Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 23, 1993 TAG: 9302230349
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SOCIETY HAS CREATED A MONSTER
I CAN'T remember an issue recently that has caused as much controversy as the proposed gun legislation. It is only fitting that Gov. Wilder is in the middle of it. He no doubt will go down in the history book of Virginia politics as the Great Creator . . . of controversy, that is.The issue here is gun control because it will not stop with just handgun limitations. The powers to be will be back for more when they find that their plan doesn't work and they will already have their foot in the door.
Sooner or later our society is going to have to deal with crime and violence on a much more meaningful level. As long as there is a rock small enough to pick up and use as a weapon, someone will do so if they want to. Hiding all the rocks is not the answer.
What is it that we are doing to our children along the way that makes them want to act and react the way they do? It seems that many of the things that are good for them get legislated away, because some small group is offended, while more trash is added. The fact is that our children are growing up under horrifying circumstances. Almost every aspect of their lives is filled with violence and filth. Movies, television shows, music and sports are littered with fighting, killing, sex, nudity, filthy jokes and nasty gestures. Many times these acts are portrayed as being cool, the right thing to do or a way to get attention. We have created the monster but find we don't like living with it.
What it boils down to is money, the supreme motivator. It doesn't matter if something is good or bad, the side with the most money buys it. Money motivates our politicians to be masters of deception and keeps our court system clogged up while criminals are dumped back on the street. It is the entertainment industry's ticket to pipe trash into our cities and homes. It allows the alcohol industry to conduct business with only superficial checks, while their product kills and injures far more people than guns. Politicians aren't screaming to have alcohol rationed because they can't afford it. BEN E. AMONETTE RADFORD