CAW CAW BANG Fuck I’m dead
dirque just posted a story about someone representing the NRA called him and basically lied about the Obama Administration attempting to pass a law criminalizing gun ownership (which is flat out not going to happen). I didn’t want to post on the subject of gun control on that post, because it wasn’t about gun control, it was about how the NRA used lies and fear to attempt to extract money. But I did have something to say about gun control, and thus:
I’m not in favor of guns, in general. They’re dangerous when not used by individuals who are trained/qualified to use them, and for the most part are not used for the (stated) purpose for which they were bought (for instance: home protection). And most people are not trained/qualified to use them.
That said, even I as a Progressive of some sort understand that wanting to own guns is within the scope of the Constitution, and it would be stupid to pass a law to disallow your average citizen the right to own guns, if they want.
HOWEVER, it’s my opinion that the gun laws as they exist right now are insufficient to control the spread of firearms to individuals who seek to own weapons for less than legal means. The NRA stands against the idea that guns should be regulated at all, as far as I can tell. Thus, the guy down the street who is slightly mentally unstable can pick up his AK-47, throw on his flak vest and run down the street shooting at me, because I don’t agree with his viewpoint. Completely unregulated gun ownership would result in a literal arms race as Wacko buys a pistol, I buy a rifle to make sure he can’t get close with his pistol, he buys an assault rifle to out do me, I buy a bazooka, etc…OK, a little extreme there, but you get the idea.
People who are pro-gun talk about how incidents like the Virginia Tech shootings or Columbine wouldn’t happen if everyone was allowed to carry a gun, because they say when an armed individual saw that VTDude was shooting other students, they would pull out THEIR gun and shoot him. There are some problems with this:
1> VT dude (Cho) used a .22 pistol and a 9mm pistol. Assuming full access to larger weapons, do you think he would have stuck with those weapons? No, of course not. Would he have purchased body armor of some sort? I bet he would have. Thus, guy with a .45 and no body armor and an interest in not getting shot (i.e. would not risk his own life to get a clear shot on Cho) versus a guy with an AK-47 or 6, body armor and no concern about being hit. In that fight, I’m picking the guy with the bigger gun.
2> I would argue that shooting a person is a little different than shooting targets. Sure, you could say “I did it because otherwise I would be shot.” I don’t disagree with that statement. But when you’re being shot at, would you actually risk your neck just to get a hopeful shot off? It’s iffy. Even in the military it’s unclear how many soldiers fire rounds during live fire battles (S.L.A. Marshall says only 20%, but the information does not appear to be based on any actual evidence).
And of course there is the “THINK OF THE CHILDREN” argument. It doesn’t appear that gun ownership at home contributes significantly to the death rate (in 1991, 551 children were killed in accidental shootings, according to USA Today). But tell that to the parents of the 551 kids. Or their friends. I’ve always disliked the “THINK OF THE CHILDREN” defense, because all the person saying it is trying to say is “Let someone other than the parents have the responsibility to protect their children.” I don’t agree with that. But I don’t want to have to monitor every parent of every child that my children visit. I don’t want to find out that my kid got shot by some kid whose parents are alcoholics and didn’t take care of their weapons (and I have a specific parent in mind, here).
When they get old enough (which may be soon for the older), I’m going to try to find a way to expose my children to firearms in a safe manner, so that they understand that guns are not toys. But I don’t want guns in my house, in my neighborhood, or in my children’s schools. I’m sure there is a way to allow individuals who are trained and qualified to own firearms. The Constitution allows it in some form (the discussion of the exact intent aside). But the NRA’s viewpoint is flawed and dangerous, and I oppose it.
Originally posted at Phoenix Rising.