Rant #2,421: Bad to the Bone

Those shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, were horrid displays of mass destruction perpetrated by mentally ill people.

Now that that statement has been made--and I do believe that most people in whatever political spectrum they exist in would agree with that statement--the next thing we have to do as a society is to figure out why these things are happening, and what we can do to stop them from happening again.

I am going to say this up front, because it is what I firmly believe: I do not understand why people, ordinary people like you and me, need to own guns. They are weapons, first and foremost, and their use often leads to horrible consequences.

Let's leave the firearms to our police officers, who are trained and know what they are doing with these weapons.

I know, the Constitution gives us the right to bear arms, but this is not 1776, this is not the Wild West, this is America 2019, and this need to have a weapon--yes, those obtained legally--in our stead at all times just doesn't wash today like it did generations ago.

That being said, if we have the right to bear arms, then we have the obligation to be able to parcel out these weapons in an effective, safe manner. Allowing people to walk into a gun store and purchase one weapon after another with lax background checks is not the answer, and certainly does not help us to fulfill our obligations to both bear arms and keep those arms safe, only to be used in the most extreme of circumstances.

It is so easy to blame our politicians specifically for what happened over the weekend, but that is really kind of like "passing the buck" and not addressing the problem at all.

Those perpetrating these horrible incidents were mentally ill, and you cannot blame politicians for the mental state of these people.

But politicians must be taken to task for not agreeing on stricter laws on the purchase of firearms nationwide.

Personally, beyond my skepticism at why normal citizens need to bear arms, I believe that we need stronger laws in place on a national level to prevent such acts from happening again.

I think we need much stronger background checks that delve into every aspect of the gun purchaser's history, and I mean literally from day one of that person's life.

In order to do such a history, it has to take time, and the immediate purchase of such weapons should be abolished, whether the purchase is being made at a gun store, a gun show, or from a collector.

Since time is needed to do such background checks, I would say that each firearm purchased leads to a minimum two-year armistice from getting that gun.

You purchase a weapon today, August 5, 2019, then you cannot get your weapon until a background check is completed by August 5, 2021--and it doesn't matter whether the purchaser is a long-time gun enthusiast or a newbie, you have to wait two years to get that weapon.

That would also provide something of a cooling off period for those looking to do damage with such a weapon. Yes, those perpetrating these two heinous deeds over the weekend were obviously mentally ill, and perhaps if they weren't allowed to pick up their weapons so easily, it would cool them down and give themselves time to think about what they were doing.

Again, these were mentally ill individuals, so two years of waiting could make things worse, but nobody should be able to purchase a gun and literally walk out with one, like they just got a new haircut.

I think we need national laws to address this, Yes, there a plenty of good people who simply feel the need to have a gun in their possession. I honor their right to do this, even though I do not understand their motivation in wanting to own a gun.

But there are plenty of people in this world who should stay as far away from purchasing guns as possible. Their mental state alone should prohibit them from doing so, and a background check--and I mean a really thorough one--is absolutely necessary.

And how one builds up an arsenal like these guys had ... how were they able to do this without any red flags going up?

I don't get it, but something must be done to stop this and to prevent further bloodshed.

We cannot have anybody feel uncomfortable whether they are in a school, a place of worship, or whenthey are out shopping or seeing a movie.

It makes no sense to fear for your lives in such situations, and we simply need stronger gun laws, which will not penalize those who want to own guns, but will simply make it a bit more difficult to buy guns and get them swiftly and in the hands of those who really should not be owning any firearms.

We need to do this to protect the citizens of this country and to preserve our quality of life.

And we need to do it now.