Taking Aim at Connecticut

An interesting NYT piece today focuses on Connecticut and its gun industry. It turns out that the Home of Sandy Hook Elementary, where all those little kids were gunned down, is also one of the leading states in the manufacture of guns. And now that the governor is pressing for stricter gun ownership laws, the state's manufacturing companies are being courted by the likes of Rick Perry: Move your company to Texas, where we appreciate business!

And, indeed, there is a certain amount of hand-wringing in Connecticut and elsewhere: this industry employs lots of people! It adds such-and-such an amount to the state's economy!

It strikes me as odd that people are willing to argue this way. Of course, there's precedent, such as in the gambling industry. We don't exactly like gambling --that's why we call it "gaming"--, but it raises lots of money, especially from poor people who can safely be left out of our conversations. So the casinos append to their advertisements helpful public-service messages advising addicts to abstain, and others to know when to quit --sort of the gambling equivalent of the brewer's "Drink Responsibly" refrain.

On the other is the argument about marijuana legalization: lots of people who don't particularly like the idea appear to be willing to approve it because of the "sin tax" revenue it would be expected to produce.

But, again, some things that are lucrative are, one presumes, beyond the pale: should we avoid efforts to curtail, say, sex slavery because it brings this and that financial gain to our tourism industry?

I realize that this must be part of a larger discussion --guns are not remotely like slavery, for one thing; and plenty of people think they are salutary elements of our national culture. But the argument against them is above all an argument for safety and social harmony; and no argument that I have heard in their favor asserts their worth primarily in financial terms.

So, to Connecticut and similarly-minded states: don't let a concern for lost jobs or state revenue deter you, if banning, say, assault rifles is something you find appropriate from a public safety perspective. The gun debate is too serious, and too basic in some ways, for money  to be part of it.