2.6
December 20, 2012

Should We Throw Away Our Spoons Because They Make Us Fat? ~ Jennifer Townsend

Who Can Stop a Bad Man with a Gun?

A good man with a gun?

A good man with a gun is not reported in the headlines very often, though.

Did you know that the gunman responsible for the Clackamas Mall shooting in Portland, Oregon was thwarted by an armed shopper?

 

 

“The mainstream media almost never reports when an armed civilian saves someone. It might actually show value in the second amendment.” ~ Mike Saxton, author of 7 Scorpions.

We don’t blame cars for drunk drivers; why do we blame guns for violent criminals? Should we throw away our spoons because they make us fat? Or maybe we should sue the spoon manufacturers for endangering our health?

Of course not, because we as rational humans know the difference between right and wrong. We make conscious choices and decisions.

A gun did not walk into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, pull its own trigger and kill those precious, innocent children and teachers. The irrational human being that wielded it did.

A father of one of the students killed in the Columbine Massacre in Littleton, Colorado spoke before a House Committe on gun-control:

“The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used, neither was it the NCA – the National Club Association – the true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in his heart. In the days that followed the Columbine tradgedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA, I am not a hunter, I do not even own a gun, I’m not here to represent or to defend the NRA, because I don’t believe they are responsible for my daughter’s death, therefore I don’t believe they need to be defended by me. If I believed that they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder, I would be their strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tradgedy, it was a spiritual event which should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies.” ~ Darrell Scott

I don’t think our founding fathers envisioned magazines or semi-automatic weapons when they created the Second Amendment. That being said, they were trying to prevent a corrupt government from ever enslaving it’s citizens:

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States. ~ Noah Webster

Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one.” ~ Thomas Jefferson, quoting Cesare Beccaria in On Crimes and Punishment.

“I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

“One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.” ~ Thomas Jefferson to George Washington

Gun control does not disarm criminals; it only makes it easier for them to victimize law abiding citizens. It’s debatable whether tighter gun-control laws would prevent the next massacre, but better mental-health policies sure might.

Source: google.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Take Liza Long for example; her mentally ill 13-year-old son routinely threatens to hurt or kill her. Her younger children are conditioned to get into the family car and lock the doors if their brother starts to get angry. She desperately wants help but can’t get it:

 “When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. ‘If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,’ he said. ‘That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.”

What kind of  future do Liza, her family and the rest of us have under those impossible circumstances?

President Obama is calling for better access to mental healthcare. Here is his statement on gun control:

Maybe we should we model the United Kingdom’s stricter gun control laws?

“Except for Northern Ireland, fully automatic (submachine-guns, etc.) and self-loading (semi-automatic) weapons of calibre larger than .22 rimfire are totally banned, pistols are limited to .22 calibre in short barrel, while calibres up to .357 magnum are allowed in long barrel pistols (of total length at least 60 cm).[17] All other rifles and their ammunition are permitted with good reason, which may include target shooting, hunting, historic and black powder weapons, but not self-defence…While there is opposition to existing legislation from shooting organisations, there is little wider political debate, and public opinion favours stronger control.

The United Kingdom has one of the lowest rates of gun homicides in the world with 0.07 recorded intentional homicides committed with a firearm per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009 compared to the United States’ 3.0 (over 40 times higher) and to Germany’s 0.21 (3 times higher).” ~ Wikipedia.org

I don’t know what the right answer is. I just pray that as a country we figure it out sooner rather than later.

 

Jennifer Townsend is Co-Chief of Clan Townsend, noted for its wee heathens and furry beasties. She is fond of saying “verra.” She is verra determined to visit Scotland (particularly Eilean Donan Castle). Finn Brothers’ music is good for her soul and she can be found most days editing articles for elephantjournal.com or blogging about her obsession with Jamie Fraser on her website www.OutlanderFan.com or its corresponding Facebook page here.

 ~

Ed: Brianna B.

 

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