| Wednesday, April 18, 2007 |
| I don't like it, but I don't have a better idea |
The events at VA Tech have reminded me how much I really dislike guns. I'm one of those annoying people that rolls my eyes when I see an NRA sticker. I'm not saying that we need to throw away all the guns - besides being just a silly idea, it would be completely impossible to carry out. I see very little distinction between a gun obtained through legal channels and one obtained illegally...I believe that has a lot to do with the fact that the law sees little difference between the two.
Ideally, in a cupcake & cheerleader perky sort of world, I think that in order for someone to buy a gun he should have to pass a background check (local, state, federal, and international, if possible) to verify they've not done anything idiotic in the past. Once those results clear, he must undergo some sort of psychological evaluation. Not a catch-all, brain-scanning kind of test, just a cursory exam. That might weed out any psychos that made it through the background check. :) Once those two hurdles are cleared, he should have to take a class...much like Driver's Ed. This will teach gun safety, gun use, and the safe storage of weapons. After the class, they are to take a written exam and a practical exam. THEN they can buy a gun. They're issued a license, and must renew that license every few years. Renewing will put them through the whole rigamorale again.
Pure fantasy, I know. The Constitution gives us the right to bear arms. I understand that. I believe it was written in so that the people of our fledgling country would be able to arm themselves in the event the whole thing just didn't work out. I support that.
I realize that when people can't get a gun legally, they can just get a gun. I think that the laws should be stiffened for people found with a gun they are not licensed to own. I also think licensed people that leave guns laying in nightstand drawers or dresser drawers should be held accountable if the weapon is stolen.
I don't think that untrained people should handle guns. That's asking for trouble. I am horrified to think of what would happen if Cam is somewhere with friends and they find a gun. I've told him that he is to leave immediately, but who knows what he'll really do?
Having said all that...we have a gun. I don't know what kind...it's a pistol-looking gun. I don't like it. It was kept in a box on top of our closet for the longest time, but it's been moved to near the front door. There's a trigger lock and some other safety device on it, and I do not know whether it's loaded or not. I do know enough about guns to know that one should always assume a gun is loaded. (shrug)
I don't like it there. I get a nasty feeling whenever I open that drawer and see it. However, if I knew how to unlock it and how to use it, I would like to think I would not hesitate to use it if someone were to break in. Sort of a necessary evil.
Events like the one at VA Tech are horrible. I personally believe that there is nothing, short of armed guards and metal detectors at the doors, that could have prevented the shootings. He had a history of signs of mental illness; un-prosecuted stalkings, morbid and highly aggressive creative writings, and a 'friend' called the police to say he (the shooter) was suicidal. He went for counseling. The news stories I've read (and I've read a lot from a variety of sources) tell me a story of a very calm, very angry, and very methodical man. He chained the doors shut to prevent people from exiting. He aimed to cause as much damage as possible with each shot, shooting victims multiple times. He shot till nobody was standing, and then moved on. When he couldn't gain easy access to another classroom, he found another one to enter. They found bodies in 4 classrooms and the stairwell. This is not a crazed, hyped-up teenager trying to make noise and scare people.
How do you protect yourself from something like that? Do you live your life every day with a gun holstered to your hip? Do you constantly live in fear that you may have to use the weapon to defend your life? We can't all be in 'cop mode' all the time. That's why we HAVE cops. They have the training and experience to respond the best way in a situation such as this.
Someone suggested that if all the kids in the classroom were armed, the shooter would never have caused as much damage. I disagree. I have to think that 40 guns going off in one room would case as much, if not more, damage than this guy did on his own. Besides, I would not want to attend a college level engineering class knowing that all of my classmates were armed to the teeth. How do you suppose the professor would feel? Shew.
I'm not a fan of guns. I don't like them. I do have an uneasy truce with them. Again, as I said in the title of this post, I don't have a better idea. More laws? Better enforcement of laws? More testing in schools? (Heh, just kidding. That was for you, D2 and TX Jen.) Dunno. That's why I'm a music major. :) |
posted by Jen @ 10:22 AM  |
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| 2 Comments: |
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I agree with your post Jen. Though I don't have a truce. I won't own a handgun or an automatic weapon. As a convicted felon (nonviolent, nondrug, nonsexual related) M can't own one. Doesn't matter that his crime was 25 years ago, he can't vote either and yes we have applied to get his voting rights back (we just don't give a shit about the gun thing), but that's another issue entirely.
The idea of handguns and automatic weapons makes my skin crawl. They were created for the purpose of killing others. Sorry but that makes the manufactures evil in my book. Same goes for those who create biological/chemical warfare and the bombs. I won't be changed on that. I'd like Superman to take every single handgun, automatic weapon, bomb, etc and throw them into the sun. I'd like people to STOP killing each other. Course I realize that what I'd like doesn't matter. Those who love war will have war.
So for all my friends who want to carry a concealed weapon I'm asking you to NOT do so when I'm around. If you do and I find out I won't be hanging with you again. So very sorry. I have MY code to live up to. I won't be a hypocrit about it.
And like Jen said, if you own a gun and it gets stolen, well I could never live with myself if it was used to kill another if it was mine. Course I don't and won't.
Your right to bear them, my right to tell you to bear them away from me.
D2
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There are some states that do require a background check before you can purchase a gun; however, it appears that they're fairly lenient when it comes to what they look for.
We have a hunting rifle in our home now. I was completely pissed off about it. Last fall, the Captain decided he wanted to go elk hunting, so my FIL brought him his gun when he came to visit that previous May.
Upside? He also brought a case for it that locks, as well as a locking ammo box & a gun lock. Did these things make me feel better? Safer? Nope. So I made him put the gun in a location of our home that is inaccessible even to me, let alone Blondie.
I hate guns. I honestly do. Would I blow some fuckers head off if he came in my house after me & my family though? You betcha. (Provided I actually had access to the gun. LOL)
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I agree with your post Jen. Though I don't have a truce. I won't own a handgun or an automatic weapon. As a convicted felon (nonviolent, nondrug, nonsexual related) M can't own one. Doesn't matter that his crime was 25 years ago, he can't vote either and yes we have applied to get his voting rights back (we just don't give a shit about the gun thing), but that's another issue entirely.
The idea of handguns and automatic weapons makes my skin crawl. They were created for the purpose of killing others. Sorry but that makes the manufactures evil in my book. Same goes for those who create biological/chemical warfare and the bombs. I won't be changed on that. I'd like Superman to take every single handgun, automatic weapon, bomb, etc and throw them into the sun. I'd like people to STOP killing each other. Course I realize that what I'd like doesn't matter. Those who love war will have war.
So for all my friends who want to carry a concealed weapon I'm asking you to NOT do so when I'm around. If you do and I find out I won't be hanging with you again. So very sorry. I have MY code to live up to. I won't be a hypocrit about it.
And like Jen said, if you own a gun and it gets stolen, well I could never live with myself if it was used to kill another if it was mine. Course I don't and won't.
Your right to bear them, my right to tell you to bear them away from me.
D2