Yoiks. I hate this subject.
It's all over my Facebook page, both sides. It's all over the news.
This is what America is reduced to this year: Arguing over "solving" an issue that perhaps is unsolvable.
Oops. How terribly un-PC of me to say that.
First off, I probably wouldn't even discuss it, but I've found a very open-minded, both-sides telling, non-judgmental columnist to read in the Indianapolis Star. Here is a link to Erika D. Smith's writings, so you can judge for yourself. (I don't know her, am not advertising for her, I just love her and follow her on twitter.)
She recently wrote about the gun argument. A non-gun-owner, and not a fan of guns in general, she tried them out, talked to people she knows, in order to better understand where the other side is coming from.
Imagine.
She didn't just lambaste everyone with an opposing view, call them all idiots, and discard their opinion. She looked into it.
But moving on...
It's easy to say "look at the gun laws of [XYZ country] - they seem to work" but should we just repeat what another country is doing? That's a bit like looking at the way other parents do their job and saying "it works for them - it'll work for us" when every child is different. We are a different country, with different issues and attitudes, good or bad.
No, let's not copy another country's laws.
Stop me if I've told you this, but when I was a kid, going to school in India, one year we were getting ready to come back to the States for a year on furlough. We were going to live in Chicago so my Dad could study at the University of Chicago. All my friends in India signed my yearbook that year with messages urging me "Don't get raped or mugged in Chicago!" "Don't forget to lock your door!" "Don't go out alone in those mean city streets!"
The Irony? The previous three years were full of terrorist attacks in my home country of Sri Lanka, and related demonstrations outside my school in India, and all our friends in the States continually wrote concerned letters asking how we were faring through all the violence, and urging us to be careful, that they knew we would be, that they were praying for us, to get in touch and let them know we were okay...
It's the same! The brand of violence may differ, but it's everywhere.
Anyway, I avoid the subject, as Brett can confirm. Nobody can keep their calm when they discuss gun control, and it really brings me down. I guess that's why I decided to write this. It's not funny, or even fun, but I can say my piece here. (sorry for the un-funny)
I have no answer. No one has an answer, but everyone likes to think there is one, that we can somehow control violent behavior when we can't.
...Or can we? What do you think? Really.
I kind of think it is unsolvable. I completely understand the people on the anti-gun side. I disagree, but I can hear where they are coming from. They will not be happy until there are less guns. There is a reason they feel that way. For those of us that want to keep our guns, especially when we are law-abiding citizens, the idea that someone might take our guns away or restrict us on how well we can defend ourselves makes us feel unsafe and vulnerable to those who aren't as concerned with other people's well being.
ReplyDeleteDue to the nature of this issue, a compromise is not going to be acceptable. People on both sides are arguing over their personal safety and that is an issue that someone should not have to compromise about, however, that is where we find ourselves.
However, none of this excuses the nastiness that has thrown around by both sides. I think many have forgotten how to disagree.
I can't argue either way. I'm not anti-gun, but I do believe assault-rifles have no place in society AT ALL. I don't know if the gun enthusiasts are all paranoid, that they think that banning this one type means all guns will be on the table for banning.
DeleteIt strikes me as similar to the gay-marriage thing, where those against argue that if we legalize gay marriage, the next step will be to legalize marriage between man and animal. Just crazy.
I agree that it is a very difficult problem. I think both sides are right.
ReplyDeleteGun restriction should be considered, but that is only treating the symptoms and not the disease. It won't be the silver bullet that everyone hopes for. Even if the silver bullet is from a bolt action legitimate hunting rifle with a registered owner with a clean record and is part of a club.
A bit like "not being able to see the forest through the trees" scenario. Mental health has a lot to do with what's going on in this world, and nothing gets done about it. "Too hard basket for you, you basket case"
Maybe a universal healthcare like Canada or Australia? Oh, Obamacare hey... Yep, that "too hard basket" is looking mighty fine...
I think the only solution is a change of people's hateful, hurtful attitudes. People really suck sometimes.
DeleteI think gun laws would have worked years ago, but now there is just too many out there to fix it. I agree with the unsolvable stance for that reason.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a stance on the issue. I have opinions about what needs to be done but that doesn't mean what I think will work either. I'm like you, I do my best to avoid talking about it. Due to the fact that I don't follow politics at all, nobody really asks for my opinion either. That works for me.
As far as the shootings go that brought up all these issues, I don't believe guns should be the issue. We have to find a way to weed out the crazy's, so to speak. I don't know how we would do that but these people's mental health is more the issue then the guns they used. If they want to hurt innocent people, they will find a way, with or without guns.
I heard that there are approximatelyh the same number of guns as there are people in this country. You know everyone doesn't have a gun...that means a lot of people have PLENTY of guns! How many do you need? One to hunt, okay. One to defend your house, okay.
Deleteum...
I honestly don't think that there can be a way to "solve the gun issue". No matter what happens, somebody is going to be pretty angry with the results. However, I do think a better job could be done about who can buy a gun. A background check and a couple exams to check out the person's mental state. Of course that won't keep everyone from being able to get a gun, but it's at least more of an effort. I'm somebody who would prefer to own a gun, for protection. I actually enjoy shooting them at the range sometimes. But there's no way to make everyone happy.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I don't really care what's decided because it doesn't directly impact me. I just want all the bickering to stop!
DeleteI got trapped in a gun debate at work, where everyone was expressing their options. I was trying to stay out of it until one guy was all "violent video games cause these shootings" and then I was all like "Do we have any data on whether or not any of these shooters played those games?" And he was all like "no" and then I was all like crap why did I let myself get drug into this conversation.
ReplyDeletehaha. Exactly.
DeleteSlowly, and not always, I am learning to keep my big mouth shut.
I hate this topic. HATE IT. It's like abortion . . . nobody is gonna convince the other side they are right. But that doesn't stop each side from arguing and lambasting the other continuously. It's exhausting. I'm tired of hearing about it. I don't think there is an answer or a solution that will work for anyone, really. Everyone will be unhappy, and it won't fix anything. The end.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I blame social media for making us all too open to express our opinions to anyone and everyone, whether or not they care, and whether or not it is appropriate public discussion.
Delete>sigh< I miss propriety.