Guns - I know it's a touchy subject. I don't doubt that half the
people who read this will not agree with me and that's absolutely ok.
But sometimes things bother me so much I just have to vent and well,
this is one of my soundboards.
This weekend we were at
the pool and a neighbor said to another neighbor that there was a
shooting in our neighborhood. Clearly, this conversation happened loud
enough for all to hear and it commanded our attention. He then went on
to explain that a few houses down an 80 year-old man was cleaning his
gun and it accidentally discharged, shot through his hand and then into
the stomach of his 40 year son. As far as anyone knows, the son has
survived (and the 80 yr. old is fine).
I wouldn't
necessarily phrase that as a shooting - that takes me back to some of my
living and working in Pontiac, MI days - those were legit shootings.
But anyway...
The woman he was talking to immediately says "see,
that's exactly why I think guns should be illegal. I don't care how
careful people claim to be, they're still dangerous." She clearly wanted
the entire pool area to hear her opinion as she loudly announced her
stance on gun control. She said it with fierce conviction and nearly
sounded outraged that the 80 year was even allowed to have a gun.
Here's my problem - if you have a stance on an issue,
please try to make sense. Say something like "how scary, guns scare me
and that's why I don't want them anywhere near me or my home." That
makes sense. Guns can be scary and it's beyond understandable that
people are scared of them. Heck, they make me a little nervous too.
And
she was right - guns are dangerous. But so are many things in our
lives, like cars. Let's say a drunk driver gets behind the wheel and
hits someone - do you then think cars should be illegal? No, it's the
act that is illegal, not the object.
Let's even tone it
down some - say someone is putting mascara on while driving (no, I don't
do this... anymore) and accidentally rear-ends the car in front. I
don't see anyone outlawing vehicles, but absolutely she should get fined
for being careless and reckless. Or even better, put the same 80 year
old man behind the wheel and let's say he can't see well and
accidentally starts running over mailboxes. You're given a license to
drive and with that comes the responsibility to drive safely and not hit
anyone or anything.
With a gun you're held to similar laws - you can't just go around
shooting people (except for in Florida). It's gun handling 101 to not
clean a loaded gun. That was ridiculous and obviously an accident
waiting to happen. I'm guessing because he's 80, shot himself and his
son that they won't charge him, but they have every right to.
When you abuse your right to drive or have a gun by being
careless with it, there should be consequences. However, I think it's a
stretch to see it as a justifiable reason to make it illegal. Stick to
the things that make sense instead of making outlandish statements that
make you look silly.
These are all the things I wanted to say to that lady but she looked like she could beat me up, so I'll just share it here.
In case you haven't guessed I'm pro the 2nd amendment and grew up with a father and many other family members who are avid hunters. I grew up as a little girl with guns in the house and constantly around them. It never phased me. Never once did I ever think it was ok to play with them. I wasn't afraid of them, but I respected them.
At the same time, I understand those who are afraid and against guns. I don't agree, but I understand. It's a different age and clearly there is some serious abuse out there - that I firmly believe should be controlled. But I think a lot of that fear comes from the unknown. If you grew up like I did you would see things differently. If someone kills someone with a gun I see a killer and wonder and worry what made him do it. Others see how and why he got the gun. While that may be part of the problem, it's not what caused the problem in my eyes.
Ok, done with this topic - hope I didn't offend anyone!
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