Wednesday, September 07, 2005
The debate over Guns
In the wake of the disaster in New Orleans the press has focused on the many armed gangs who loot and hunt down peaceful civilians. Peter Kadhammar in the Swedish press wrote an article on the same issue, to a certain extent from a very European perspective, where he found it hard to understand the importance of guns in a civil society (article in Swedish here: Shoot first - ask questions later). But the article also highlights the importance of guns for the very peaceful civilians Kadhammar is trying to side with. CBS (All Quiet in Big Easy) and NY Times have reported about the same person Kadhammar is discussing in his peace - Mr Montgomery who is running a private shelter and protecting the French Quarter with his shotgun, called Kindness: "If I have to use it, I kill them with kindness."
So, in the discussion over bias in newsreporting, the question is open for interpretation. But it is of course possible to say that guns are important for civilians in situations like this one - where the state's monopoly on violence has broken down. Only the ethnocentric among us would argue that our own little puppet world would handle a situatione like Kathrina better than the havoc that is played out on the streets of New Orleans. And when we realize the universal traits we will also understand the importance of guns - for the sake of peaceful civilians.
So, in the discussion over bias in newsreporting, the question is open for interpretation. But it is of course possible to say that guns are important for civilians in situations like this one - where the state's monopoly on violence has broken down. Only the ethnocentric among us would argue that our own little puppet world would handle a situatione like Kathrina better than the havoc that is played out on the streets of New Orleans. And when we realize the universal traits we will also understand the importance of guns - for the sake of peaceful civilians.
