Lessons from US Difficulties with Gun Control

Published in Huanqiu
(China) on 17 January 2013
by Gao Wang (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Meghan McGrath. Edited by Lauren Gerken.
On January 16, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his plan for the most severe package of gun control initiatives. In fact, he is pushing Congress to resume the ban on the sale of assault weapons and to deepen background checks before gun purchases. However, before he had officially announced these initiatives, there had already been a torrential rush of opposition. Analysts believe that it will be very difficult to ban guns in the U.S., if not impossible.

The urgency of the topic of gun control in the U.S. is as obvious as head lice on a bald head. With one shocking shooting after another, data shows that nationwide 30,000 people were shot and killed in one year—that’s like the death tolls from the Iraq war. American folks have a total of nearly 300 million guns, almost enough for one for every man, woman and child.

Americans have such free access to guns because of their deep historical ties to the immigrants who founded the country. These immigrants mainly had to rely on self-defense to ensure their own safety, and this mentality has continued ever since. However, times have changed. The Second Amendment of the Constitution which protects the right to bear arms was written over 200 years ago, and the current climate of gun ownership is not the same as it was then. Not only is Obama trying to make changes to gun control, but American society is quite stubbornly against reform and promoting gun control is likely to hurt come election time.

There is a very large number of U.S. citizens who are legitimate gun owners. We cannot simply evaluate what is bad and what is good, but the gun manufacturing issue is outstanding. Since the White House is already considering stricter gun control, they have obviously realized the severity of the problem. However, it is difficult to promote gun control, as American society seriously lacks the authority to make such a push, and the president’s authority is no exception. This is a major decision that conflicts with tradition, and even for the benefit of the whole society, it is difficult to launch this in the U.S.

Gun control in the U.S. is a mirror. For China, first and foremost, it shows how different our country is from the U.S. In China, it would be completely inconceivable for every person to have a gun. Despite the unceasing shootings in the U.S., only a tiny portion of the 300 million guns are used for evil acts, which shows that the grassroots of American society are capable of self-government, which makes us envious.

But even in the U.S., the lack of authority to create reform is harmful to many. This has become one of the deficiencies of U.S. system. The U.S. is full of debate, it excludes dictatorship, and yet during key moments a decision cannot be reached. Because U.S. leaders must first focus on elections and support rates, rulers dare not take on important, heavy tasks and will ultimately yield come election time.

Concerning hesitation on gun control, the Chinese public is sure to have a wake-up call: No matter what social reform China takes on, China must not lose its authoritative process. Although there are some aspects which are unreasonable, every decision China makes is inevitably beneficial to all, and yet opposition is inevitable. Reformers must have sufficient strength to control society's views on the conflict and cannot always look around. During critical moments they must have the strength to stand their ground against opposition and make decisions that benefit the majority.

China's reform has come a long way, but has had detours and made errors along the way. However, the general direction of reform is right and the achievement is overwhelming. China is far from having reached the end point of reform—we need a set political democracy—but also still need a strong decision-making mechanism and powerful decision makers.

Their differing views on gun control are a vivid example of the comparative merits and demerits of these two great nations. It tells us that China should conscientiously observe the world, gathering experience and lessons learned from a large sample, while continuing down its own path of reform and development. To believe that the U.S. can become a template and standard for China to follow, well, that is just naivety and cultural romanticism.


社评:美国控枪难如登天的教训
2013-01-17 02:37环球时报
898
字号:TT
  美国总统奥巴马计划16日宣布最严厉的一揽子控枪举措,其实它们只是推动国会重启针对攻击性枪支的销售禁令、对购枪者进行深度背景调查等等。然而在他正式宣布这些举措之前,美国舆论中的反对声已经来势汹汹。分析认为美国控枪将举步维艰,禁枪更不可能。

  至少对购买枪支进行严厉控制,这种需求的迫切性对美国来说已是秃子头上的虱子明摆着的。美国轰动性的枪击案此起彼伏,数据显示全国一年被枪打死3万人,比伊拉克那种规模的战争死亡人数多多了。美国民间共有近3亿支枪,差不多相当于男女老幼人手一把。

  美国持枪如此自由,与它作为移民国家的历史传统有关。当年的移民主要靠自卫确保安全,这种心理一直延续至今。然而时移世易,美国保护拥枪自由的宪法第二修正案产生于200多年前,民间持枪环境却早已今非昔比。不只有奥巴马一位美国领导人动过控枪的念头,但美国社会有相当顽固的改革惰性,推动控枪是可能伤及选票的政治冒险行为。


  民间合法持枪是美国的强大国情,我们不能简单评价是坏是好,但它制造的问题却越来越惊人。既然白宫已经认为应当严厉控枪,说明美国行政当局已认同问题的极其严重性。然而很难推动它,说明美国社会严重缺少推动改良的权威,美国总统也概莫能外。一个触犯传统的重大决定即使对全社会有益,在美国也很难启动。

  美国的枪支管理是一面镜子。对中国来说,它首先照出来我们这个国家与美国是多么不同。中国民间如果人手一枪,完全不可思议。尽管美国不断出枪击案,但近3亿支枪只有少量几支出来作恶,它照出的美国社会基层自治能力还是足以让我们羡慕。

  但即使是美国,政府缺少推动改革的权威还是贻害很多。这已成为美国的一个制度缺陷。美国的争论很充分,它排除了独裁,但也在突破一些关键问题时造成全社会的莫衷一是。由于美国领导人必须首先关注选情和支持率,这使得执政者不敢承担重大责任,他们最终一定会在选情面前屈服。

  看着美国在控枪问题上犹豫不决,中国公众一定要有所警醒:中国的社会转型无论怎么转,切不可成为权威不断流失的过程。中国还有很多不合理之处,每一次改革都必然伴随利益的调整,反对声不可避免。改革者必须有足够力量驾驭社会的意见冲突,不能总是左顾右盼,他们应在重要关头敢于并有能力力排众议,做出符合最广大人民群众利益的决定。

  中国的改革就是一路这样走过来的,中间有过弯路和差错,但改革总方向是对的,成就是压倒性的。中国远未到达改革的终点,今后我们需要政治民主的不断确立,同时也仍然需要强有力的决策机制和强有力的决策者。

  控枪的不同,是中美两大国很难对比孰是孰非的鲜明例子。它告诉我们,中国要认真观察世界,搜集经验和教训的大量标本,同时中国必须坚定走符合本国国情的发展之路。以为美国的一切都可以成为中国的模板和标准,这实在是政治上的天真和文化上的罗曼蒂克。
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