The Deer Hunter Massacre
November 29th, 2004 by Syd
By now, I’m sure everyone has heard of the incident in Wisconsin in which six hunters were killed and two wounded by another hunter armed with an SKS rifle. Since I wasn’t there and have no inside channels to the law enforcement agencies investigating the case, I will forgo speculation on what happened and what went wrong.
An incident such as this makes me think about the struggle for freedom that has been a hallmark of the American experiment since the beginning. Freedom has two dimensions: the individual and the collective. Our individual freedom does not operate in a vacuum; it operates and defines itself in relation to the freedom of every other free individual. We are responsible to and for our fellow free citizens because we cannot be truly free if everyone around us is enslaved. I am free to own a powerful rifle, but I am not free to go out into my front yard and fire it into the other houses on my street. I am free to carry a pistol, but I’m not free to shoot someone who cuts in front of me in line at the post office. Why? Because I don’t want other people acting that way and so I accept some conditions on my absolute personal freedom for the common good. I accept the responsibility of a free man to structure my life in ways that do not needlessly endanger others or deny the individual freedom of others. When we all subscribe to the ideal of individual freedom and mutual respect for the rights of others, we get along, enjoy a great deal of personal freedom, and live in a fairly civil and peaceful society. As soon as we forget the responsibility of personal freedom, it is diminished for everyone.
The issue of gun rights puts this into sharp focus. When a man in Wisconsin abuses his right to own a firearm, six people are denied the right to live their lives, hundreds of thousands of hunters are denied the right to hunt without looking over their shoulders, and my right to own a military-style rifle is threatened. Freedom is diminished for everyone.
Historical Note: The Hmong were our friends in Vietnam and Laos. They fought valiantly under the direction of our special forces and suffered horrendous casualties and persecution because of it. Most of the first wave of Hmong people who were allowed to immigrate to this country were brought in to spare them of the genocidal slaughter that they would have received at the hands of their communist overlords. Their transition to this country has not been altogether smooth. You canā??t transplant a mountain tribe from Southeast Asia to St. Paul, Minnesota and not expect some difficulties along the way. They are a noble and courageous people who are deserving of our respect and gratitude. This is not meant in any way to excuse the actions of Mr. Vang. It is to say, letā??s not pillory a whole people for the misdeeds of one individual.
The upshot of all of this may be that we need to do a better job of teaching the concept of freedom in its fullness to our citizens. New citizens need to be taught and those who have been here all along may need a refresher course. Freedom may be promised by the Constitution, but it canā??t be assured without the active participation of every member of our society.