So over the last
month we have been inundated with gun control proposals, new legislation, and
Executive orders. In these we have seen everything from improving our mental
health system to calls for all out bans on certain types of weapons. Now, I
know I’m not the smartest man in the world and I admit that. I do have a
college degree and I consider myself fairly intelligent but the smartest man in
the world; not by a long shot. However, I have spent my entire adult life working in a field that requires the knowledge
and use of firearms, and certain things, to me, just don’t seem all that
complicated.
Let’s start with
something easy; training. Certain people in the industry – and the NRA – have called
for training. Now, the anti-gun groups have questioned this acting like we who
support gun rights are talking about teaching our kids in school about guns. We’re
not. Teaching kids about guns should fall to the parents. Those parents are the
ones in question. In this country if you want to drive a car you must pass a
test to get a license. I am not calling for licensing of firearms but to buy
one you should be able to prove you have an understanding of them. As it stands
now anyone with a driver’s license and a clean criminal history can walk into a
gun store and buy a gun. Who knows if this person has any idea what to do with
it or how to handle it?
While we don’t
license firearms we do require the completion of the ATF form to verify the
sale of the weapon and the background of the buyer. Why not require some
training before a person can buy a gun and put that block on the form? If you
want to buy a gun you go to the gun store and sign up for the safety course. It
could be eight hours of training on weapons safety, securing it in the home and
the understanding of the basic function and cleaning of the firearms. When you
complete the class the buyer is issued a card from the state in which they live
that shows completion and now they can buy the gun. We do this for concealed
carry so why not for all guns? Groups like the NRA (I am a member by the way)
would say this is registration but actually it is not. It’s not because just
because you took the class doesn’t mean you have a gun, just the understanding
of them. Just like having a driver’s license doesn’t mean you have a car, just
that you should know how to drive one. And nothing in my idea means registering
your purchase beyond what we do now, filling out the ATF form.
Now that you
have your card, should you decide to buy a gun and you aren’t familiar with the
specific weapon you can ask your dealer to go over it with you. Any good dealer
should be willing to do this. It creates good customer service and that brings
repeat business. I see that as a win/win. And, now that you have your card,
with it comes a certain responsibility. First and foremost is weapon security
in the home. How you choose to secure it is up to you based on your individual circumstances.
Whether you use a gun safe, a trigger lock, or some other security device you
must be mindful of your surroundings. If you live alone and don’t have a lot of
guests then you might be able to get by with a simple lock box. On the other
hand if you have children you may want to go with a more secure device and
insure that the ammunition is not kept with the gun.
Now that I have
thrown out ideas about safety, training and purchasing let’s talk what we can
and can’t buy. It is important to understand – and I am going on my soap box
here – that while I commend many of our elected officials, especially from the
left, for standing up and stating they are gun owners and support the Second
Amendment, many of them still miss the point. Vice President Biden points out that
he owns hunting weapons. Others have stated they do not want to infringe on our
right to hunt. Fine, however, the Second Amendment is NOT about hunting. It
never has been and never will be.
For those who
forgot what they learned in American History this nation was founded by dissidents;
rebels who were tired of living under the rule of the monarchy and were ready
to try a new approach of government. These “traitors to the crown” knew the
only way to defeat a tyrannical government was through a revolution, so they
had one. The newly formed Continental Army and Navy stood ready, but were far outnumbered
and they knew it. To this end they called on every able bodied male who was
willing to come forward with their weapons and help defeat the British. These
men came and though it was not an easy task the Colonies stood victorious.
These men who came forward, these minutemen, were the exact people the founders
were talking about when they said militia. And in the Supreme Court decision,
United States v. Miller, that meaning of “militia” was upheld. The Court said
it did not mean the Reserves or National Guard, but any male who was willing to
come forward, with limited training, to stand with the military to defend this
nation.
Interestingly in
this decision the Court also held that the defense of the nation was not just
from enemies of the nation but also, as the founders intended, any tyrannical form
of government. The founders understood this. And while it does not so state in
the Constitution it can be found in the writings of people like George
Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, all of whom were very clear
that disarming the “people” would be the first step towards the fall of this
new Republic. Basically that the right of the people to keep and bear arms is
not jus t to fend off invaders but to keep the government from becoming what
they fought so long and so hard to escape. As such the Court also held that those
able bodied men would have to provide their own weapons and therefore would
have to of a type similar to what they would encounter. And not what they would
have encountered in 1777, but what they would encounter at any time, such as
now. So at the end of the Revolution it may have meant muskets but by WWII it
would mean repeating arms and Thompsons and today it would mean AR15’s. This
Court decision was handed down in 1939 and to date has NEVER been overturned.
And quite simply
that means that according to the founders of this nation and upheld by Supreme
Court case law, the Second Amendment gives me the RIGHT to own such a weapon.
Therefore any attempt to ban them from ownership, sale or manufacture is, quite
simply, unconstitutional and illegal. And the Miller case has been used in
several other weapons cases heard by the court in making decisions regarding
firearms laws and ownership. Should the anti gun folks ever manage to get
Miller overturned in the Court, everything we know about current firearms
ownership would be turned upside down. And that could lead to new laws that
would not be deemed in violation of the Constitution but that could and would
have devastating consequences on the free people of this Republic. The Second
Amendment IS the Amendment that keeps all of the other secure and if it is
bypassed which one(s) would be next?
Now, that may
sound a little “conspiracy theory” in nature and many people would say, “This
will never happen” but it already has. Okay, not in this country, but it has
happened none the less. Therefore to think it can’t happen here is naïve in my
opinion. Even if it didn’t, the fact is the Second Amendment is still NOT about
hunting. Remember, when the framers wrote this they had no regulations on
hunting, it was simply a way to feed the family. Everyone did it and no one
needed a license. And fathers took and taught their sons and often times
hunting was the responsibility of the sons. The Second Amendment secured their
rights to maintain the security of the Republic….and again, even against the government
if necessary.
Of course we can’t
forget the outside stimulus that does play a part in today’s violence. And,
yes, I am talking about video games. When the founders were writing the
Constitution there was no internet. There were no computers, much less computer
games. The kids worked, went to school, did their chores and said their
prayers. And oddly enough they didn’t have mass shootings. And in my generation
we didn’t have those games or the internet either. And the thought of having a
computer in our home was pure science fiction. We worked, did our chores, went
to school and said our prayers and we didn’t have these mass shootings either.
But today we have video games that let you earn points and money for killing
people, including innocent bystanders and cops; all while stealing a car. My
generation had movies like “The Godfather” and today they have “The Expendables”
and “Inglorious Bastards”. And no one at the theaters check ID’s anymore so the
movie ratings are pretty much a waste of time. Our children of today are bombarded
with violence in movies, games, and the nightly news. They aren’t doing chores
and watching “Gilligan’s Island”, they are holed up in their rooms connected to
the world weird web. And all the while we, as a society, are shoving anti
psychotics down their throats because….well, I’m not sure why. But the combination
is having disastrous effects on our nation.
Over the last 25
years virtually all mass shootings in this nation involve a shooter or shooters
who are on some type of anti psychotic medication. In fact, when is the last
time you saw or heard reported any mass shooting, or other type of mass
killing, involving someone between the ages of 14 and 30 who was NOT on some
type of psychotropic medication, or recently had been? Let me help you here…never.
The fix to this
is multi part…
First, stop thinking the school will raise your
child. That is the responsibility of the parent. That’s you.
Second,
stop allowing the internet to raise or even babysit your children. And don’t
give me the crap about them throwing a fit or all their friends do it. You are supposed
to be the parent so be one. If they scream that it’s not fair remind them that
life it not fair. Spend time with your child. When you are at dinner out don’t
spend it on your damn iPhone, spend it talking to your children. When you are
having dinner at home do so at the table and talk to your children.
Third,
when they want to go out make sure you know where, with whom, what they are
going to do, and don’t ask them when they will be home; tell them when to be
home.
Forth,
if after all this they are still a little disruptive in class don’t be talked into
pills for ADHD. Do what my parents did, talk to us and find out what’s going
on. You might discover that your child is simply bored because they know more
about the school subject than the rest of the class. They may not have a
disorder, they may be gifted. But the only way to know is to talk to them.
Lastly,
monitor what they watch. Now, if you son or daughter happens to look 20 when
they are 15 this could be an issue when they go to the movies, but it certainly
isn’t at home. And as far as the movies remember that they are teenagers. They
are at the age they believe they are smarter than you so use that against them.
If they tell you they are going to see “We Bought a Zoo” when they actually
intend to see “Expendables2” get on the internet and look up the zoo movie, if
you haven’t seen it. Look at the syllabus and spoiler alerts. Then when they
get home ask them pointed questions. If they saw it they should know the
answers. BE THE PARENT!
And through all
of this, if you do in fact keep guns in your house, make it a point to secure
them properly. And when you decide the time is right teach your children about
guns and gun safety. Make sure they know that they are not toys and it’s not
like movies or video games, which they will still find a way to gain access to,
and that people don’t get points for killing and those shot do not come back
for their next movie. And then, if you decide the time becomes right teach them
to handle and shoot a firearm. Millions of parents do this every year when
teaching their children how to shoot and hunt and never see their sons or
daughters on the news having shot up a mall or theater or school.
Is there more
that can be done? I’m sure there is because, again, I’m not the smartest man in
the world. But to talk about banning weapons that are very popular just because
you don’t like the way they look is plain stupid. And that is all it comes down
to anyway, the look. The AR15 is no different than virtually any other semi
automatic rifle except in how it looks. And they are, and have been, used in
less than 2% of all mass shootings since civilians have been able to buy them.
So to say banning them will make things safer is just ridiculous and proves you
aren’t paying attention. In fact, in spite of what the anti gun lobby tells you,
the ban from 1994 to 2004 did nothing to curb gun violence; FBI statistics
prove that. It is like putting a band aid on a sucking chest wound, it may make
it look like you are taking action but it actually does nothing to stop the
bleeding. What can help make things safer is police officers in schools (many
schools already use them) and parents actually raising their children and
teaching them to take responsibility for their own actions. And it should be
noted that in schools where officers are present the officers are well received
by the students, parents and administration.
Am I a veteran
of the armed forces? Yes I am. Am I a member of the NRA? Yes I am. Am I
conservative? Yes I am. Do I own guns? Yes I do. Did I raise my daughter in the
manner which I recommend here? Yes I did. Did she ever shoot up a school, mall
or theater? Nope. She never even had the desire. I’m going to conclude that my
argument has some validity.
Do not allow
your rights to be violated. Do not allow the government to take away (ban) any
weapons we can currently buy. Do not be afraid to stand up for and defend the
Second Amendment. Do NOT be afraid of being an American. And if you already do
the things I mention here then God bless you and keep the faith; but educate
those who don’t.
That is all….for
now.
