Gun Control. Just those two words can arouse powerful emotion. On one far side of the spectrum we have a group of people wanting to take guns out of the public’s hands. On the completely other end of the debate is guns for everyone who wants them no matter what kind they are or what they do or what they were originally intended for.
I was raised in Texas. I was raised by a father that owned guns. I am married to a fiercely proud multiple gun owner. Here we pride our self on independence, the Constitution, and most certainly the Bill of Rights. I believe in the Second Amendment.
But what exactly does the Second Amendment say? “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I’m no lawyer, I haven’t spent years studying the Constitution, but that statement seems a little vague to me.
Does that vague statement mean that as an individual citizen, I have the unalienable right to own an assault weapon?
What is an assault weapon? Is that just some way to classify a firearm to make it sound scary to the general public? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary the definition is: Military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. Light and portable, yet able to deliver a high volume of fire with reasonable accuracy at modern combat ranges of 1,000–1,600 ft (300–500 m), assault rifles have become the standard infantry weapon of modern armies. Their ease of handling makes them ideal for mobile assault troops crowded into personnel carriers or helicopters, as well as for guerrilla fighters engaged in jungle or urban warfare. Widely used assault rifles are the U.S. M16, the Soviet Kalashnikov (the AK-47 and modernized versions), the Belgian FAL and FNC, and the German G3.
Hmmm…..I’m no guerrilla fighter (nor do I even know one), I’m not in the infantry, and I’m certainly not jumping out of helicopters in combat situations (or any situation for that matter). I think if my home is attacked or I am attacked I could do very well with some other type of firearm. I see no need for a weapon in any one’s home that has a clip that holds a large amount of ammunition or fires a multitude of times by simply pushing the trigger.
When I hear the phrase “Gun Control” I don’t automatically think someone wants to take my guns away. I think maybe, just maybe, in my opinion, that someone is finally going to take this bull by the horns and do something. What? I have no idea. I don’t pretend to have the answers. But in 2008, I did watch people make a run on ammunition because “Obama was going to outlaw it.” That didn’t happen.
I do believe “something” needs to be done. There will always be criminals. There will always be the mentally ill (which is a whole other topic that’s been on my mind). People will always be able to figure out a way to rain down mass destruction and carnage.
But when someone who has mental issues can simply walk down the hall in their own home, pick up a weapon that was legally purchased by their family member, head over to an elementary school and kill 20 children and 6 adults (some multiple times) I think it’s time for a dialogue. On the same day that those 26 people died, there was an attack by a 36 year old man on 23 children and an elderly woman in China. So yes, people can be attacked with something other than a gun. However, no one died in those attacks. There were serious injuries. Some with fingers and toes cut off.
If I had to choose, I would rather be attacked by a knife.