OPINION|Ken Pittman: Misuse of First Amendment Straining Second

Basically, America faces around 30,000 gun violence homicides or suicides in our nation of 323,000,0000.

It's an unacceptable figure, of course, but which does amount to 0.36% or about 1/3 of 1% of American deaths from this choice to inflict violence. That seemingly minuscule fraction is a meaningless consolation to the grieving families of the victims of gun violence. It is rightfully magnified by media, since it is quite unnecessary to face as a chronic fatality and is fixable...even though the solution evades us.

Every mass shooting comes with the obligatory outrage against gun access by liberals who shake a fist at the NRA and (mostly) Republicans who value a free and expansive Second Amendment. Counterarguments are dependably followed by pro-Second Amendment Americans, and arguments take place from the Senate floor to the kitchen tables, or on cable news and social media.

"Why does anyone need an assault rifle or any gun for that matter? We have police and an army."

"If you think guns kill people then you must agree that spoons make people fat"

"Other nations with strict gun laws don't have this problem."

"The Second Amendment guarantees that the other amendments will live on."

It's a sick version of Bill Murray's Groundhog Day. It happens again and again.

I notice holes in our logic and problem solving. Nobody seems to want to do anything about the abuses of our protected Freedom of Speech found in our First Amendment, which may be the cause of this mass shooting phenomenon in our nation. As an investigator, sometimes the cause is found through forensic measures.

The First Amendment, "the freedom of speech", is stretched, perverted and abused through artistic expression, for example. When our youth is bombarded with incredibly violent lyrics when recording "artists" speak about the cool ease to decide to shoot people, and it comes in sync with catchy samples of music and in rhythm to strong beats. One of the magics of music is that one finds himself agreeing to the lyrics no matter how vile if the music is "bad ass."

" "Man, if we was up north, (n-word) would have been (f-word) you, But then we in the streets, (n-word) should haven been stuck you/Plucked you like a chicken wit' your head cut off. They'll find you wit' your back open and your legs cut off/And as for your man, don't you ever in your motha (f-word) life/Know when I gotta gun come at me wit' a knife, a'ight?/And forgetting you ever saw me is the best thing to do/Don't give a (f-word) about your family, they'll be resting with you" - DMX "X is Coming"

People tend to blame hip-hop music, and rightfully so, but it goes across genres. Death metal and other music comes with equally destructive messages.

Get it through your (f-word) head
All your friends are (f-word) dead
Yeah they got what they deserved
Stop acting hard you know it hurts
Your loved ones living in the dirt

Holy (f-word) (s-word)
I’m having too much fun
Killing everyone
That you’ve ever loved

All your friends are (f-word) dead
Yeah they got what they deserved
Stop acting hard you know it hurts
Your loved ones living in the dirt - Emmure 'Bring a Gun to School'

This glorified use of the gun is also a staple in movies and on TV. Our youth see the gun as every choice to resolve every problem in their entertainment, even more so now on their gaming choices. Incredible violence is an easy option while they enjoy imaginative graphics, which adds to their gaming fantasy's illusion, all the while they listen to the powerful guns go off in their headphones and see the realistic blood spatter of "the bad guy." And now game programmers intentionally allow the murder of completely innocent civilians in these games.

Repetition breeds contempt.

AFP/Getty Images

Sure, we can exercise our First in this way, but should we because we can?

Our youth and our mentally unstable adults, like the rest of us, are bombarded with fun, tireless demonstrations of violence today. Media used to focus on love, on romanticized history, family and life lessons and is now fixated on what sells: unadulterated violence.

So we should not be surprised as a spike in reality comes to fruition. And what is the answer for some? It is to destroy the Second right found in our Constitution and demonize those who defend it while we ignore any strategy to look at the cause.

We examine the motives, which are many, but do not explore why there is this regressive societal ease to enact on violent impulses?

Liberal Hollywood wants you to focus your rage at (mostly) Republicans accepting NRA donations to ensure the Second Amendment is properly defended on Capitol Hill, in the White House and in individual states. Some of the NRA demands are objectionable, if we're being honest. But they are the best voice for securing our right to remain armed in an increasingly violent world.

Perhaps the Republicans should begin to shame the Democrats for accepting campaign donations from the uber-rich Hollywood producers of the perverted use of violence in their money making movies, and start pointing the fingers at the recording industry for pushing and glorifying artists who call for the genocide of their rivals and others. While we're at it, the manufacturers of Playstation and X-Box games need to also feel some heat and be held accountable for their content.

Even social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter we see more brazen and graphic threats of violence made by people who wouldn't likely say many of those same things if they weren't separated by many miles and the veil of anonymity.

This is fixable. The left needs to appreciate and tolerate those who choose to exercise their Constitutional right to bear arms, and the right needs to respect the legitimate fear and loss that comes with the awesome responsibilities of gun ownership.

So let's fix it.

Editor's Note: Ken Pittman is a talk show host on 1420 WBSM New
Bedford. He can be heard Saturdays from 9am-Noon. The opinions
expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.