On Guns

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.