We are reeling from the horrific shooting in Newtown, CT, on the heels of the shooting in Aurora, CO. Both appear to have been committed by lunatics using firearms. The blood of the victims and heroes who defended them is still on the ground and the clamor has begun again to use these horrible tragedies as a pretense toward outlawing weapons. The press has led the way, as usual, in obscuring the questions and the solutions to benefit their political persuasions. If I could go back in time, my greatest wish would be to put good guys with guns in both of those locations to stop the bad guys with guns.
Though these acts are heart-rending in the loss of innocent lives and hero lives, I ask to be permitted to talk about the politics affected as both incidents have opened the question for a solution. Both locations were perfect gun control studies. In both locations, the school and the theater, no firearms were permitted. Sadly, it stopped the good guys, who locked their guns carefully in their cars or left them at home. The bad guys ignored the rules and carried in guns anyway. To pre-empt an obvious retort, I will add the lunatic who killed over 150 children and adults in Oklahoma in 1995 did not use a gun, though he might have. No, he took out more victims than both aforementioned incidents together. He used ammonia and fertilizer. A lunatic bent on killing will find a way to kill, even if we could somehow keep a choice weapon out of his hands. The sad truth is that we cannot dictate that everyone act human. We can only play by the realities of the world. If bad guys have any method of harm, then the good guys need to have a response. Taking away their firearms does not do that.
More to the point, giving in on our values as a nation to stop violence has never been an option for America.
In fact, many countries have laws against using incitement language. The people gather in the streets to protest the government policy, and they anger others and foment violent riots. They cause their like-minded partners to publish hateful stories in the newspapers that anger the population and incite them to violence. The press publishes slanted accounts of the facts, again inciting violence. Due to the particularly strong emotions that religion invokes, they often ordain through government an official religion, relegating all others to secondary status and outlawing others. Should we adopt their laws and methods?
We couldn't even if we wanted to. In our country, the first amendment to the constitution protects speech, protects the press, protects the right of petition and assembly, and of course, it protects the free practice of religion. But providing these rights has caused death, violence, and chaos, at various times in history. Nonetheless, the politicians in all parties have never seriously considered altering this amendment. Perhaps it is time to revisit it. Perhaps, we can no longer afford free speech, free religion, and free press. Perhaps we need to call constitutional conventions to begin the process of rewording the amendment to work for everyone, to stop the blood and the violence. Unthinkable, you say? Perhaps we should allow the government to quarter officials in the home of anyone suspicious by force, search anyone's home or property because we know they are hiding contraband. That would certainly make us safer. Perhaps we should allow the government to take people who people who are known to be bad and dangerous and throw them in jail without further ado. Why waste money and time with trials and lawyers?
And if you think that is all ridiculous, to revisit amendments 1.3.4 and 5, why is amendment 2 any different? All rights in a free society are risks that we take to live free of government intrusion and protect us from overly powerful government. There will always be bad people who want to hurt the innocent, and they will not abide by our laws. They may demonstrate against a video in Egypt and insist that we deny the right of free speech. They may insist that we jail Salman Rushdie without cause. They may even threaten us. Our government is sworn to protect the constitution and the people of our country from all enemies, external and internal. That goes for all constitutional rights, not just the ones that the party in power likes.
The best way to protect ourselves is to arm the good guys, and I hope these horrible acts by madmen inspire more people to train in the proper use of weapons, to arm themselves responsibly, to train thoroughly (a well regulated militia), and to make that statement that there will always be more good guys than bad guys, and that you cannot expect to take a firearm and do harm to the good guys with impunity. We need to end this threat. Taking away guns only increases it.
Thank you for indulging me in this political discussion. Perhaps it is my way of healing and dealing for myself. I wish I could express solidarity with the victims' families in a real, meaningful way, a wish for healing their hearts and minds, and there is no way to do so adequately. To all of you, I wish you any measure of comfort you can find in this unthinkable dark time.
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