ShareThisThis isn't the time to become politically or culturally squeamish. David Stern knows what he has to do. His league has an alarming problem with guns and players and public places.
Within the past five years alone, Aaron McKie, Delonte West, Sebastian Telfair, Lonnie Baxter, Chris Wilcox and Gilbert Arenas have faced gun charges -- Arenas twice now.
Isn't that more than enough?
Let's assume Arenas was "joking" when he displayed three unloaded firearms in the locker room at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and that he truly had no intention of goading a Wizards teammate into a pistol duel allegedly to resolve a gambling dispute. The NBA has an opportunity to deliver a message that would resonate far beyond the sports world.
Stern -- whose current policy bans weapons on league property, sites or charitable events -- can start the conversation by scripting a zero tolerance plan. No exceptions. No excuses. Players who violate NBA policy and any gun law should be banned for a season and perhaps forever.
Reinstatement would be granted only after legal issues are resolved and the new rehabilitative demands fulfilled. Among them: Intensive counseling. A Saturday night visit to an emergency room trauma center. A personal inquisition conducted by Stern. And, on the recommendation of officials far more familiar with gun violence in the United States than most of us, an extensive post-rehab commitment to address the issue of gun violence with youngsters throughout the country.
"What we really need is more of what Michael Vick is doing," said Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, D.C., referring to the reinstated NFL star that speaks with youths about animal neglect and abuse. "We need someone like (Arenas) to tell young kids why guns are so dangerous. Somehow, we have to get the message across. ... Arenas is a (charismatic) person. If he truly understands the problem, maybe he could help."
Helmke is quick to acknowledge his own agenda. He is not the National Rifle Association's favorite person. A former mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., he has an appreciation for hunters and hunting, but was bombarded with enough statistics and horrific circumstances about the perils of firearms to turn his head and his stomach.
As calculated more recently by his Brady Center -- and with the stats provided by agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control -- 30,896 people perished because of gun violence in 2006; 12,791 were murdered; 16,883 committed suicide; 642 died accidentally; 360 were killed by police intervention.
"One of the challenges the police have ... " continued Helmke, "they are so uptight about the number of guns out there that they react to anything that looks like a gun."
Americans, of course, remain hopelessly divided on gun control, particularly pertaining to possession of firearms outside the home. But that doesn't mean Stern and union executive director Billy Hunter shouldn't be proactive, and they can start by refuting the absurd notion that players need guns for protection.
Consider that teams travel exclusively by charter, frequently commute between cities and five-star hotels after games, and are accompanied by one and sometimes two security guards. Sounds pretty comforting to me.
Arenas, by the way, breaks your heart. He was abandoned by his mother at age 3, briefly lived in his father's car and yet persevered, countering adversity with a chip on his shoulder and a grin on his face.
But this is no time for playing around. Three guns. On display. In a locker room. Stern knows what he has to do. Maybe Arenas can make another comeback, and a difference.
(Contact Ailene Voisin at avoisin(at)sacbee.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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