Not the sharpest knife in the drawer

I would argue as I have so often in the past that America does not have a gun problem; we have a people problem.

Even if you confiscate every single firearm, the evil within some will remain. That is simply the ugly aspect of the human spirit.

England on the other hand has virtually no guns but has an increasing and alarming problem with knife stabbing and related fatalities. Just additional evidence of evil regardless of the weapon of choice.

Remember, Cain apparently killed Abel with a rock.

But a British Judge -- lacking the wisdom of Solomon -- has a unique solution to the spike in knife fatalities in England.

Judge Nic Madge proposes to remove the sharp tips of knives and dull their sharp edges in an effort to reduce the massive increase in knife fatalities.

The judge is proposing that knife manufacturers implement the dulling process immediately and that citizens be urged to bring in their knives for reprogramming.

As I read this article, I waited for the punch line. But then I realized the judge was sincere with his loony solution.

There is no doubt that our brothers across the pond have a problem with stabbings. There has been a 22 percent increase in knife crimes in the past year alone in England.

Why we keep blaming the weapon of choice for the actions of ill-intended individuals is beyond me.

I take that back. It is not beyond me.

The reason is simple.

As individuals of compassion, we cannot sit idly by and watch these senseless tragedies without some action. The problem is we believe limiting weapons is easier than addressing the actions of a few evil individuals.

Back in the USA, the focus is clearly on gun violence. And the epidemic of school shootings has put this issue front and center, as well it should.

But it's important to examine factual statistics to honestly evaluate the issue and arrive at some consensus of a solution.

The majority of gun deaths in America are the result of suicide. That is an entirely different problem.

There is a mental illness component to gun violence, but we are far away from a solution to that issue as well.

High on the list of gun deaths is gang warfare. Yet we dance around that issue because quite frankly, we have no solution. And rest assured, even with the complete and total elimination of legal guns, gang gun violence will continue.

It's easier to address the low-hanging fruit of gun control than it is to address gang murders. Or mental illness.

I applaud the British judge for his attempt, however feeble, to address runaway knife murders in England. But with all due respect, his solution would more likely come from a third-grader. My apologies to third graders.

Here and abroad, we collectively mourn these lost lives and we roundly condemn those responsible. But then we go off the rails and take the easy path by blaming the tool of death and not the hand that controls that tool.

If you dull knives and ban guns, clubs and sticks will surely follow.

Humanity, as we should, will constantly seek solutions to these tragic issues. But until we address the real issues, we're just seeking headlines and not solutions.

Michael Jensen is the publisher of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Missouri.