“对于孩子们被枪杀和儿童持枪的愤怒并没有消失。母亲们永远也不会忘记。”
“Anger over children being killed and kids with guns has not faded. The moms have not
forgotten.”
我们已经目睹了民主制度下的一场伟大的自发的事件——一百万母亲在母亲节举行了一场穿越全国的大游行，呼吁通过联邦枪支管理法。但是这场游行却始终无法摆脱美国枪支协会的阴影笼罩。这个协会在枪击事件频发的时期里，也坚决反对每一项控制枪支的意见，而且在去年又吸收了500,000名会员。在这种情况下，这些母亲们的愿望最终会有机会实现吗？
We have just witnessed one of the greatspontaneousevents of our democracy — a million moms across the country marching on Mother’s Day toplead forfederal gun control laws. The shadow across the march was the National Rifle Association (NRA)[ 1 ]. It has opposed virtually every gun controlinitiativein a period of gun outrages and still gained 500,000 members last year. Have the moms got any chance at all?
美国枪支协会的力量和那些决定由谁来控制国会的选举区域密不可分。这些在大选中举足轻重的选区里，政治竞选的候选人已经意识到如果他们得罪目标单一的赞成持枪的少数派，他们所失去的选票会比反对持枪的多数派那儿得到的更多。因为多数派投票受更多因素的制约——而且他们反对持枪的愤怒情绪往往会在选举时消失。
The NRA’ power depends on the relatively few close elections that often determine who controls Congress. In theseswing districts, political candidates have been made aware that they could lose more votes by antagonizing the one-issue, pro-gun minority than they could gain from the antigun majority simply because the votes of the majority are determined by a wider range of issues — and antigun anger has tended todissipateby Election Day.
但是，现在情况有所不同了。对于孩子们被枪杀和儿童持枪的愤怒并没有消失。母亲们永远也不会忘记科伦拜恩的枪击惨案，或是那些带着半自动步枪上学的儿童。这些母亲代表了一种已经觉醒的新一代选民，而且她们也许会打破那些关键的城镇选区的平衡，特别是在中西部和那些主要的大城市。在那些人群之中，四个人里面就有一个人赞成控制枪支，当他们行动起来的时候，谁也不能低估他们的力量。还记得反对酒后驾车的母亲团体完全出于保护孩子的目的开展控制饮酒的游说活动吗？他们经过努力，成功地提高了合法饮酒的年龄，严格了有关酒后驾车的法律。今天这些母亲们正在努力争取控制枪支的机会，来保护她们的孩子不受伤害。
But there is a difference now. Anger over children being killed and kids with guns has not faded. The moms have not forgottenColumbineor the 6-year-old who brought asemiautomaticto school. These women represent a newly arousedconstituencyand one that might tip the balance in key suburbs, especially in the Midwest and around the major cities. They favor gun control by almost 4 to 1. When theymobilize, they cannot be underestimated. Remember the Mothers Against Drunk Driving who took on thealcohol lobbyandtriumphedin their efforts to raise the drinking age and toughen drunk-day, these mothers are trying to get gun controls to protect their children.
无路可逃。统计结果显示了她们的担心是有道理的。每年都有成千上万的孩子死在枪口之下，而且伤者超过数千。这些悲剧大多是发生在孩子们在朋友家里玩耍的时候。枪支改变了一切，人们用枪支自相残杀。如果武器仅仅是石块、棍棒和刀具，那么面对任何人的袭击，人们可以选择反击抑或是逃跑。但是，如果用枪尤其是速射枪支，那么只能是无路可逃了，而且这类枪支现在仍然能够很容易得到。
No escape. The statistics bear out their concern[ 2 ]. Thousands of children die every year from guns, and thousands more are injured. Many of these tragedies occur while children are playing at friends’ homes. Gun change everything. People with guns kill people. Limit weapons to stones, or bats, or knives, and anyone attacked can fight back or run away[ 3 ]. But with guns, especiallyrapid-fireweapons, there is no escape, and they are still too easy to acquire.
这些母亲们和其他主张禁枪的人们只是希望那些法律的制定者们能够通过一部法律，要求为那些枪械的主人们发放证件，并且登记注册。为什么要对这类意见持反对态度呢？我们既然坚持要给车辆发放证件并且登记注册，那么在一个月之内就能获得手枪牌照的情况也应当加以限制。并且，无论任何人想要得到持枪许可的话，他们都应当接受身份背景的调查。
The moms, and many others, want lawmakers to passlegislationthat will require gun owners to belicensed and registered. Why should there be any objection to that? We insist on licensing and registering cars. There should also be limits on the number of handguns that can bepurchased in a month, and anyone wanting a gun should undergo a background check.
但是，这类法规和限制措施并不是能解决所有问题的万全之策。数百万守法的公民拥有且喜欢枪。他们用枪打猎甚至防身。在美国的历史上，枪有着一种神奇的地位：许多人认为他们的自由和安全全部都是拜枪所赐。按照一些极端的自由主义者对持枪者的描绘，持枪者并非是那种对罪犯和煽动仇恨者会得到枪支之事似乎不关心的（傻瓜）笨蛋。不过，那些守法的持枪者并不机械地站在美国枪支协会的立场上，如果我们能够减缓日益泛滥的枪支通过非法市场流入犯罪分子、愤怒青年和煽动仇恨者手中的趋势，他们确信自己持枪的权利就不会受到影响，而且大家都会从中受益。据民意测验中心显示，绝大多数人支持采用安全的手段来保证枪支能够被安全地保管，并且要求持枪者对造成的伤害负责。在被调查的那些绝大部分是持枪者的人之中，十七个人当中有十个人赞成全面控制枪支的政策；他们十五个人之中有十四人认可安全保管枪支的手段；而且他们支持为防止犯罪分子得到枪支的全部七项措施。因为他们清楚枪支能够自卫也能够杀人——无论杀死的是母亲还是父亲，老人还是孩子，甚至是比自然死亡还多的青少年。既然玩具水枪联邦政府都能加以管制，那么真正的枪支也同样应该控制。
None of this adds up to apanacea. Millions oflaw-abidingcitizens own and enjoy guns. They use them for hunting and even security. Guns hold a mythic place in American history: Many people believe their liberty and safety are bound up with the widest availability of guns[ 5 ]. Gun owners are not, as someknee-jerkliberals want toportraythem, rednecks who don’t seem to care thatgangsters and hate-mongers can get their hands on guns. Butlaw-abidinggun owners who don’tautomaticallyfollow the NRA line can surely agree that their rights are not affected, and the common good will benefit, if we can slow the flow of guns into a market that seems too often to serve criminals, disturbed youngsters, andhate merchants. According to theNational Opinion Research Center, a huge majority backs safety measures to ensure safe storage of guns and to hold ownersliablefor injury. A majority of those who own guns favor 10 of 17 general regulation policies; theyendorse14 of 15 safety measures; and they support all seven steps that could prevent criminals from getting guns. They know that guns protect but also kill — mothers and fathers, grandfathers and babies, and more teenagers than any natural cause. Indeed, if water pistols can be regulated by the federal government, so, too, can real pistols.
美国人总是乐于尝试新的东西。现在公民们已经不再受政客们的影响，不再倾听他们的相互指责：那也许是另一个政党的过错，或者是你的过错，或者是民众的过错，或者干脆没有人犯错；但是，惟独不是他们自己的过错。民众们不再关心那个枪手是否被侮辱了，是否来自一个破碎的家庭，是否看了太多的暴力影视作品，玩了太多的刺激的电子游戏，还是喜欢听宣扬暴行的歌曲。他们只想让由枪支引发的悲剧尽早结束。他们已经看见了太多哭泣的幸存者，疑惑的警察和目瞪口呆的父母们。
Americans want to try something new. Citizens have moved past the politicians and all theirfinger-pointing— that it is the other party’s fault, or your fault, or our fault, or nobody’s fault, but certainly not their fault.[ 6 ]Americans don’t care whether the shooter was insulted or ignored, came from adysfunctionalfamily, wanted too much TV and movies, played too many video games, or listened to violent music. They want an end to the tragedies caused by guns. They have seen too many weeping survivors, puzzled police, anddumbfoundedparents.
那就是百万母亲大游行所要表达的意愿。如果美国枪支协会先前只是在那里强烈反对的话，如今这种强烈的情绪已经成为母亲们寻求保护她们的孩子所做出的实际行动了。如果爱枪如同爱苹果馅饼是美国人的特性，那么母爱同样也是。美国的政治家们，你们将不得不做出的选择了。
That is what the Million Mom March is all about. If the NRA previously had theintensityon its side, thatintensityhas now been equaled by thecommitmentof mothers seeking to protect their children. If guns are as American as apple pie so too is motherhood.[ 7 ]Politician will have to choose.
