There Is No Way Around This
I originally was going to write an article regarding Memorial Day and what it means to me and to this country and I still may do that but today I can’t avoid the massacre in Texas.
There really isn’t anyway to express truly how I feel for the children lost, the families that lost someone beloved or for the children that attend the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas. I guess heartbroken is too mild a term. Sadness, dismay and disgust all come to mind as well.
The devastation that this young man caused will never be truly understood and I can’t even imagine the pain everyone is feeling right now. I can only say a prayer and hope these families at some point in their lives, find peace. I doubt they ever will.
Once again, politicians chime in and their words just sound tone deaf. You have suffering families, suffering communities and a suffering nation and all they can think about is getting center stage and beating their chests for some sort of gun control policy. They want to be heard while families are still reeling from shock.
I write this column weekly and I have made it pretty clear that I think politicians are completely out of touch with their constituents and have zero sense of true empathy. They use horrendous events to further their agendas without even giving those events time to sink in.
We are a damaged country and I will lay a lot of the blame on those elected officials.
This mass shooting should be discussed in terms of gun control and doing something about the accessibility of certain types of weapons but for God’s sake, can’t they leave it till after all the children’s families have been notified?
The thought is, better to discuss it and move it forward while the country is still reeling from yet another tragedy. They are like ambulance chasing lawyers looking for a payday.
My question now is: Am I as heartless as those politicians by coming up with an article about gun control? I think I probably am and I apologize to all who think it much too soon in the process to restart this conversation again.
As you well know I am a firm believer in our constitutional rights, all of them, including our right to bear arms. This right has been defended over and over by State, Federal courts and of course The Supreme Court. It is not going anywhere no matter who sits where.
That being said, I think that there are some things that need to be dealt with and I know my friends who believe in the right to bear any arms will hate me for this but I do think assault weapons should be banned. I also think the magazines that any rifle or handgun should be limited as well.
First, there really is no legitimate reason for owning an assault rifle. The police have them and that is fine but for an individual, no thanks. Do you hunt with an assault rifle, no. If you are defending your home is their reason for a 30 round semi automatic weapon, no. You have an intruder, the safest means of protecting yourself and your family is a 12 gauge or a 20 gauge shotgun. A 9mm semi automatic will shoot lets say 30 rounds in 45 seconds perhaps. If you haven’t shot your intruder with the first 3 rounds you are more likely going to hit a family member and or a neighbor through a wall. So that argument doesn’t work. The bigger argument always comes back to “this is a free country and I am free to pick what weapon I have”. The government starts limiting this weapon, it will start limiting other weapons. I call BS to everyone who has that argument. The Constitution gives you the right to bear arms but it doesn’t say you have the right to a bazooka, flame thrower or poison gas. The only reason to own one of these weapons is to say you have one and you are a proud American. Give me a break already, falling back on some patriotic crap doesn’t explain why you need to own an assault weapon. I have a friend that believes you should have the right to have any gun you choose because there will come a time where you will have to defend yourself against some unknown force. Stop being delusional I told him. If the communists or AOC are marching on your house, your assault weapon isn’t going to change any outcome.
The second thing ( amongst a long list) is having magazines that hold more ammunition than the weapon was designed for. What is the purpose? You target shoot and you hate reloading so often? Ok, legit, I guess but buy more magazines and pop the clip out. Extra magazines are around 30 dollars a piece. If it’s that big a deal spring for it. No reason a handgun should have a 15 or 20 round magazine because let’s be honest, we don’t live in the wild west and we don’t have shootouts. You want a handgun for home protection, a 10 round clip is fine because, honestly, who is going to shoot more than two rounds at any intruder. You fire three rounds at someone in your house, they either are hit, peeing themselves as they run out the door or a stray bullet does unintended damage.
While these things might enrage my gun toting friends, heres something I think will infuriate them as well. I have zero problem with registering every handgun, rifle or shotgun. There should be a background check on every purchase. If there is any sort of red flag, deny the sale. If you are a law abiding citizen and are of sound mind(as best as anyone can tell) you should have zero problem buying a gun. I don’t think it is a problem waiting a week or two weeks before you purchase a gun. I don’t see how the background check and the waiting period accessibility on anyones right to buy a gun.
I am fully aware that if someone is of the mind to go and shoot as many innocent people as possible, gun laws are meaningless. I think everyone needs to realize that the sickness that causes a person to do such a despicable act is still hard to identify but there are instances where the warning signs are there. Who really knows how many of these random acts have been prevented over the years by keenly aware parents or councilors. Vigilance to the warning signs may help. Eliminating the weapon of choice eventually will help. Limiting the firepower can also help as well. However, if someone is going to do something like this again, he will find a way and create the path to doing it.