Jeffrey Guiliano of New Fairfield, Connecticut is reportedly in a state of shock and experiencing more anguish than any parent should be asked to bear. His lawyer says he's inconsolable and physically ill. That's probably an understatement. You see this past weekend Jeffrey got a call from his sister who lives next door at 1 o'clock in the morning. She thought somebody was trying to break into her house. When Jeffrey went outside to investigate, he saw a person wearing a black ski mask who was holding a knife. When the masked individual started approaching him, Jeffrey shot the man dead with a gun. The masked individual turned out to be Jeffrey's son.
The New Fairfield police have rightly determined that Jeffrey's actions were legally justified, but the fact that this killing was a lawful killing does nothing to alleviate the anguish Jeffrey is currently suffering. Moreover, he'll carry that burden for the rest of his life. It's not a price any parent should be asked to pay.
Jeffrey's burden has not escaped my notice, even though it may soon be forgotten by our citizenry-at-large. That's because our society holds the right to bear arms as sacrosanct without acknowledging the tremendous costs that right entails, and I think that's wrong!
Unfettered gun ownership in America extracts an enormous price from our society. A book recently written by Philip Cook, entitled Gun Violence: The Real Costs, reveals that the cost that Americans pay each year to guarantee gun ownership exceeds $100 billion dollars, and that cost is growing annually at an alarming rate.
I wonder whether Americans will ever own up to the true costs of the right to bear arms. I know Jeffrey Guiliano has, and it's more than his wallet – or heart – can handle.
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