Many of us watched the 1953 movie rendition of the Western pocketbook “Shane” in elementary or middle school. Everyone else who didn’t have that opportunity should take the time to rent the movie or read the book.
Aside from being a great American classic, the movie explores perplexing issues that persist into our day. In a particular scene, Shane, an incognito gunslinger, said to a homesteader’s wife, “A gun is a tool, Marian. No better and no worse than any other tool – an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.”
On Monday night, we saw the evil an individual can wreak with a gun when 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic stormed Trolley Square in downtown Salt Lake City, armed to the teeth with a shotgun, a .38-caliber handgun, a backpack full of ammunition. We do not know how he acquired such an arsenal of firepower, but since the law forbids anyone younger than 21 to own a handgun, it is reasonable to surmise he obtained at least one weapon illegally. It is equally certain this massacre would have been much worse had a good man with a gun not been there.
Talovic killed five and wounded four before Kenneth Hammond, an off-duty Ogden police officer, engaged the young gunman in a shootout waiting for backup to arrive. In the end, police had to shoot Talovic to protect the public.
A day after the shooting, legislators and lobbyists cited the incident as they discussed legislation restricting concealed weapons on state college campuses. The bill recommends creating zones on campus where no firearms, even those carried by individuals with concealed weapons permits, are allowed. The mall at Trolley Square also had signs posted that forbid firearms, but those signs did little to keep Talovic from entering the premise.
Those who would demonize Talovic’s guns in support of their anti-gun stance miss the point. Guns are neither good nor evil; they are amoral – mere implements in the hands of those who wield them. Those who obtain concealed weapon-permits are not mere Rambo wannabes. They have completed state-mandated requirements, passed extensive background checks and demonstrated expertise in firearm training – as well as a responsible attitude.
But, on the other hand, those who believe the presence of guns always works as a deterrent to shooting incidents are removed from the reality of the situation. It’s true Trolley Square is one of the few malls in Utah that employees guards without firearms; but this is no time for knee-jerk legislation. This is no time to drudge up bills like that of Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, who believes Utahns should have the right to carry loaded firearms in their vehicles. This is certainly no time to consider arming teachers to guard against school shootings. But this is the time to re-evaluate our perceptions of guns.
The Second Amendment grants citizens the right to bear arms, but that right must be balanced with the rights and safety of other citizens. That’s why the commerce of firearms should be closely scrutinized and regulated. But conspiring individuals will always find loopholes to obtain guns. Let’s not create unnecessary legislation that will hamper the good, law-abiding citizen’s right to bear his or her firearms.
