General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums30+ Victims have my Anger & Outrage. F*ck thoughts and prayers.
Our children are being sacrificed at the altar of gun " rights."
When will enough be enough?
Delmette2.0
(4,175 posts)That is the perfect response to the useless "thoughts and prayers".
missingthebigdog
(1,233 posts)Which is not at all, unfortunately.
haele
(12,686 posts)Crime is down, but more people are afraid of their neighbors, or of failure, or of "those people" who they are no longer forced to acknowledge sharing humanity with. Talk radio, chat groups, and Facebook are all about how "respect" is about maintaining "Celebrity" - staying on the top of the heap, because if someone is "strong enough" to command attention, it means they're better than everyone else and the only people who deserve respect and privileges are people who can take it away from others.
The world is smaller, and too many people buy guns because frankly, they're "protecting themselves" against others they don't want in their world.
So Force Escalation is considered more virtuous than de-escalation or just plain diplomacy and treating everyone with consideration and respect - even if you don't like them.
I'm sure the current NRA/Militia attitude towards maintaining an adrenaline-fueled "Wild, Wild, West" is what the founders who argued over the 2nd Amendment until they got to where they thought (in their 18th century understanding) they were establishing a balance of power between the States and the needs for a local Militia vice a standing Army to quickly protect the frontier settlements.
So, frankly, no. Enough will never be enough. Blood watering the roots of liberty and all that.
More like tacit Social Darwinism.
So long as violence is considered entertainment and gives the fearful or bored 'polloi a quick feeling of power over their fellows, "Gun Rights" will be protected.
I've qualified as a Marksman when I was in the Navy. I spent my childhood in both rural towns and in a barrio, and have recently lived in a gang area - amongst real U.S. born MS-13 members, and four years ago, regularly walked down to the local trolley stop to get to and from work during a MS-13 and other local gang's turf war.
I've never felt in fear of my life from my neighbors, no matter where I lived or what the "crime rate" was.
If I lived in the country, I probably would have a shotgun and maybe a rifle for "varmints" or the occasional hunting, but for home protection?
Haele
missingthebigdog
(1,233 posts)There were always guns around when I was growing up- mostly rifles.
I have never felt the need to have one. We live out in the country now, but have lived in the inner city. I've never been in a situation that made me think, " Gee, I'd feel safer if I had a gun-" and I have been in some pretty scary situations.
That any feeling, thinking person has the ability to rationalize what is happening with guns here boggles my mind. I just can't process it.