The Foremost Issue Facing America Today: Gun Violence
Vishnu Muthuswamy
Announcing in March that he would send proposals on reducing gun violence in America
to Congress, President Trump mentioned a number of sensible gun-control measures. But he also
paid homage to the Washington conventional wisdom about the many and varied causes of this
calamity — from mental health issues to school safety. His spokesman, Jay Carney, had said
earlier that this is “a complex problem that will require a complex solution.” Gun control, Carney
added, is far from the only answer. In fact, the problem is not complex, and the solution is
blindingly obvious.
People point to three sets of causes when talking about events such as the Newtown,
Conn., shootings. First, the psychology of the killer; second, the environment of violence in our
