Guns, Little Word, Big Fear

Guns.

To some, the word sends shivers and thoughts of bloody death and assault on little children. To others, the word sends nothing more than happy thoughts as they think of hunting and security. To me, the word sends my eyes rolling, and my head aching, as we continue to see such a loud debate in the media, both news and social.

It really shouldn't be a debate. Our forefathers wrote it into the Constitution when they built our country; as they thought of security. They did not want any governing official to take those arms away if a military issue arose. It was written:

"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." (2A)

So what is the issue? It is pretty straight forward, right? We the People should be able to have our guns to protect ourselves, our family, our business, and ultimately, our country. There are those, however, that misuse this constitutional right, and that is where the controversy comes into play.

The media would have us think that gun violence is the only violence in the United States. You hear of school shootings, mall shootings, military shootings, gang shootings, almost every day, in the news. It is scary! I don't blame those people, then, who want to regulate ownership.

As of July 1, 2017, there have been 30,933 gun-related acts of violence. (http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/)

That's a lot. Most of those acts were committed in some form of self-defense, whether an officer or against a home invasion, etc. So really, I can see that security is a need.

However, not nearly as high as the self-defense number, the number of non-defensive violence is out of control. The numbers are misleading, if you think about it, though.

How can the number of security related gun violence acts be less than those of self-defense? Wait, could it be because of perceived threats? Maybe some of the violent acts that lead to self-defense were non-gun types. Physical, knife, etc.?

Without looking at the each individual case file, we really cannot say. What we can say, though, is this too, needs to stop. We must do all we can to put an end to gun violence.

How, can an everyday citizen, like me, help do this? Easy!

Get involved, get educated!

Support gun control laws that make sense. Registering and background checks? Seriously, most employers do background checks now, so what is the harm?

Carry some type of ID stating that you are a legal gun carrier? Absolutely. Something as simple as a tiny gun on the corner of your driver's license or ID would be helpful to any police officer that stops you, or to the clerk you are trying to purchase a gun from.

Stop quick purchase rights at gun trade shows? Yes! If you go to other trade shows, there is not a whole lot you can purchase on site. I used to go to a print trade show, and with the exception of little gifty things and food, my company had to order and have the items shipped. We touched and tasted weighted and measured, but no onsite purchases.

Stiff penalties for improperly secured guns? This is a must because when those guns are not secured correctly, accidents happen. Sadly, children and teens seem to be the victims of this more often than not.

Maximum penalties for those who commit violent acts with a gun, with the express intent to do harm? Yes. This must include those who threaten their spouses or domestic partners with a gun. No skating by, here!

Discounts and grants of some sort, for those of us who would like to be properly trained at a gun range? Yes. Knowledge and training are power. Classes should include one for your children if you have any, for proper handling and safety, as well as the dangers, with no charge.

The bottom line is this, instead of debating whether or not guns are bad, we need to come together and work with each other, including the NRA, to make it safe for those who want the protection of their guns.

Can we do this, and make that little word not so much of a problem anymore? I think so!