Guns

They kill. They were designed to do so. Perhaps first in defense of person, then of property. But also to kill for food.

All of mythology reports that man was designed for love. To populate the earth on the one hand, and to love self and others in discerning the meaning of life and the joy thereof.

But man is more complicated than that. Fear, anger, hate – some of the negatives spoil the creation. Hence cunning and violence. Betrayal. Brutality.

Guns add to the brew as tools. Guns kill indiscriminately when man feels rather than thinks while holding the gun.

Guns are a fact of life. Man’s brutality and base instincts are a fact of life. The tool will be misused from time to time; that is a fact of life. What to do?

Control who can have a gun is one step to engage. Mature age to own a gun. Required training to own and use a gun. Place and time appropriate to use defined as part of gun ownership. Failure to comply with these basics requires separation from the public to safeguard them.

Mental health is a requirement of maturity. If unstable or faulty, no gun license permitted to the individual. Err on the side of caution to protect the person and the public. No guns permitted for the individual in question if any doubt exists.

Assault weapons allowed to police, security and military organizations and their people; only. No exceptions. These weapons are not used for sport.

A well regulated militia is the responsibility of government organizations – state, county, city/town, national military. No private militias. No guns for mass killing permitted to private ‘militias’.

Same regulations apply to ammunition. Such materials are dangerous whether used for sport or police-military operations. No exceptions.

The national conversation on gun controls should include these elements:

·         If the government has enough money for teachers’ firearms and firearms training, why doesn’t it have enough money for school supplies and professional development?

·         Fishermen do not use dynamite in place of the rod and reel; why use an assault rifle to hunt deer?

·         Over 4 million Americans are members of the National Rifle Association. Our population is 320 million. Why do NRA dollars control Congress?

·         How many people own guns? I understand there is about 300 millions gun owned by Americans. But how many owners are there? What is the proportion of them to people not owning guns?

·         It is said that over 20,000 gun laws are currently in force but that they are not adequately enforced. Why not simplify the gun laws (reduce them in number) and make them more enforceable? Then enforce them? Or are all the laws designed to confuse and frustrate enforcement?

·         Violence and crime is not as prevalent in nations with fewer guns than in our well-armed country. Why is that?

·         In the USA we license and regulate cars and trucks. We also regulate and license drivers. And fuel standards and regulations are also imposed. Cars are designed for transportation not killing. Guns are designed to kill; no other purpose. Why are regulations less on guns than cars?

I have proposed before and repeat it here:

Ask the NRA for methods they would use to lessen the number of people killed annually in America by guns. The number is conservatively 10,100 deaths per year. How would the NRA reduce this number to 1000 annually by the year 2020?

I want the NRA involved in the solution. So far they have not engaged the problem. They have only denied the rest of us a practical answer. It’s time for them to speak up and be responsible for their issue.

January 21, 2013