I typically read or update social media at lunch time, so that makes it time to weigh in. This blog was not designed to be overly political, but I will divert into that realm from time to time. And this, in the aftermath of the 45th school shooting this year, in a time when we have on average one school shooting per week, when gun violence kills more American’s than terrorist attacks, well, this is one of those times. Keep in mind that these are opinions represented below, not thoroughly fact checked. In times like this, however, “facts” and “hard statistics” are easy to manipulate by all sides, so opinion will do here. And fair warning, when I get worked up, I can ramble a bit.
Guns are legal in our country. They always will be legal. I don’t propose ever making them completely illegal. I would, after all, like to own one someday, maybe two.
They should be enormously difficult to obtain, however. One database for all criminal and mental background checks needs to be created, not relaying on the patchwork system we have now. If states want to maintain their own in addition to this, fine. We need to fully tie this database into the health care system. Privacy laws be damned, if you seek help for a disorder and that could potentially lead to you harming yourself or others, your health professional better damn well update the database, or their will share in your guilt at trial. This master database must be consulted prior to sale–if it takes a month, it takes a month. In fact, we should halt ALL sales until this database is completed.
The 2nd amendment doesn’t provide for the “right to bear arms” to all men, women and children. It provides the right to bear arms while serving in an organized and state sponsored militia. It is your patriotic duty to do so. So while your militia (military, police, etc.) might have need for military grade weaponry, you do not. I know, some fire the same caliber ammunition as you average hunting rifle. But your hunting rifles don’t require a 30 round magazine. Nor do you need an assault rifle for home defense. We simply don’t need such weapons on the market. So what to do about them? Stop manufacturing them for sale on the open market. Make future sales of former military weaponry illegal to civilians. Stop selling ammunition in chain stores and limit it to tightly controlled facilities. And if you want to get your hands on the truly cool weapons out there, consider signing up for a tour of duty in the Armed Forces or train in law enforcement. Mandatory service would do this country some good.
Don’t preach to me of your Constitutional rights. The Constitution, while being something I am sworn to uphold and defend, and being perhaps the best legal governing document ever written, is not a holy book. There are some that hold a Bible in one hand and a copy of the Constitution in the other. God, my friends, did not write either of them. Men did. Men that made changes and revisions to the texts at the beginning and again over time. The Constitution is meant to be reviewed, to be updated and amended. To be changed to fit the times as we, the people, see fit. And this is one time it need’s clarification on amendment number 2, cause our dear old Founding Father’s clearly had no idea what chaos 21st century weapons can unleash. Clear, precise wording is needed for our Google and Wiki age population.
Other countries have acted when violence gets out of hand, and not waited decades to do it. In most civilized countries, all it takes is one act of crazed madness to come to a decision that they have had enough. But not here. Here we bury our political heads in the sand and ignore the most basic steps that could be taken to prevent more tragedies. I know, criminals will be criminals and will find ways to access guns if they want. True. But consider where most of Mexican criminals obtain their firearms – the United States. Eliminate the new supply and, over time, the numbers on the streets will dwindle.
Why we in the U.S.A. refuse to see common sense as a path to greatness is a challenge for our time, and for all generations currently living in our great country. Guns, mental health issues, violence, climate change, economic inequalities, the festering sexism and racism that has lasted since our formation…all of these are intertwined and connected in ways that are subtle but vital to see and understand. I only hope that we can once again help light the way for the world and fully confront, and defeat, our problems.