23. Guns or kids, me or us?

The horrific shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in the USA have captured the attention of the world, as we again witness the impacts of public gun ownership. I have been following the news, reading blogs and watching debates unfold on Facebook (as we all have been doing). The calls for greater gun control in the USA have started. But will we see any change? In short, no. The more likely response in the USA is to see security guards placed at schools, more training for teachers and children, and perhaps even the arming of principles and teachers. Sounds crazy? Not in the USA. When you look closely at those that argue for gun ownership what you see is that they are arguing for individual rights. In the USA, this seems to trump everything else. It is argued that individuals have the right to own a gun and it is not the realm of governments to regulate or control this 'god given' right. So guns are protected more than kids? But if we jump to Sweden or Australia we see a totally different take on how society works. Both these countries have enforced strict gun control, and therefore have very few (if any) shootings like those experienced in the USA. In Sweden, there is a deep understanding by the vast majority of people that 'I am better off, if we are better off'. This means people are willing to 'sacrifice' something for the greater good. So nobody has guns, and virtually nobody gets killed by guns (in comparison to the USA). But this thinking extends further. In Sweden, you cannot drink and drive (the blood alcohol limit is set so slow that it has created a culture of no drinking if you plan to drive). Because if you drink and drive you endanger the lives of others and yourself. All of these issues are also inter-connected with a child-friendly society that puts kids in focus! And it goes further, Sweden has committed to deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions because, you guessed it, the greater (global) good. In the USA, they cannot commit to any kind of global agreement on climate change because this can infringe on individual (and national) rights ... and the more I look across these issues, the more I see that it is all about shifting from 'guns and me' to 'kids and us'. The USA could learn a lesson from Sweden and Australia on these matters.