I really debated posting this. Is a book blog really the place to get political? Shouldn’t I just stick to the fun, uplifting posts that let people forget about the terrible things that happen in Real Life? But at some point, I can’t just look away anymore and say nothing. At some point, enough. Is. Enough.
No, we’re not the only country with this problem. PolitiFact has a great post comparing the frequency of mass shootings in the U.S. versus in ten other countries.
But just because it’s common doesn’t make the situation acceptable. At some point, we have to decide that these constant mass shootings are not simply “the price of freedom” in America.
And let’s get one thing straight: talking about gun control is NOT talking about banning all guns, or preventing law-abiding citizens from owning guns. It’s NOT about denying law-abiding citizens their second amendment right to bear arms. It’s about paying attention to the first half of the second amendment – the part that says “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State” (emphasis mine) – in addition to the more popular second half. It seems the Founding Fathers intended “the right to bear arms” to be a controlled, orderly business, not a free-for-all.
Now, I don’t know if universal background checks or closing the gun show loophole will prevent the next shooting. I really don’t. I just know I don’t want to wait around for the next shooting to have an honest, rational discussion about how to make it harder for the wrong people to get their hands on a weapon intended to kill as many people as possible in as short a time as possible. It’s not impossible to stop this from happening again. It’s not just something we have to get used to as members of a “free country.”
And I know. I know you can’t tell with every person. I know there will be people who show no warning signs and jump through all the legal hoops and still find a way to commit mass murder. But can we at least make it less likely for that to happen? Isn’t that a worthwhile goal?
Postcards from La-La Land 
It is a worthwhile goal. You are not at all wrong.
It’s a little strange to me how many people found the Las Vegas shooting the last straw; I feel like I reach last straw status at some point every day, which fuels my persistance at resisting. It’s also strange that people still shy away from saying anything “political” these days. We’ve got to start and keep on, our else our political system will die because not enough people are participating (and those that are mostly have their hands out in some way).
I agree. A friend of mine said that if Sandy Hook wasn’t already the last straw, there seems to be little hope for any massacre to push Congress to act against the NRA. But perhaps this time will be different after all; if the NRA is willing to accept action at least against bump stocks, that’s at least some hope.
Thanks for speaking up; I applaud you and agree with you.
Thank you. I appreciate your support.
I also think that this is a worthwhile goal! And I applaud your courage to say something about it! This is a hard topic to talk about and there are so many people that will try to tear you down for an opinion (one that wants to protect people, nonetheless!). Thank you for having the courage to speak your mind on the matter. I, too, would like to see drastic change happen with gun control. One friend, who I think meant his post to be anti-gun law support, mentioned that there are still hundreds of people that are killed a month thanks to guns in Chicago. Now, I haven’t fact checked, but the post stated that Chicago is the city with the strictest gun laws within our country (okay, now I’ve fact checked, and it’s not even a true statement…anyway…). He thought that meant that gun laws wouldn’t help. I thought it meant that even our strictest laws aren’t strict enough…
Thanks again for a great post. Not all posts have to be happy and uplifting (also, it’s /inspiring/ to see you write about a topic that most people are afraid of discussing). Sometimes, we need to look at the darker elements of life if we truly wish to change the world and make it a better place. But this takes a lot of courage. Way to be brave!
Thank you, Larkynn. I was kind of worried about the response I’d get for this post; it’s the kind of topic that could attract lots of trolls and “You’re just a stupid liberal who wants to ban all guns from everyone” type comments, but so far the responses have been very supportive. (and hopefully I haven’t jinxed myself just now ^_^; )
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