Is Gun Control the Answer?

         Guns are so important to the history of the American people, that our right to bear arms follows our freedom to believe in the God of our choice, and the freedom to voice our concerns. Are our inherent freedoms now too free?

      

     Freedoms lose their strength as soon as we need to write them into law. Unfortunately, sometimes it take a bunch of old folks to sit down in a room and yell at each other to establish human rights. Because if it's in ink, it matters more? We've seen this happen on every subject from racial equality to gay-marriage. In this world, people can't simply be --they must be allowed to be.

       Perhaps I'm from the wrong side of the tracks, but I understand the need for a pistol and hope to get one of my own. Simply, I'm not comfortable with law enforcement carrying weapons as a standard if I don't have the right to as well. What do they need to protect themselves from that I'm not also supposed to protect myself from? In addition, with cases like Kimani Gray and Trayvon Martin,  I have very little confidence that those who are supposed to protect me can or will. Without having to do much, some people in this country are criminals simply for what they look like or where they live. Feelings like these are similar to those felt by the first founders of this nation --who searched for an escape from the unjust legislation of English rule which imposed unfair taxes and unjust judgment. Funny, because it seems that is the same condition I feel today. Still, I recognize that other people live on the other side of the tracks. 

      On Wednesday, April 17th, senate failed to pass various gun control proposals:

• Extend background checks to internet and gun show sales - 45 in favor, 55 against
• Ban Assault weapons - 40 in favor, 60 against
• Ban high Capacity Magazines - 46 in favor, 54 against
• "Concealed weapons permit" valid in any state - 57 in favor, 43 against.

You can still buy your assault weapon (with an extra magazine) on the internet and bring it with you from state-to-state as long as you have a piece of paper that says it's okay.  Obama called this "a pretty shameful day for Washington."  This may have been an opportunity to avoid  repeat of the Newton shooting, but wouldn't have addressed the fact the people are choosing mass murder as a way to alleviate whatever is going on in their lives. The background checks would bar people with mental disorders and cases of psychological disorders/treatments from buying guns. I understand this, but I suppose I am far more concerned with the fact that so many America citizens have these mental disorders. In my humble opinion, I believe there needs to be more research as to what American's are facing - mentally- and how to improve the spirits of the American people.

        

       Frankly, I'm not sure how this can be addressed, but I will hold onto my rifle. The Amendments were added to the consitution to protect our individual rights. Unfortunately guns are real.  Even those allowed and trained to use these weapons have been found to use them incorrectly. Perhaps we need more training to familiarize ourselves with these weapons and learn to use them correctly. Guns are the most powerful things in that even the smallest gun can end a life. The way I feel about guns is the way I feel about liquor. Europeans don't have an issue with drunk driving like Americans do because the liquor isn't a big deal. If guns weren't such a hot topic, and people were regularly trained on how to manage them, maybe we'd have a better turn around. We only see guns as forces of retaliation and defense even though they were once hunting instruments. We need to rid ourselves of the anger and aggression our people feel. Perhaps the capitalist pressures of this country, combined with manifest destiny make us want to go to war so badly. We must retaliate, right? It's the American way, isn't it? 

          If people don't know how to use their guns, I just want to learn how to use mine. Some people wish guns would go away all together, but I believe in my right to bear arms because every time I see a police officer, I wonder if he considers his army different from mine --and he probably does.I know that guns kill people. I also know that knives kill people. And enough aspirin will take you out. There are many ways to die and many ways to kill. I think it's a waste of time making legislation to try to avoid all these terrors instead of trying to find ways to stop these terrors from happening. You can take the gun away from the shooter, or you can find why he become a shooter in the first place and address that. Whether I need to say it or not, I think ignoring these issues is sorta like ignoring the "In God We Trust" printed on our currency. What do we really care about? I supposed taking all guns off the street would be the best answer: Like how Communist leaders like to burn books.

       I'm an idealist, I know... but I won't lower my expectations of what a government should/should not do. What they should do is find ways to make people interact better with each other --most of this is parenting. That Newton guy went in for his mom. What they will not do is take away my right to protect myself, because the government, honestly, doesn't always do a great job. I agree with Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, regarding his staement to the NY Times: "Like most American's, I want to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and dangerous mentally ill people [but the bipartisan plan] overly burdens a law-abiding citizen's ability to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights and creates uncertainty about what is and is not a criminal offense." It's bizarre how a person can be unsure what exactly their rights are. See yours below, but there are plenty more for us to dissect.

        

Good luck, America. God Bless.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CONAN-1992/html/GPO-CONAN-1992-10-3.htm