Looking for a Good Value

I wonder where the slippery slope lies?

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation which would shield gun manufacturers from lawsuits. Proponents of the legislation say lawsuits holding the manufacturer liable for the actions of a criminal are frivilous, unjust and merely an effort to financially ruin the gun makers. Opponents argue that gun makers should be held responsible for misconduct that puts guns in the hands of criminals.

We are a blame society. Americans are almost constantly in a struggle to assign blame, usually to others and never to ourselves. We are constantly trying to demonize those with whom we disagree and show they are the source of our ills. Of course, sometimes what we say is true. Sometimes it's not. We may debate about who is to blame for something in particular, but as we know, someone is always to blame.

The interesting thing about the folks who support this particular legislation is they say the producers should not be responsible in any way for how their products are used. Even President Bush commented, saying:

"Our laws should punish criminals who use guns to commit crimes, not law-abiding manufacturers of lawful products."

Most of the supporters in the U.S. House are Republicans or conservatives. While Republicans are usually linked with notions of personal accountability (and their support for this bill reflects that), they are not always on the side of personal accountability.

Republicans and conservatives often strive to restrict the availability of certain products in the marketplace: "violent" movies and video games; "obscene" music; "pornographic" books, magazines and films. They allege the availability and use of these items leads people toward a wayward path, often times leading to criminal or otherwise undesirable behavior. Should the producers be prevented from making and freely marketing these items because of some correlation with bad behavior? Would that not be holding them responsible for the misconduct of others?

Conservatives would respond by saying that these other things (e.g., obscenity, violence, pornography) are inherently bad or evil and therefore any product incorporating those to any degree is bad news from the get go. The rejoinder, of course, is to contend that guns are inherently bad or evil, even if a necessary evil in some cases ( e.g., war).

But that is merely peeling another layer off the onion and revealing the deeper issues: whose values will dominate in our culture.