After 6 months of silence on this blog, I finally realized that I haven't updated in FOREVER. Of course this means I have a soapbox to stand up on and rant about...
In the wake of this recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, more and more details about the fallen officer and shooter are coming out of the woodwork... what disturbs me though is how the media is portraying the facts. I read an article this evening about how the shooter used a legally bought .40 semi-auto, and all kinds of comments were like "OMG! Why can people still buy guns??"
Really? How about consider the facts first?
Yes, the gun was bought through a legal gun dealer... back in JANUARY, almost a year ago. Judging by what the shooter's friends and relatives are saying, it's doubtful he had malicious intentions at the time. A lot of things happen in a year - think about it, what was different in your life last year? People tend to forget that human beings tend to do really stupid things when under emotional stress. Why do you think torture is such an effective method of gaining information? Why do you think road rage is such a problem on America's highways? Why do couples in a heated argument say things they wish they hadn't? Now, don't for one second think I'm trying to rationalize this guy's actions, not a chance! What I'm trying to convey here is that the gun didn't kill that officer - the guy who's finger was on the trigger did.
Firearms are merely tools, my 1911 is a tool for self-defense because I suck at martial arts. My Mosin-Nagant is a tool for recreation at the local range. My Mossberg is a mix of both, as it is primarily a tool to defend my home, but also used occasionally in the back yard for recreation (do you have any idea how much fun it is to blow a pumpkin to bits? I can see why Punkin' Chunkin' is so popular!). Police use guns as tools to aid them in law enforcement, and our military uses them as tools to give them every advantage needed to keep America free (despite the politicians in Washington trying to crush that freedom).
It angers me to no end when people come to a conclusion immediately after the fact that because a gun was used in a crime that had a tragic ending, they should be taken out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. What 100% of the population that is pro gun control fail to realize is that criminals do not care about the law; this is why they are criminals!! It is already against the law to murder, rape and steal, yet criminals do it anyway; so if a law gets passed banning firearm ownership, what makes you think that a person who doesn't care about what already exists as law is going to care about if they can have a gun or not? Are they going to say "Oh golly! Now that guns are illegal, I guess I can't use them to commit crimes anymore! Drat!" Not a chance! If anything, it will encourage them because now they know for certain that the person they commit a crime against is going to be unarmed, therefore giving the advantage to the criminal.
Knee-jerk reactions don't solve anything, period. Calling for a gun ban whenever some nutjob looses his or her mind and goes on a rampage may seem like a good idea, but apply some logic, and all of the sudden you start to wish maybe someone on VT's campus or at a Tuscon, AZ Safeway was legally concealing their self defense weapon and paying attention to their surroundings like every concealed carry permit holder should do. Here's some more food for thought: if you apply the same logic people use for gun bans to other things in life, how would that work out?
Maybe if you require a special class be taken before registering to vote, you can educate people on how to properly vote for a candidate! Yeah, didn't think you'd like that idea.
How about having to go through a background check in order to buy anything from a hardware store because hammers and saws can kill people, and certain chemicals in fertilizer and cleaning agents can cause explosives?
How about if you require a special permit to buy and consume alcohol, that would certainly cut down on the number of people killed in drunk driving or domestic violence incidents! Don't like that idea either? hmmm...
Speaking of driving, what if you require a psychological screening before a drivers license can be issued, so people who aren't in perfect mental condition can be barred from operating 3000-6000 pound machines that are at their very nature capable of taking a life. Actually, that last one sounds pretty good, if you're familiar with Virginia drivers.
Oh hey, here's another idea, what if we banned the internet? Sure, it would infringe on some people's free speech, but it would reduce the number of health issues of people who sit in front of a computer for too long!
Do you get my point here? America's lawmakers need to spend more time focusing on how to take guns out of criminal's hands, and NOT innocent citizens. The only reason an average American even needs a gun is because of criminals in the first place...
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