by Leonidas Christian Mixon (used with permission)
We have a gun problem and a bullshit problem in the United States. Let me start by saying I am a gun owner. I have been since I was 6. I’ve had jobs that required me to carry a weapon. I’ve been shot at more than once. I’ve disarmed people who were trying to kill me. This isn’t coming from someone who doesn’t understand guns. It’s precisely because I do understand them that I’m going to call out the bullshit that stops us from having the reforms to gun laws that we needed years ago. If you want to debate any of the points below, I have no problem. These are simple facts.
1) I need an assault rifle for home defense. No, you don’t. A short barreled shotgun is the best tool for home defense. And that only counts if you’re insanely proficient with it and you get incredibly lucky. The likelihood you will get the chance to use it is next to zero. If you do, you’re very likely to kill a member of your family accidentally. In a REAL altercation, you don’t get to choose your field of fire. It happens incredibly fast, usually in the dark. If you’re popping off with a rifle, you are going to hit things you don’t intend to. Guns are tools. Period. Assault Rifles are intended to be used on a battlefield. Battlefield tactics don’t work in your house. It’s a bullshit argument.
2) I need to protect myself from a tyrannical Government... Holy Shit that’s stupid. That idea was from a time when the state of war was much more level. It isn’t now. At all. If an armored transport shows up on your front lawn with a 50 cal on the roof, you and your AK are fucking toast. Soldiers train, and their weapons are an extension of their body. You will instantly lose. And before you bring up guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan or Iraq... you need a reality check. Those people were born in a country that was at war, on their soil, for their entire lives. You don’t compare to that on your best day. And they die in FAR greater numbers than they kill.
3) Gun registration, background checks, etc are a slippery slope to confiscation. Bullshit. We register cars. We have to prove proficiency to operate them. We are required to have insurance in the event we cause damage with them. It’s been that way for decades, and no one is “coming to take your car”. Making sure people have the barest minimum of responsibility doesn’t lead to loss. Fear of loss leads to fundraising and bullshit. It’s not rational.
4) My gun is a right that can’t be modified. Again, utter bullshit. You can’t own a howitzer unless the barrel is full of concrete. You can’t own a cannon manufactured in the last century. You can’t own a fully automatic weapon without a FFL. That’s why those things are rarely used in crimes. And all of that is based on an amendment to our constitution that can be changed if we as a country see fit to do so. We have changed amendments before and we will again. If you don’t understand that you need a history lesson and a dictionary.
Creating common sense laws that put speed bumps in the way of lunatics helps. Every time. Automobile licenses, speed limits, etc don’t end accidents, but they make them less frequent and less deadly. It’s a proven concept. The time for bullshit excuses is over. It’s time to step up and take responsibility. Fuck this stupidity.
Preaching to the choir. Monied interests and weak-kneed politicians (often the same thing) will try to dazzle you with bullshit. It's beyond time to hold them to account.
ReplyDeleteYes I think most writers are in this choir. Thanks for your response.
DeleteThanks, Leonidas, for shining an intelligent light on this subject. I've carried weapons on me for 28 years, 3 in the army and 25 in DEA. In Nam and in going undercover, they were necessary. But having an assault rifle to defend the home? People forget, or don't realize, that a high powered bullet goes right through wallboard, then you have collateral damage such as kids, relatives and neighbors. And, if you are a true sportsman, then you don't use an automatic rifle to hunt deer. I mean it's not like they are shooting back at you.
ReplyDeleteAnd tonight Rachel is talking about Junior assault rifles being advertised for toddlers. OMG!
DeleteAmen. Now all we have to do is defund the NRA, which has written most of the legislation to make weapons of all levels available to any idiot with the money to buy them.
ReplyDeleteI'll smoke to that!
ReplyDeleteAnd to toddlers. And what can happen then? I don't even want to think about it, Eve.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to start smoking something, Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteYes! Fuck the bullshit. Well written. Good on ya.
ReplyDelete