Let's just get this all out of the way: I don't believe arming teachers is a way to protect students in their schools. Teachers are there to teach, not to get into armed warfare with nuts that think that it is their destiny to shoot up schools.
But yes, I do believe that increased scrutiny in background checks--including looking for mental health red flags--is mandatory.
And again, I do believe that most people who possess guns are responsible with them, but accidents do happen to even the most responsible people.
And I do not understand why people have a need to possess high-power assault weapons.
I do believe that we need a comprehensive, national gun check program, that stretches from Maine to Washington State and includes Alaska and Hawaii and all of our possessions.
A person should not be able to be under intense scrutiny in one state for getting a gun permit and purchasing a gun, and in another state, can basically get a license and a gun as easily as you buy groceries from your supermarket.
And gun shows must be under closer scrutiny. Look, people collect everything from sewing thimbles to gum wrappers, so, yes, people collect guns. The difference is that sewing thimbles and gum wrappers and 99.9 percent of what people collect are fun things that can never harm anyone. Guns can kill, or at least people can use guns to kill, so there must be more scrutiny given to these shows, what they are making available for purchase, and who is purchasing them.
I do believe that the Second Amendment argument is antiquated, long, tired and out of touch with the times. That amendment was created to guarantee that our militia would always be armed and at the ready. I do not believe it means that everyone has the right the own a gun, and certainly, in these times, owning a gun bears with it an incredible responsibility. People have twisted this amendment to fit their own needs, and perhaps it has to be re-examined for what it really means.
I don't believe that the average citizen should own a gun. Yes, we need to protect our families from terror, but I simply don't think that having a gun, or guns, in a home is going to stop anyone from coming in and causing trouble. It might even provoke more trouble.
And yes, I do believe that we have another problem that the latest mass shootings has kind of pushed to the side, and that is the availability of illegal guns on the street. Yesterday, in near to me Suffolk County, they picked up somebody in a place called Patchogue who had an arsenal of guns of all types and who was basically selling them on the street to whoever wanted them. He will get years in prison for his deed, but it begs the question--where did he get such an arsenal?
I am not denying that there is a need for guns. Police should bear arms to keep the peace, and others need guns to do their jobs, like certain security guards. Many years ago, when I was in college, I worked as a part time security guard, with various locations as my beat, including shopping centers, supermarkets, and various job sites. I never carried a gun, never wanted to carry a gun, and had no need for a gun. My type of security didn't call for it, but other security jobs did. Let the trained personnel carry guns; not someone like me.
We have a tremendous problem in this country with the fascination with guns. Yes, it probably comes from our history, from the Wild West, from television and the movies. But I believe that in 2018, this fascination must end. There is nothing romantic about shooting people up for no reason. It is said that some people live through their cars; well, some people live through their guns too.
It just all has to stop.
Speak to you again on Monday. Have a nice weekend.
You could not be more hopelessly wrong. One size does not fit all. You seem to have no clue of what happens beyond your own backyard. What is appropriate for major urban areas like New York or Chicago in the way of gun laws, won't work in places all over America. Places like Montana, Iowa or North Dakota, where there may be no local police or the police may be quite far away, it isn't unreasonable for anyone in that situation to choose to protect their families with guns. Not everyone, like you, resides were police assistance is seconds away(you hope), and certainly anyone who cannot count on a rapid police response should continue to be able to protect their families with guns if they so choose.
ReplyDeleteGuns are dangerous, period. In a previous post, I told you a story about a cop's kid who blew his head off playing with a gun that was not secured. This "Wild West" nonsense is over and done with. Unless they are completely and thoroughly vetted and truly need a gun like a police officer, nobody really needs a gun. How many of us have actually had our homes broken into? Probably 1 or 2 percent of the population. Thus, how many people really need to have firearms in their homes?
ReplyDeleteFor someone who lives in what you call "wild west", which in reality is just rural America, where police response is not going to be rapid, the reason a potential criminal won't be willing to enter a home is because they are fearful that the homeowner could be armed. If you took away their ability to defend themselves(which will never happen), then it would be open season on law abiding citizens because invariably criminals will always break the law and get guns. Remember, we are not talking about major urban areas.
ReplyDeleteIf you examine crime in areas where police response can't be rapid because they are too far away, you would find that there is much more than you think.
I do not understand the need to own a gun, but if owners pass stringent background checks, then they can own a gun if they want to. Background checks, and waiting times for permits, must be increased, but if someone feels the need to own a gun, and is in sound mind, then if they must own a gun, they can. I simply do not understand the need, but maybe in some areas, if it is done legally, there might be a reason to own one. Happily, although we do have break-ins where I am, ownership of a gun has never come into my mind. I simply think we need more stringent laws revolving around gun ownership, more severe background checks, and longer waiting times for acceptance and purchase. One should not be able to go into a shop or a gun show and pick up a gun with the ease they can now.
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