Apparently a God Given Right to Kill Folks...
I was at university and was about to happily go to my morning lectures. The radio that morning said that nobody should go anywhere because an armed man was at large in a nearby school and had already shot dead several 5/6 year old children and at least one member of staff. One of our professors lost his young daughter that day, not long after losing his wife to cancer.
It later turned out that a certain Mr Hamilton who was obsessed with handguns and had also been denied access to young children went nuts and went into a village primary school, scared everyone, shot umpteen kids and a schoolteacher who was trying to protect her charges and all the while America goes - "B-b-but its not the guns fault!"
In the UK weapons became NOT COOL. After Dunblane, which shook a lot of us, there was a campaign to ban handguns which was passed. Funnily enough handgun crime was reduced thereafter. There is often a wise quote - guns don't kill people - people do!
So lets not sell guns? Or indeed make them not at all available, then ANY offence committed with a gun is illegal. Just an idea, please don't shoot me!
OK, yes I will accept that people have, throughout history, found many ingenious ways to take the life of another. My Dad in his own way taught me a certain lesson however - guns are not and never are to be considered as toys. I was not allowed to play with any gun-shaped object during childhood. I remember finding a plastic "click" gun in the shape of a wild-west six-shooter in a ditch. I took it home, glad at last to be able to join in the games of Cops & Robbers and Cowboys & Indians but my Dad was very firm. He took this found "toy" from me and reiterated his belief by telling me in no uncertain terms that Guns Solve Nothing.
And while offended that my Dad took my luckily found "toy" from me, it did make me think.
So I grew up and saw that guns did nothing more than perpetrate more violence. No matter who had some guns, somebody else went and made better guns. Now we have some of the finest killing machines in the world!
But is it right?
My grandfather owned at least one gun. I knew one was a shotgun. I think there was a low-calibre rifle too but I do remember as a very small child playing with empty shotgun casings. So before most of certain parts of the USA come down on my ass as being ignorant let it be known I have actually grown up in a culture of firearms.
And, there are much better ways of dealing with a sick animal than blasting it with a shotgun. Or indeed a .22 rifle. There are better ways of dealing with vermin too.
Guns solve nothing.
People who get thwarted in their schemes to fiddle with children/vulnerable women/vulnerable men/establishment by blasting the crap out of innocent people seem to think they are making some kind of a point. Let us make them all seem foolish - which of course they are.
Guns solve nothing.
Of course then we have to take into account TERRORISM!!!!OMG!!!!! Terrorism was a very familiar term to those who have lived in the UK from the seventies - since I became aware - but began around the 60s. Most news whilst I grew up were about the Troubles and various "Terrorist" activities that they were up to. All I saw was more violence that escalated into yet more violence.
Guns solve nothing.
A certain peace was brokered, which went well until recent difficulties about flying the Union Flag kicked in. I have no allegiance to any flag on account of being a tagalong set of islands that was given as a wedding dowry because Denmark's debt was such that they were willing to give up such a valuable strategic route. Oh, they also gave up a Princess. Yeah, that was the deal: 15000 Marks, a set of islands and a princess in exchange for marrying into your estimable Royal Line.
My nation has only been a part of Scotland for 600 years. When Scotland decided to unite with England we had no say - but - we didn't raise arms and go to war about it. Sure, it could be seen as noble, but we have always been a People with Sense. Canny Folk in the terms of the Scots.
So, when looking at "Terrorism" having grown up around a certain amount of guns and the constant threat of being blown up by the Irish (and given what my nation did to them in the pre-middle ages they would have every reason to be annoyed at us) I would like to think that the wonderful nation of Ireland would not blow us up on account of bygones being bygones of round about 800 years or so.
Indeed they have not. Instead all their angst was against London. Oh and then the Middle East in some futile revenge about the Crusades that happened again about 800 or so years ago... buy all kinds of guns from the West that they hate in order to destroy everyone who doesn't believe in Islam.
Everything is hatred, conflict and disagreement. I cannot see where in all this the bloody gun has made things any better. I have no disagreement with Islam, nor indeed Christianity. I just don't agree with either at this present time. Especially not when while the Good Books might say one thing some other folks decide to interpret a message of good will to mean kill everyone who doesn't follow their rules.
The gun upped the ante and now there is bloodshed wherever religion steps. Oh and that damned "Right to bear arms" that the USA yaps on about actually means that the USA has the right to form a militia if England decides to ever take over again (which they won't and won't ever get the chance to) it DOES NOT mean that every American has the right to arm themselves with semi-automatic weaponry! Nor handguns, nor sniper rifles... and no, not rocket launchers either.
Guns don't kill. People do.
Guns solve nothing.
Thank you Dad.
It later turned out that a certain Mr Hamilton who was obsessed with handguns and had also been denied access to young children went nuts and went into a village primary school, scared everyone, shot umpteen kids and a schoolteacher who was trying to protect her charges and all the while America goes - "B-b-but its not the guns fault!"
In the UK weapons became NOT COOL. After Dunblane, which shook a lot of us, there was a campaign to ban handguns which was passed. Funnily enough handgun crime was reduced thereafter. There is often a wise quote - guns don't kill people - people do!
So lets not sell guns? Or indeed make them not at all available, then ANY offence committed with a gun is illegal. Just an idea, please don't shoot me!
OK, yes I will accept that people have, throughout history, found many ingenious ways to take the life of another. My Dad in his own way taught me a certain lesson however - guns are not and never are to be considered as toys. I was not allowed to play with any gun-shaped object during childhood. I remember finding a plastic "click" gun in the shape of a wild-west six-shooter in a ditch. I took it home, glad at last to be able to join in the games of Cops & Robbers and Cowboys & Indians but my Dad was very firm. He took this found "toy" from me and reiterated his belief by telling me in no uncertain terms that Guns Solve Nothing.
And while offended that my Dad took my luckily found "toy" from me, it did make me think.
So I grew up and saw that guns did nothing more than perpetrate more violence. No matter who had some guns, somebody else went and made better guns. Now we have some of the finest killing machines in the world!
But is it right?
My grandfather owned at least one gun. I knew one was a shotgun. I think there was a low-calibre rifle too but I do remember as a very small child playing with empty shotgun casings. So before most of certain parts of the USA come down on my ass as being ignorant let it be known I have actually grown up in a culture of firearms.
And, there are much better ways of dealing with a sick animal than blasting it with a shotgun. Or indeed a .22 rifle. There are better ways of dealing with vermin too.
Guns solve nothing.
People who get thwarted in their schemes to fiddle with children/vulnerable women/vulnerable men/establishment by blasting the crap out of innocent people seem to think they are making some kind of a point. Let us make them all seem foolish - which of course they are.
Guns solve nothing.
Of course then we have to take into account TERRORISM!!!!OMG!!!!! Terrorism was a very familiar term to those who have lived in the UK from the seventies - since I became aware - but began around the 60s. Most news whilst I grew up were about the Troubles and various "Terrorist" activities that they were up to. All I saw was more violence that escalated into yet more violence.
Guns solve nothing.
A certain peace was brokered, which went well until recent difficulties about flying the Union Flag kicked in. I have no allegiance to any flag on account of being a tagalong set of islands that was given as a wedding dowry because Denmark's debt was such that they were willing to give up such a valuable strategic route. Oh, they also gave up a Princess. Yeah, that was the deal: 15000 Marks, a set of islands and a princess in exchange for marrying into your estimable Royal Line.
My nation has only been a part of Scotland for 600 years. When Scotland decided to unite with England we had no say - but - we didn't raise arms and go to war about it. Sure, it could be seen as noble, but we have always been a People with Sense. Canny Folk in the terms of the Scots.
So, when looking at "Terrorism" having grown up around a certain amount of guns and the constant threat of being blown up by the Irish (and given what my nation did to them in the pre-middle ages they would have every reason to be annoyed at us) I would like to think that the wonderful nation of Ireland would not blow us up on account of bygones being bygones of round about 800 years or so.
Indeed they have not. Instead all their angst was against London. Oh and then the Middle East in some futile revenge about the Crusades that happened again about 800 or so years ago... buy all kinds of guns from the West that they hate in order to destroy everyone who doesn't believe in Islam.
Everything is hatred, conflict and disagreement. I cannot see where in all this the bloody gun has made things any better. I have no disagreement with Islam, nor indeed Christianity. I just don't agree with either at this present time. Especially not when while the Good Books might say one thing some other folks decide to interpret a message of good will to mean kill everyone who doesn't follow their rules.
The gun upped the ante and now there is bloodshed wherever religion steps. Oh and that damned "Right to bear arms" that the USA yaps on about actually means that the USA has the right to form a militia if England decides to ever take over again (which they won't and won't ever get the chance to) it DOES NOT mean that every American has the right to arm themselves with semi-automatic weaponry! Nor handguns, nor sniper rifles... and no, not rocket launchers either.
Guns don't kill. People do.
Guns solve nothing.
Thank you Dad.