In the aftermath of the Columbine High School tragedy and other shootings, USA Weekend took a scientific poll of 1,005 adult Americans in May of 1999 (Poll done by the Opinion Research Corp., May 13-16. Margin of error: plus or minus 2 percentage points.) Here are some of its key findings:

• 86% favor metal detectors at school entrances (and a majority favored the use of metal detectors for workplaces, museums, sporting events, and all government offices.
• 89% believe there should be some restrictions on gun ownership.
• 85% of all Americans, and 75% of gun owners, favor handgun registration.
• 52% think the right to bear arms should be modified or eliminated.
• 75% reject profiling, the policy of police stopping drivers on the basis of appearance. Even among whites the negative percentage was 71%.
• 71% reject strip searches of students by school officials.
• 67% say the violence in video games and on TV ought to be regulated.
• 64% favor regulating violence on the Internet and in music videos.
• 59% want restriction of violence in movies and music.
• In a separate survey of 10,308 readers voting by phone or on-line:
• 69% thought their state should ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors.
• 31% did not favor such a ban (June 4-12, 1999).

Those polled overwhelmingly agreed that parents must take first responsibility but want the media to be more responsible and the government to set proper controls. With the exception of the right to bear arms, there is strong consensus for the preservation of Constitutional rights. The writer of this article concludes:

Ben Franklin cautioned that those who trade liberty for security risk ultimately losing both. This is a valid concern. But with mainstream movies glorifying murder and stressed-out teens having unfettered access to assault weapons, the pendulum has swung too far toward license and needs to swing back toward responsibility. At least that’s what... (these) poll respondents believe—and the strength of their belief may be a watershed.

An indication of that watershed may be the Senate’s passing of a tighter gun-control bill after which the Minority Leader Thomas Daschle, Democrat, South Dakota, commented: "What you just saw is the NRA (National Rifle Association) losing its grip on the U.S. Senate at long last."

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What was meant historically and is now considered the legal "right of private citizens to bear arms?"
2. Do you know how our gun laws and statistics of those killed by guns compare to other countries? (See, for instance, Debra Prothrow-Stith’s Deadly Consequences.) What is your opinion on guns and gun controls?
3. Do you think the control of media that encourage violence in some children ought to come primarily from parents, the media themselves, or the government?
4. Should companies whose music or videos can be shown to have influenced young killers be subject to suit just as companies who put lead in paint, produce faulty toys, or whose tobacco products kill?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Anger over loss of life in dramatic fashion can lead to simplistic blaming, or excusing, of one cause or another. Usually there are complex and compounded reasons behind homicide and suicide.
2. Obviously, the perpetrators (and accomplices) of crimes are responsible. However, the critical need for prevention, punishment, and treatment demand that we consider all factors relevant to these tragedies.
3. It is important to discuss what Americans believe about these issues. It is also helpful for America to learn from comparable societies.

Dean Borgman cCYS