Wishes
Remember that old question: If you could have any three wishes granted, what would you wish for? I may be decades too old for such foolishness, but occasionally I still think about what those three wishes might be.
As I have matured, those three things have changed to reflect where I was in my own development. Like many others, I suspect, I once wished for money when I didn’t have any for myself or to give away; contentment when I was disenchanted with life or circumstances beyond my control; health when I or someone I loved was ailing — all the things we all want in some measure at some time in our lives. Today my wishes are not grounded in such self-satisfying ideas, but in the anger that comes when circumstances are changeable but do not change.
I am not alone in wanting these changes. I know that there are many others just like me who want things to be different and are frustrated by the immutability of our governmental and social systems. We want all citizens to be able to vote and to exercise that right as a responsibility of citizenship. We want all people to make their own decisions about their personal lives without restriction or interference as long as they do not interfere with the lives of others. We want to be able to worship in our own way or no way at all without restricting others from doing the same or requiring them to do as we do. We want all people to live in peace without fear.
To do that, we put restraints on ourselves to protect others. We do not permit ourselves to put others in harm’s way to exercise our own freedoms. We are not allowed by law to drive when we are intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, under the age of responsibility, or under the lack of control, thus turning our vehicle into a potential weapon; we are punished if we do. We agree to the social and legal contract that holds us responsible for keeping others safe.
That same contract should be applied to other potential ‘weapons’ at our disposal. A hunting rifle with two shots that allows us to bring home a supper of venison or game bird is much different from pistols whose only use is to shoot other people.
A tank is a much different vehicle than an SUV and is restricted to military use. An assault weapon should be subject to that restriction as well. It is useless as a field weapon for hunting. Its only use is to kill or grievously wound a lot of people in a very short period. No civilian needs such a weapon. Ever. Anywhere.
In our country there are multiple ‘mass shootings’ every single day. Those events produce many more victims than those who are shot. The lives of their families and friends are forever altered by those few seconds of gunfire, and ultimately none of us can ever feel safe anywhere as long as those weapons remain in the hands of the unregulated.
My first wish would be for Congress to acknowledge the need for serious and strict gun regulation, removing pistols and assault-style weapons from our midst. I don’t care how they track them down. Owning them, buying ammunition for them, making ammunition for them, or ordering them from other countries via the internet should be absolutely illegal. If they are not peacefully surrendered, they should be taken. Owning them should be punishable by a fine and imprisonment. Other countries have rid themselves of the scourge of such weapons. We can, too.
Then, I can think about what I would do with my other two wishes.
Lanny Parks has always loved books. She was a librarian at the EPFL in Baltimore, at Kent School, and Queen Anne’s County, and owned a local bookstore. Her weekly newspaper column ran for over 20 years. She has lived with her family in Chestertown for over 50 years.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
