When I was a child, if I did not take care of my toys, they were taken away from me.
Today, the collective gun community is not taking care of their toys. Perhaps its time to take them away.
All our rights come with responsibilities as well. We have the right to free speech, but we can’t yell “Fire” in a crowded theatre. We have the right to practice the religion of our choice, but we can’t perform human sacrifices.
Our right to own guns is no different. As a society, we have a responsibility to ensure that those individuals that should not have access to guns don’t. As individual citizens, If we choose to own a gun, we have a responsibility to ensure that our gun does not fall into the wrong hands. We have a responsibility to learn how to use our guns properly and safely. We have a responsibility to properly secure and store our guns when we are not using them.
While some of our leaders – those with integrity and courage – have attempted to pass common-sense laws to help stem the rising tide of gun violence, many others have kowtowed to the bullies in the NRA and have shirked their responsibilities to protect their constituents. Universal background checks, red-flag laws, waiting periods, as well training and storage requirements, do not infringe on law-abiding citizens’ rights to our guns.
The gun community – namely the NRA — have opposed even the most reasonable and least restrictive of any of the proposed gun safety measures. THIS IS IRRESPONSBLE, and a complete abandonment of our basic responsibilities as citizens.
I have always supported the Second Amendment, and believed that law-abiding citizens should have the right to own guns. BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
If gun owners can’t agree to even the most reasonable safety measures, they are not taking care of their toys, and it’s time to take them away.
GUN OWNERS: IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?
If not, then wake up and start taking some responsibility for your collective actions.
- PASS UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS WITH NO EXCEPTIONS. EVERY transfer of a gun MUST be preceded by a background check. This will prevent law-abiding citizens from accidently providing a gun to felons, and will allow law-enforcement to be able to charge those who intentionally sell guns to those they know can’t pass the background check.
- PASS A WAITING REASONABLE WAIRING PERIOD, say 30 days. If you can’t wait 30 days to get your gun, you obviously have some other issues that we might need to take a look at before turning you loose with a gun.
- PASS RED-FLAG laws that allow LAW ENFORCEMENT, with a proper warrant, to TEMPORARILY take guns away from those who are an imminent danger to themselves or others.
- BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS. The Second Amendment was passed when the most advanced weapons could fire once or twice per minute at the most. No one needs to own weapons that can kill 30 people per minute. (State militias can keep a stockpile of these weapons for national emergencies if needed) During the 1990’s, when assault weapons were banned, overall gun violence decreased, and law-abiding citizens still had access to reasonable weapons.
- ESTABLISH A NATIONAL GUN REGISTRY, and require gun owners to promptly file a report if their gun is lost or stolen. This will allow law-enforcement not only to take guns away from criminals, but help identify the people who gave them the guns in the first place.
- INCREASE THE PENALTIES FOR felons possessing firearms to include mandatory and lengthy prison time.
NONE OF THESE STEPS WILL STOP law-abiding citizens from owning guns.
If the gun community cannot accept these basic responsibilities, then to hell with them. My right to live trumps their right to their toys.
This is not the first time I have written about this: https://seriouslyscott.com/robb-elementary-sensible-gun-control/
P.S. I am sick to death of these lame excuses such as “If guns are illegal, only criminals will have guns”, or “cars kill more people than guns, why don’t we ban cars”? These arguments make nice little sound bites, but are monumentally STUPID. If you are one these spreading these arguments, then you are not mentally competent enough to own a gun in the first place.