Yesterday I read an article that deeply disturbed me. Being deeply disturbed, terrified and angered by the news isn't anything new for most people, but in this case I wanted to dig a little deeper into the issue. Since so many people are gun owners in this country, I want to understand the mentality that surrounds gun ownership. Why does a person feel the need to own a gun? Is it truly for protection? And if so, who are you being protected from? Should limits be put on how many guns a person can own? While the 2nd Amendment does give people the right to own a gun, it does nothing to set a standard for gun responsibility or accountability. Aren't those things equally important? We can't legally drive a car with having a license. We take a test as proof of our competence in order to get a license. If we own a vehicle we have to have insurance on that vehicle. We have to take certain precautions while driving like wearing a seatbelt. There are laws against texting while driving and driving while impaired because these activities are considered dangerous.
First, I am not a gun owner. I am not against gun ownership but I am against gun violence. I believe we have far too many needless deaths in this country and worldwide due to guns. I don't pretend to have the solution to this deadly problem nor do I claim that there is a solution. But when I look at other industrialized countries in the world and we stand at the top of the list where gun violence is concerned, it leads me to believe that we have a serious problem, yet year after year we refuse to rationally address this issue. We continue to remain complacent while people around us die. This is what I don't understand. I don't understand what prevents people from sitting down like adults and talking about this problem.
Representative Green tweeted:
"The kids at Uvalde needed JR-15s to defend themselves from the evil maniac that didn’t care about laws.
At least they could have defended themselves since no one else did, while their parents were held back by police..."
From this side of the world I see people like Representative Green as part of the problem rather than the solution. Recently a six year old shot his teacher. If the other students had also been armed I shudder to think just how many people would have been hurt.
ReplyDeleteFrom grades 1-5, i went to a summer day camp (same hours as school during the rest of the year). We learned to swim, make arts and crafts, ride horses, play sports, and we had riflery lessons from certified instructors.
ReplyDeleteThey drilled it into us how to properly hold, carry, load, and shoot targets and be safe while doing so. Any breaking of the rules and you weren't allowed to stay at the range that day. Break them too often and you were out for the summer.
My Sweetie has several old west style rifles, most of them more than 75 years old. Collecting these, target shooting and loading his own ammo is a hobby he enjoys.
I know people who put meat on their table by hunting each year. I say more power to them as long as they are safety conscious and obeying all the laws (permits and such).
As you pointed out, if you need training and a license to operate a vehicle, you should get training and show you can handle it properly in order to own a gun.
I'm too sad and tired to comment on what the Representative said.
MTG and her viewpoints are deranged on a level that should have made her obvious instability an issue for being a Representative of anywhere or anyone. This is a complex issue in a Country where it seems Gun Worship and Obsession often overrules Logic and doing anything Solution Oriented without panicking those who are fearful without their Weapons and whoever they assume they need protection from or why.
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