As a father and grandfather of several Harvard residents, I avidly read The Harvard Press in order to follow the news and activities of interest to those of you who live there.
I read with special interest the “Reflections” article about guns (Jan. 22) as well as the letter to the editor about the same subject (Jan. 29). I read extensively on that subject from as many points of view as I can find. As such, I would like to offer an existential truth on the subject at issue. In the Judeo-Christian ethic, the first murderous act was carried out using the implement at hand, the jawbone of an ass. It has ever been thus. No implement of a crime or accidental death or injury, whether it be a gun, knife, bomb, automobile, or any other implement, has ever of its own volition, whether or not premeditated, committed an act resulting in the death or injury of anyone. The extent to which we try to blame the implement of a crime or accident for death or injury instead of the person who caused it is the extent to which we abrogate our human responsibility for our actions. We would do well to reflect on the effects of our actions, whether intended or unintended, with a view to minimizing their potential disastrous consequences. We would also do well to stop blaming the implements of accidental or criminal acts. Perhaps we should do a better job of persuading our elected officials at all levels, legislative, executive, and judicial, to focus on creating, enforcing, and adjudicating meaningful laws that address solutions to society’s ills without abridging the rights of law-abiding citizens.
David King
Lunenburg
