The Gun Post
Our country has been rocked by the tragedy in Connecticut. It seems to be happening more and more, and my news feeds over the weekend was filled with reports of escalating gun violence. There were even shootings in my local area, threats to attack nearby schools, and a guy walking into a hospital and shot three people in a neighboring state. It feels like everyone has gone insane.
Watching the debates unfold on Facebook and Twitter have been shocking. It seems we will never find peace or common ground. And while there’s so much I feel like saying about this topic and the tragedy that took place in Connecticut, part of me is just tired and doesn’t even feel like talking about it, although I know we must.
There is just one think I want to make abundantly clear…
Saying I think there should be more gun control DOES NOT mean I am anti-gun. That is a wild and exaggerated accusation, and I don’t understand people always jump to that extreme conclusion.
If I say I want more control of carbs in my diet, does that mean I want all carbs to be banned? No. It just means I want to reduce them.
Keeping with that mindset, when people say they want more gun control, we’re just saying we want stricter guidelines. Unless you are in law enforcement or the military, there is no reason for you to be carrying around a semi-automatic. They should have never been legal in the first place! They aren’t legal in many other countries.
“Oh, but the second amendment says…” blah, blah, blah. The second amendment was written at a time where nobody would ever dream we’d invent weapons like the ones we have today.
If you want a handgun, because you feel it makes you safe, fine. If you want a shotgun because you want to go hunting in the woods, fine. But if you want a military-grade weapon, and you are just an average citizen… I don’t think you should have it.
Banning semi-automatic weapons won’t solve all the world’s problems. And yes, it’s true, if you really want to kill someone, you’re going to find a way somehow. But removing semi-automatic weapons drastically reduces the amount of damage that can be done, and also gives the potential victims a greater chance of escaping and surviving.
I believe all serious change must be done in steps. We have to start somewhere, and I think removing semi-automatics is the first step in preventing more mass-killings.
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I prefer the UK approach. If you are a criminal and own a gun, you WILL go to prison whether you use it or not. So, no-one owns guns because people dont need to defend themselves.
I worry that the USA, my home, is crazy violent. We have more gun murders per capital than any other modern wealthy country by a very very long way. Why is that???
Very interesting point, Dan. I do think we need to look at policies in other countries and consider implementing some of their laws. I don’t know why some people think it’s “un-American” to even consider learning more about how other cultures handle gun laws. Hey, if it’s worked for them, it’s plausible that it could work for us too.
I can not understand the need to own a gun and I can not understand how a gun in your home makes you safe. I would never allow it my own home.
But the law and the culture is different here,(Sweden), but I think it’s a shame that Americans think they need guns to protect themselves. (Not all Americans, but some.)
The only ones I know that own guns here are those who hunt, and they are by law forced to keep the gun in a locked cabinet and the ammo in a different locked cabinet when not used.
I once went to the local police station and listened to the police talk about something and I remember thinking to myself: “Oh my god. They are wearing real guns. Real guns! In public”. And found that scary, real live guns, in my present, even though the were the police. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be surrounded by people who have guns in their own homes. Untrained people who might use the gun without the proper training and in panic.
We are not spared from gun violence, but I believe that our strict gun laws profoundly keeps the number down.
If you look at Finland, whom have a more liberal approach to gun laws, like the US, they have also had school massacres.
It it my opinion that people that don’t need a gun for work, (police, military), hunting and to use in a closed environment to practice sport, they should not have a gun.
And the last two should be very strictly regulated.
And I believe that almost everyone in Sweden agrees with me.