Our Firearms Freedoms and Society
In my black & white world, our freedoms are absolute. Of course, even though our freedoms are absolute, we must also remember that others have the freedom to disagree. We also must remember that there can be consequences for exercising our freedoms (i.e., yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre. You have the freedom to do that. You will also suffer the legal consequences of creating a panic situation).
Gun rights are no different. We have the right to keep and bear arms. Although there are many who will disagree with that and fall back on the "militia" part of that amendment (and those folks should really read up on what was considered the militia in the late 18th Century), the right still exists. And must not be infringed upon.
Many will say that we don't need firearms to protect ourselves from an oppressive government, because we are too "educated" and "advanced" for such a thing to occur.
Mule fritters.
Such a thing can (and if history has anything to say about it, will) occur.
Remember this: If our government fears us, there is liberty. But if we fear our government, there is tyranny. I ask each of you to pause for a moment and consider those words.
In that vein, I'm sharing with you today an essay posted by a friend who is very much on the side of curbing our God-given right to self-defense. I generally ignore these things, but frankly, I've had enough. The Black & White Curmudgeon has had just about all he can take of these people spreading the "Just do something!" narrative without fully considering what doing "something" means.
The very concept that founded this country almost 250 years ago - liberty - is in grave danger.
That's for another post at another time. Today, I'd like to address my friend's essay, point by point, and give a rebuttal to his thoughts on disarming America.
Some of you may agree, some of you may disagree. Comments are always welcome, provided they are constructive and do not denigrate into name calling, ridicule, or any other non-constructive format. My comments in [red] below.
Gun Psyche
Born in the late 1950s, I have lived in an evolving
society that has embraces guns in all aspects of life. As a young boy of kindergarten age, we played
Cowboys and Indians, Cops and Robbers, and Army – acting out the war scenes we
had watched on movies about WWII and, disturbingly, the nightly news clips of
the Vietnam War. Most of the
make-believe games involved guns – used to kill the bad guys and save the
day. Dudley Do-Right had nothing on
us. Good guys wore white hats and had
guns. Bad guys wore black hats and had
guns. Guns were a central theme.
[No, guns were not the central
theme. Guns were the tools used to carry out the central theme, which was good
overcomes bad. Guns cannot be a theme unless you’re producing a show about how
guns are made, how guns are sold, how guns are used in crimes, etc. You are selling
a flawed idea right from the start.]
While guns have been in movies forever, guns became a
main character in movies and television starting in the 1970s. Clint Eastwood embraced the 44 magnum – “the
most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off”. While the actual impact of gunshots continued
to be downplayed, the violence they inflicted was well represented. Lynard Skynard’s song “Saturday Night Special”,
released in 1975, brought the handgun front-and-center in popular culture.
[You are projecting far too much
“personality” on the tool used by actors as “main characters.” It is very true
that the guns used and sung about could produce horrible and deadly injuries.
That fact is not up for a debate. For the most part, however, guns were not a “main
character” in a movie or a song. ("Saturday Night Special" being one of the exceptions.) The guns used in shows and movies never got
listed in the credits. Clint Eastwood’s movies were not about a gun. They were
about a man who chose to use a particular firearm to ply his trade. Yes, the use of the gun was made to look “macho” and “badass.” You wanted to be Dirty Harry. You wanted
to have his swagger, his grit, his machismo. And Hollywood did a great job of
selling that.
The very same Hollywood made
up of actors who today scream for Congress to “do something” to combat gun
violence, while still sensationalizing it to put people in seats. Do we see the
hypocrisy here yet? In other words, it was not American culture that embraced
handguns in these movies and shows. It was Hollywood’s desire to make bigger
profits. Perhaps that’s where we need to start, and where we need to lay blame.]
Over time, as the public has desensitized, the intensity
and frequency of gore and violence inflicted by firearms has increased at an
increasing rate. Movies such as Dog Day
Afternoon, Glory, Terminator, Die Hard, Rambo, The Sopranos, Saving Private
Ryan, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now – and a plethora of film and video
promotes, fantasizes and encourages violence and murder while normalizing gun
violence and civil unrest.
[We agree completely here. A
firearm is a tool that does its job very well. So well, in fact, that it needs
to be the tool of last resort. But when its time to use that tool, it needs to
be a tool that CAN be used. Gore and violence, at the expense of making
profits, should never have been normalized. The death of human beings by
senseless violence has been interwoven into our society, especially our younger
generations. Now we are reaping what we have sown.]
The fantasy of being a bad-ass with a gun has fueled
ongoing gun sales.
[I would argue that there are
SOME sales made to people who want to be “bad-ass.” However, I would just as
quickly argue that most guns sales have probably been made to people who are
not trying to be “bad-asses.” I don’t have the actual figures to support either
side, so I’m not going to sound definitive about it. If you are going to make a
statement like you did, you should have some facts to back it up, or at least
present it as something you only surmise.]
You can’t be a tough guy unless you are packing heat.
[A completely untrue statement.
Some people probably feel that way. However, those with any amount of common sense
understand that you can be a “tough guy” even without a firearm.]
Society now embraces the mindset that extreme behavior,
including murder, violence and reckless gun use, is somehow expected when escalation
occurs on the street, in the home, everywhere.
[Again, patently untrue.
Some people in society believe this. Not all. In fact, responsible gun owners (which
make up the vast majority of gun owners) understand that a firearm is a tool of
last resort. It is the last step on the Use of Force Continuum. There are other
de-escalation steps to be taken first.
Make no mistake, though. There
are times when use of force goes from nothing to full-on use of a firearm in
the blink of an eye. When that happens, one should not be barred from having
that tool available.]
This mindset, shared by many in our society (including
many political representatives) think that metal detectors and armed guards in
schools are somehow OK;
[They’re OK for airports,
courthouses, legislative halls, concerts, NASCAR races, etc… why would schools,
that have our most precious resources inside its walls, be any different?]
…likewise, the
more people that have guns will somehow magically reduce gun violence.
[If you were going to attack
someone or some location with deadly force, would it make you more or less
likely to do so if you knew you were likely to be met with deadly force in
return? That’s the premise of those who believe that more guns will “magically
reduce gun violence.”
It doesn't matter if it's a home, business, or even a school. Would you rather do so knowing the occupants were totally disarmed, or would you rather do so knowing the occupants had firearms readily available?
And carrying these questions a bit further, if you were a potential victim in these scenarios, would you or would you not want a tool that could meet the attacking force head on? Or would you be content to do nothing?
I would ask for honest answers from those who wish to disarm citizens (or seriously restrict access to firearms).]
These individuals continue to embrace the fantasy of the
gun. The gun can do no harm.
[Patently false. You are
making a generalization that cannot be proven.]
Guns are the single element that ties together all gun
violence; gun proponents lay the blame
at everything but the gun.
[Guns are the single TOOL used
by the majority of those who wish to carry out acts of violence. There are no
examples of “gun violence” that can be shown. Guns do not create violent acts.
People with no regard for human life create violent acts, and they choose to
use a firearm to carry out their actions. How can you blame a firearm for the
actions of a person? Can you blame a vehicle for someone driving the vehicle
into a crowd of people because the person was drunk or intent on killing
others? If you cannot, then the same line of reasoning must exist for a
firearm.]
Truth be told, the ready access to firearms by virtually
anyone, at any time, is what differentiates the USA from all other countries.
[It is a factor, but not the
only factor. Furthermore, it is a gross generalization (and a false statement)
that firearms are readily accessible “by virtually anyone, at any time.” I
challenge you, or anyone else who makes that assertion, to prove it. Show how
easy it is in states like California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois to legally
purchase and access a firearm.
I say legally, because your natural
response would be that criminals can access firearms easily, and the vast
number of firearms in circulation make it easy for firearms to be illegally obtained.
Unfortunately, there is some truth to that. The answer, however, is not to
totally outlaw firearms. Many classes of drugs have been outlawed for many
years, but the drug problem has not gone away. How would that work any differently with firearms?
Perhaps the answer would be to severely
punish those who choose to use a firearm illegally and hold them accountable
for their actions. They don’t get off on a technicality, and they don’t get off
for “good behavior.” We have turned into a society that seems to be happy with
going easy on criminals and compensating for that by making it harder for the
law-abiding to live their lives.]
While there are numerous factors that influence gun
violence – mental health, racism, paranoia, social unrest, and numerous other
elements, the only element that exists across all gun violence events, is the
gun.
[“… the only element that
exists across all violent events where a gun is used, is the gun.” I fixed your
statement. Again, there is no such thing as gun violence. Guns cannot commit
violence. Violent people can choose to use a gun to commit their acts. Furthermore,
those people typically suffer from mental health issues; racist, sexist, or
class/political divisive unrest; or simple revenge for actual or perceived
wrongs.
It is a truth that firearms
present a tool that can be easily brought to bear as they carry out their
actions. Sometimes they get their firearms legally. Sometimes they get them illegally,
or they get them legally but should have been flagged and barred from making a purchase.
But trying to outlaw firearms, or even a class of firearms, simply cannot and
will not work. There are far too many of them in circulation, and a prohibition
doesn’t work. (See alcohol and drugs.)]
That individuals value the protection of guns above human
life is a sad commentary of our country.
[A very broad generalization,
and very close to being a straw-man argument. Nobody that I know values “protection
of guns” over “human life.” Rather, we DO value human life. The ability to have
access to the one tool that levels the playing field and presents us with the
easiest and most effective tool that protects the human life of ourselves, our
family, and close friends must be protected.]
Ultimately, gun violence ends when there is no gun.
[No – violent acts where
firearms are used will end when people no longer choose to carry out violent
acts against their fellow man. You are supposing that firearms can be removed
from circulation. That simply cannot happen.]
While this is likely many years in the future, we can
work together to reduce the potential for gun violence. Actions that include outlawing magazines with
a capacity of more than four cartridges,
[How does this reduce the
impact of a violent act? A gunman locked in a school classroom can kill equally
as many children with one magazine as several magazines when the gunman is not
effectively challenged by someone who can counter that threat (or if the gunman
isn’t stopped by detection methods prior to entry). And, what happens to a
revolver that holds 5, 6, or 8 rounds?]
outlawing assault weapons
[What is the definition of an “assault
weapon?”]
require lifetime firearm registration
[Registration is not
negotiable. Once the government has a list of where all resources are located,
they can then be collected. You may say that “we not here to take your guns.”
Those of us who believe in the right to own firearms know that once firearms
are registered, collection and confiscation becomes much easier.]
make it a Class A felony to possess a firearm that is not
registered to you
[See the above statement on
registration. HOWEVER – what you could do is make it a mandatory felony,
without possibility of reduction, for the use of a firearm in the commission of
a crime.]
safe storage
[This is already in place in
some states. How do you enforce this? Door-to-door inspections?]
firearm liability insurance
[For what purpose? If I use
one of my firearms in a reckless or illegal manner, I’m already committing a
crime. I can be punished in both criminal and civil court. Law-abiding firearms
owners already know they can get liability insurance for their firearms (or use
thereof). Criminals will not bother to get this insurance. So ultimately, you
are putting a burden on the legal firearms owners, while not making any
difference to a criminal.]
classifying all semi-automatic weapons as Class III NFA
weapons.
[A revolver can fire
rounds as quickly as a semi-automatic pistol. Does that make them a Class III
NFA weapon as well?]
Tax ammunition, gun powder, bullets, primers, casings and
reloading equipment at a level that generates revenue needed to offset the
societal costs of firearms.
[What is the “societal cost?”
How do you quantify it? And, doesn’t it make those who cannot afford your new
taxes simply more willing to take extreme or illegal measures to obtain those
items, despite your high taxes?]
ENOUGH. END GUN
VIOLENCE. VOTE OUT EVERY REPRESENTATIVE
THAT FAILS TO SUPPORT HUMAN LIFE OVER THEIR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANY
PRO-GUN ENTITY.
[Perhaps it is time to
question WHY we have become a society so willing to accept the taking of another
human life as just another day in America. More people are killed daily in inter-city
killings than in any school shooting. Why is that? Why is this not highlighted
in news stories? How many of those killings involve legally vs. illegally owned or obtained firearms? How
many involved in those killings were already arrested for other crimes, but
then turned back out into the streets as not being a threat to society? How
many victims might wish they had a firearm to defend themselves from the
predator who took their lives?
The point is, there is no easy
solution to this problem. You, and everyone else on your side of the argument, can
argue for a total abolition of firearms, high taxes, or whatever “feel good”
suggestion might come to mind. The bottom line, though, is that as a society,
we have lost our moral compass. We raise children from broken homes, hooked on
violent video games, entertained by violence in the media. This is not a “gun
problem.” This is a “societal problem.” One that cannot be solved by simply
outlawing a class of items.]