Is it right to have the right to bear arms?

The second amendment to the American constitution was adopted on the 15^th December 1791. The right to bear arms signified the determination to protect individual rights and protect against tyranny in a volatile age. However, the second amendment has been one of the most controversial aspects of American constitutional history. Tragically, as yet another mass shooting has taken place in the nation; the issue has once again come to the attention of the media and the masses.

With the Presidential campaign booming well ahead of November, I can’t help but notice the reluctance of either candidate to address the issue of gun law. Largely, this is because it is a state, rather than federal issue. However, looking at the death toll from mass shootings in modern American history, I wish to question whether the responsibility to sell weapons under sufficient restrictions will ever be withdrawn from individual states.

The National Rifle Association is probably the biggest voice for advocating a loose interpretation of the second amendment, under the motto “a legacy of freedom”. The painful irony here is its legacy is quite the opposite when watching the tragic reports of loss in Colorado this week. The NRA is undoubtedly the political wing of the pro-gun culture of North America, carrying heavy political influence in the US, and enjoying massive support from many American citizens. But why do so many people here value their right to a gun so much? I wonder do they feel safer with a gun in the nightstand? Are they so passionate about the founding principles that they must avail of all the so called rights the Constitution gives them? Or, on a more harrowing note, are they planning to acquire weapons to plan a widespread attack, as we have seen far too many times in the last 20 years alone.

It seems all 3 of these options are relevant. Frighteningly, the requests for the background checks necessary to purchase guns rose by over 40% this weekend in Colorado, following the Aurora movie theatre attack. Yet, seeing through the hysteria; how can having even more guns available provide you with a sense of protection? The system needs vigorously overhauled.

Coming from Northern Ireland, where guns did their fair share of devastation; the justifications for pro-gun lobbying in the United States are somewhat hard to swallow. I wonder how many further massacres it will take before state governments take some responsibility for protecting their citizens. If they don’t, surely the federal government should be more outspoken in strengthening the somewhat lax regulations surrounding the sale of weapons.

Respect our Past; Embrace our Future

Throughout my summer here in DC I’ve been overwhelmed by the emphasis put on the appreciation of Irish relations, with many of the esteemed speakers so far describing their Irish heritage to us or asking for the best places to visit on their next Irish vacation. However, as a British citizen of Northern Ireland, I’ve been continually disheartened by the lack of attention which Northern Ireland receives here. People are aware of the conflict; that seems to be something we can not escape. However there is very little recognition given to the people living in Northern Ireland, particularly those with a British passport.

 Last night at the Irish Embassy, I witnessed someone being presented with a certificate of Irish Heritage (President Obama recently being another proud holder). It was clearly a moment of exaltation for him; his face beaming as he was photographed with his family, the Ambassador of Ireland to the USA and the much esteemed certificate. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why so many Americans that I have come across here are so keen to be a part of Ireland in some way or another.

 My time here has made me deeply skeptical of the significance of American- Irish relations. I worry that the majority of those in the US who want to fly the flag for Irish-American relations do so because they hold a stereotypical view of Irish people; upholding them as an almost mystical creature who is permanently jolly and a little too fond of Guinness. On the other hand, I have noticed the more politicized Irish-Americans here; many of whom have been outspoken on their support of IRA violence in the past and are keen advocates of a United Ireland. This has been what has frustrated me most. I challenge those with such a view; I feel that not enough people here have even close to enough understanding of the political context of Northern Ireland, or the complexities which lie in the long history of Anglo-Irish relations, to be so eager to jump to the defense of a military group who killed many innocent people.

 I have found it difficult to respect such politicians as Rep. Peter King, who was one of the most prominent American defenders of the IRA’s campaign throughout the Troubles. It is difficult enough to understand how some people from Northern Ireland supported the terrorist group, but I find it incomprehensible and extremely ignorant that someone in such a high profile position in the largest democracy in the world could be so supportive of the murders of civilians, policemen and British soldiers. More than 3600 people died in the Troubles (at the hands of those on both sides of the community) in Northern Ireland, which far exceeds the death toll of the tragedy of the 9\11 attacks. To put the insensitivities towards the North into context; I see very little difference between those Americans who defend the military violence in Northern Ireland and the British Prime Minister David Cameron standing up to defend Al Qaeda. They too are fighting for a cause, right? (Wrong!)

 Northern Ireland has a lot to thank America for. Involvement in the Peace Process from President Clinton and Senator Mitchell, along with many other crucial people who never received adequate gratitude, was one of the key factors in the success of the Good Friday Agreement which largely brought an end to the decades of violence. Despite this, there is little acknowledgement of the actual people of Northern Ireland, or more often than not, its existence as a separate jurisdiction. It’s incredibly frustrating to be congratulated on the success of the Peace Process and then consoled about the Euro crisis. Please take note; while the Euro-crisis remains important throughout the Western World, in Northern Ireland we use Sterling!

 I don’t want to appear at all ungrateful for how much Ireland means to so many American people. If the last few paragraphs are to bear any relevance at all, they are simply to remind you that Northern Ireland is there. While our charm may be a little less obvious than our Southern counterparts, we as a nation have just as much to offer in terms of culture, tourism and business and investment opportunities. Northern Ireland has emerged from a bitter civil war, and the people are learning to live and work together, being either British or Irish citizens as they see fit. We are facing a bright future and want to be open to everyone who wishes to enjoy that with us. However, our future will only continue to be bright if we treat our past with respect and honor the political sensitivities which are still present; I invite Irish Americans to do the same. 

The Concrete Jungle

With just three weeks left of my DC experience, I thought I should take a while to reflect on my journey so far. The wonderful irony of the last week has been spending some time in New York City to take a step back from the busy DC schedule. Even though the size and pace of Manhattan is incomparable to DC, the week gave me a great chance to both evaluate the last three weeks and look ahead to the next and final three.

When I first arrived in DC, I was overwhelmed by the experience for many reasons. The kindness and generosity of my host family struck me; I questioned whether I would be generous enough to welcome someone from across the world to stay with me for the summer. I was also overwhelmed by the calibre of guest speakers, people at the top of their game in the worlds of media, politics, NGOs and other institutions. I was grateful that they wanted to come and speak to the group, and impressed by how they engaged with us individually.
While my internship in the Law Library of Congress has been enjoyable so far, it has also made me realise that I no longer want to pursue law as a career. This has been a difficult decision, and left me with no clear plan of what I want to do after I finish my degree next year. For the last two weeks I’ve found this feeling unsettling; but after my week in NYC I’ve left feeling invigorated that there’s a career out there for me, whatever it may be.

Before coming to NYC, I felt a bit lost in terms of what I had to offer the program and what I was getting in return. At times I felt constrained, without a voice and regularly frustrated. I’ve been increasingly challenged by a lack of understanding of Northern Ireland and its people, both past and present. I have felt underrepresented as a British citizen of Northern Ireland, but instead of challenging the various comments or opinions that have made me feel this way; I became insular and reflective instead. As most of this was coming from guest speakers, I was in the difficult position of not knowing how much I could challenge what I occasionally found as sheer ignorance. Yet being able to voice this frustration in NYC helped me to refocus on why I am a participant on the program. I know I can offer a passion for a better Northern Ireland, and in return I will be equipped with professionalism, new ideas and new confidence.
NYC was the highlight of my Washington Ireland experience so far. I have wanted to visit the city for as long as I can remember, and I’m delighted to say it didn’t disappoint me at all. The buzz of the city, both day and night reinvigorated me and for the first time in a long time I felt settled. By taking some time to explore the city I found myself able to look forward to the next three weeks and further ahead to making plans for the future. I was saddened to be packing my bags, but I left feeling sure that I would be back to NYC at the next possible opportunity.
I’m unsure what the next three weeks will bring, as my experience of DC has been up and down so far. What I do know is that I feel determined to make the most out of the wonderful opportunity I have been given, to continue to build friendships with the other great people on the program, and to find out how I’m going to finance a life in NYC after university!

“Hey, I have a dream too.”

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I have a dream” speech on the 28^th of August 1963. His ability to motivate people and his courage to stand up for what he believed in gave me my most obvious example of true leadership during my first week in DC.

 By learning more about the Civil Rights movement in America and the legacy it has today, I began to wonder what lessons Northern Ireland could learn from the USA. I had never paid much attention to the history of the Civil Rights movement before. I knew of MLK Jr, Rosa Parks and the Ku Klux Klan etc. but after spending some time in the city, I was oddly unsettled by the fact that all of this took place around 50 years ago. While in Northern Ireland a similar situation was erupting; as a civil rights movement descended into a violent conflict, there was as much racial orientated violence in the US. Despite the fact that the civil rights movement often appears inspirational, with strong religious influences, it also has a violent, gritty side; which all too often dominated the headlines.

 It is here that I began to draw comparisons between the USA and NI. With equal rights realized and an African American President, symbolizing how far minorities have come here, there is very little attention given to the violence that occurred or the bitter relations between people here. Instead, there is optimism, a sense of empowerment that you can achieve your goals regardless of your race. This doesn’t seem to be the case in NI. Despite the achievement of ending a bloody civil war, developing one of the most advanced peace agreements of modern times and establishing a stable and prosperous society; NI is still downtrodden. By being caught up with the past, NI is preventing itself from moving forward.

 It’s true that we still have a long way to go in figuring out how to live and work together in Northern Ireland. My point is that so does Washington DC. Racial segregation, although no longer by statute, is blatantly obvious; in the jobs people do or the areas where they live. Yet this doesn’t stop ordinary people or the nation itself from declaring its greatness as a land of optimism and opportunity. It is clear as I travel that no society is perfect, or even close. If only Northern Ireland could have the same level of self confidence as the US, I’m sure that it would continue to develop as a great community and an inspiration to other societies emerged in conflict. Even though Northern Ireland faces the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I have a dream that it does so by valuing how far it has already come and aspiring to how far it can continue to go.

 

“Dealing with Difference”

My involvement in the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust began when I was 16. Since then, I have participated in various programs which aim to teach young people in Northern Ireland how to deal with difference. I’ve stayed involved because SOE made me passionate about dealing with sectarianism both within myself and in Northern Ireland as a whole. The nature of the work makes it a constant challenge but the rewards that come with this are what made me want to complete my service project with SOE before leaving for DC.

 

Growing up in a Protestant area and going to Protestant schools, I, like many young people here could not escape the sectarianism imbedded within Northern Irish society. There is no one in particular who can be blamed for this, sectarianism is institutionalised; it’s in our surnames, in the area we’re from, in the schools we attend and the sports that we play. A lot of my work in SOE involves going to schools and working with pupils, and focusing on improving teambuilding, communication and leadership skills. By supporting pupils to use these skills to engage in meaningful dialogue with each other and people from different schools and areas, they are encouraged to deal with difference in an effective manner. The impact of this never fails to overwhelm me, and it’s so rewarding to see young people learning from each other, voicing their opinions and feeling like they want to take this learning back into their own communities. It also means I never get complacent about the significance of this work in my own life, which I was reminded of during the pre-departure training of the Washington Ireland Program.

With the aim of exploring dealing with difference, the class of 2012 was given the opportunity to have a question and answer session with two ex-combatants, one from a loyalist background and the other from a republican background.  I found myself struggling to listen to the former INLA member; his words made me frustrated, resentful and eventually just angry. My reaction to the loyalist ex prisoner was strikingly different. I empathised with him, respected him for turning his life around and appreciated the time he took to come and speak to us.

My reaction unsettled me deeply. I felt a huge amount of guilt, I dedicate so much of my time to giving young people the chance to deal with difference, yet here I was unable to deal with my own prejudices. After some reflection, I was fortunate enough to meet the two men again. I discussed my reaction to when they first spoke; I asked them questions and challenged their opinions and most importantly my own.

This experience made me value my service project more than ever before. I was recently honoured to receive an award from the Department of Education in Northern Ireland for 200 hours of volunteering for SOE, yet my struggle to come to terms with someone who’s background and opinions were so different to my own reminded me how difficult it is to overcome personal prejudices. I feel privileged that I have been encouraged and supported to work on this, however it saddens me that such a huge part of Northern Ireland is not so fortunate. It is much too easy to go through life here without really addressing how to deal with difference, and because of this the idea of a shared future seems to be slipping away. The true value of my service project is that passivity is not satisfactory; people are pushed to voice their opinions and face up to their prejudices. Taking responsibility for your own opinions is the important first step in the process of dealing with difference.