- Apr 18, 2012
- 6,584
First, I will tell you this: I am NOT anti-gun. I hope that encourages my friends on both sides of this argument to read my entire long post.
More guns is not the answer. On March 30, 1981, at least a dozen of the best trained armed guards in the world, known as the United States Secret Service, were in close proximity to President Ronald Reagan. There were others in the crowd as well as police officers and a few FBI agents. John Hinckley fired all 6 shots from a revolver in 1.7 seconds. This is not an automatic or semi-automatic, so read that again a little slower and a little louder:
In 2014, this gun, used, sells for about $150. Pawn shops, used gun dealers, and "hey, did you want to buy this from me" sales. I can only guess what it sold for 33 years ago in the pawn shop where Hinckley bought it.
As I said at the top, I am not anti-gun. Many people are not anti-gun. A few people I know that are labeled anti-gun are gun owners. They have trigger locked handguns in their home that they and their spouses have learned and practiced on. You get someone trying to break into your house when there is a car in the driveway or they see one in your garage and those people won't care if you are home or not. You don't have time to wait for the police to get there. That's why you have a handgun you are familiar with ready to protect your family and home. Most of us don't want guns removed from law abiding citizens who should be able to own a firearm. What most of us want are universal, extensive background checks including mental health checks. Many of us also believe that private citizens have no need for RPGs, rocket launchers, mines, or fully automatic weapons. There should be no transfers at gun shows or other places outside of a licensed dealers place of business. You want to buy that gun at the show because it's a great price? Great. Buy it. The seller then ships it to the closest dealer who does the background check and mandatory wait period, and the seller pays them a small fee (which really you paid for when you bought it) to do the transfer paperwork. Guns given from parent to child or any other way also go through the same process if it removes the firearm from where the giver lives. You want to give a hunting rifle to your kid who lives with you? You'll be responsible we hope. You want to give it to your grandson? It has to go through the transfer process if your grandson doesn't live with you. We also want current laws enforced, and some more funding so that people who have passed a background check, or otherwise are thought to have guns, and who have temporarily or permanently lost the right to possess a firearm, such as a felony charge or a mental health issue, can have those weapons removed until their rights are restored. Are these really so intrusive that we put the safety of our children below it? While the Constitution can be changed (for those people who will argue the 2nd Amendment), the Declaration of Independence cannot be changed or amended. ". . . all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Whether your creator was simply two other humans you called Mom and Dad or you believe that someone you may have prayed to was your creator, we hold those words as truths that are self-evident. Tell us, Joe the plumber, how do your 2nd amendment rights top the right to life endowed by our Creator?
Imagine if you will:
Armed teachers. A student with a common semi-automatic handgun and ten 9 round clips, all conforming to current laws, enters a classroom where he is known. The teacher's back is turned. The student draws his weapon, aims carefully, and puts a bullet into the teacher's head. He then shoots 5 or 6 classmates with the remaining 8 bullets as he heads for the door before it takes him 4 or 5 seconds to drop the empty clip and reload. He walks into the hall. He shoots 3 more classmates and continues shooting classmates and faculty until he's on his last clip. He puts the gun to his temple, closes his eyes, and pulls the trigger. His rampage took him 12 minutes; the police arrive in 14 from the time someone pulled the fire alarm.More guns is not the answer. On March 30, 1981, at least a dozen of the best trained armed guards in the world, known as the United States Secret Service, were in close proximity to President Ronald Reagan. There were others in the crowd as well as police officers and a few FBI agents. John Hinckley fired all 6 shots from a revolver in 1.7 seconds. This is not an automatic or semi-automatic, so read that again a little slower and a little louder:
Hinckley fired ALL 6 SHOTS from a revolver IN 1.7 SECONDS.
While the bullet is smaller, this looks like the gun you'd have seen Deputy Barney Fife carry in Mayberry. Hinckley was not a gun expert. He was neither trained or even practiced with the gun. The first bullet hit White House Press Secretary James Brady in the head. The second bullet hit District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty in the back of his neck as he turned to protect Reagan. The third bullet hit the window of a building across the street. The fourth bullet hit Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy in the abdomen. The fifth bullet hit the bullet-resistant glass of the window on the open side door of the limousine. The sixth and final bullet ricocheted off the armored side of the limousine and hit the president in his left underarm, grazing a rib and lodging in his lung, stopping nearly 1 inch from his heart.
In 2014, this gun, used, sells for about $150. Pawn shops, used gun dealers, and "hey, did you want to buy this from me" sales. I can only guess what it sold for 33 years ago in the pawn shop where Hinckley bought it.
As I said at the top, I am not anti-gun. Many people are not anti-gun. A few people I know that are labeled anti-gun are gun owners. They have trigger locked handguns in their home that they and their spouses have learned and practiced on. You get someone trying to break into your house when there is a car in the driveway or they see one in your garage and those people won't care if you are home or not. You don't have time to wait for the police to get there. That's why you have a handgun you are familiar with ready to protect your family and home. Most of us don't want guns removed from law abiding citizens who should be able to own a firearm. What most of us want are universal, extensive background checks including mental health checks. Many of us also believe that private citizens have no need for RPGs, rocket launchers, mines, or fully automatic weapons. There should be no transfers at gun shows or other places outside of a licensed dealers place of business. You want to buy that gun at the show because it's a great price? Great. Buy it. The seller then ships it to the closest dealer who does the background check and mandatory wait period, and the seller pays them a small fee (which really you paid for when you bought it) to do the transfer paperwork. Guns given from parent to child or any other way also go through the same process if it removes the firearm from where the giver lives. You want to give a hunting rifle to your kid who lives with you? You'll be responsible we hope. You want to give it to your grandson? It has to go through the transfer process if your grandson doesn't live with you. We also want current laws enforced, and some more funding so that people who have passed a background check, or otherwise are thought to have guns, and who have temporarily or permanently lost the right to possess a firearm, such as a felony charge or a mental health issue, can have those weapons removed until their rights are restored. Are these really so intrusive that we put the safety of our children below it? While the Constitution can be changed (for those people who will argue the 2nd Amendment), the Declaration of Independence cannot be changed or amended. ". . . all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Whether your creator was simply two other humans you called Mom and Dad or you believe that someone you may have prayed to was your creator, we hold those words as truths that are self-evident. Tell us, Joe the plumber, how do your 2nd amendment rights top the right to life endowed by our Creator?
Now, imagine if you will:
Armed teachers. A student with a common semi-automatic handgun and ten 9 round clips, all conforming to current laws, enters your child's classroom where he is known.
