The Second Amendment, Once Again

After events such as the one last weekend in Orlando, Florida, a discussion takes place regarding the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The right of every citizen to keep and bear arms is an issue that draws controversy when the potential for damage from this amendment reveals itself.

However, beyond the sterile debate that occurs for a few weeks after mass killings, U.S. legislators make absolutely no reforms. Worst of all is the denial of any breeding ground for this type of tragic event that happens over and over again across the country.

In addition to the overreach in the Second Amendment, pro-weapons organizations lobby with such force that congressmen and presidents bow to them. Nevertheless, an even greater risk than lobbying gun advocacy groups and businesses is the intolerance and contempt of those who think differently from one another.

Many of the worst crimes against humanity, and against specific groups, are founded on an ideological origin where a person who differs from a stance is automatically seen as an enemy of this ideology, and where repression can lead to believing that this enemy’s very existence is a radical ideological threat.

The context in which the deplorable events in Orlando occurred can be explained by an increase of intolerance and radicalization of extremist groups within the United States, spurred on by a political battle where the advance of Donald Trump is found within groups such as these in which his rhetoric thrives.

The progress of the presumptive Republican Party nominee carries with it a discourse of hatred toward everything alien to their group. The rhetoric shows disdain for people who represent a different way of thinking, pitting them as rivals not only in the political arena but also in their way of life. Radicalizing this hyperbole leads to a level of confrontation with the rival where the very life of anyone who thinks differently can be dispensable.

This type of black and white absolutism has historically been responsible for thousands of deaths. It would be hoped that the evolution of human awareness would provide a greater capacity to appreciate differences than we as individuals and cultures have. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The existence of extremist people and groups is determined by how much power is available to them. The more power extremist groups have, the more there will be attacks against those who think differently.

In Mexico, the political and social condition is at risk of becoming very similar since the growth of radical groups who despise all those who do not think like them. The dangers to freedoms of expression, freedoms of protest, or democratic freedoms are on thin ice when, year after year, intolerant people are given the bully pulpit and have a shot at governing the country.

Let the Middle East, Africa, Europe and our neighbor to the north serve as an example for Mexico to know that what we do not want are fundamentalists with power. Let us understand that the liberties we have obtained over time are vital for a better country.