of criminals, between rehabilitation and "get tough" pronouncements. In the midst of this emotional debate, the National Research Council's Panel on Juvenile Crime published an authoritative review of the best available data and analysis of juvenile crime. That year 2001 book, linked off of this page, presents recommendations for addressing the many aspects of America's youth crime problem. It discusses patterns and trends in crimes by children and adolescents—trends revealed by arrest data, victim reports, and other sources; youth crime within general crime; and race and sex disparities. The NRC explored desistance; that is, the probability that delinquency or criminal activities decrease with age. They also evaluated different approaches to predicting future crime rates.

Why do young people turn to delinquency? Many factors contribute to the problem, and no single one is the key to a lasting solution. We urgently need to find out about contributing factors, ranging from prenatal care, differences in temperament, family influences to the role of peer relationships, the impact of the school policies toward delinquency, and the broader influences of neighborhoods and communities. Equally important, each one of us must examine how we as citizens and members of communities can be part of the process. Effective intervention efforts will involve individuals, peer groups, and families, as well as day-care centers, schools, and community-based initiatives. Policies and "get tough" laws alone not enough. Regardless of how trite the phrase may seem, it really does take a village—a community—to raise a child, and we all have a role to play.

Therein lays the dilemma. Sadly, few things are as ingrained in the American ethos as individualism—or at least, a "Customer service" attitude toward civic life. Whether it is juvenile crime, violence, poverty, or any other issue, Americans are not likely to view their society and its ills, as their responsibility. Instead, we get together every few years and "shop" for leaders whom we then task with solving our problems—the purity of my water and air, my right to be able to do business without having to worry about polluting the water or air, my right to carry a handgun, my right to live without fear of being shot in public—and so on. The intervening years are spent raging about how "liberals", "conservatives", "government", or whoever is not giving me—the customer—the service I voted for.

A few years back I read of a minister who was working in South Africa during the 80's. Apartheid was at its peak, Nelson Mandela was in prison, racial violence and poverty were a daily fact of life for everyone who was not white. There were few signs that anything would change in the foreseeable future. One day he asked a young black man on the street if he had any hope for his nation and his people. Would there ever be an Apartheid-free South Africa? "Yes!" he replied, without missing a beat. "I will see to it!"

I will see to it. Not my neighbor, president, Congress, not my favorite talk show host. I will!

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical (I certainly hope I am!), but it's difficult to imagine such an attitude in the average American citizen. Anyone who doubts this would do well to consider the fall 2004 presidential election—the Red-Blue polarization of our country, the passing of all blame to "liberals" or "Bushies", the talk-shows, the unwillingness of so many Americans to even research their votes before elections. If we are to be a people with a future and a hope, we must repent of this. As long as Americans want only to pursue their own affairs and interests in life, and leave the health of their communities and nation to someone else, juvenile crime will continue to plague us—as will every other social and spiritual sickness we bear.

"More Guns Less Crime"