Sitting here in God’s waiting room, a meme appears in the inbox. It is a simple photo of two hands palms up. In the left hand is a rock. In the right hand is a pistol. The caption accompanying the picture says, ”When Cain killed Abel, God did not get rid of all the rocks.”
This simple picture and its caption explain a very complex issue in our political system. Gun control is pushed very hard by those who believe outlawing all firearms will stop murders and crime on the street.
Those who legally own firearms know this way of thinking is absolutely untrue.
Respectfully to those who have suffered loss from a friend or relative being murdered or living in a neighborhood rife with violence, please take time to read and think about what is causing your situation.
Is it an inert piece of metal fashioned into a gun that jumps off the shelf, runs into the street, and kills someone all by itself? The obvious answer is no. It takes a human being to pull the trigger.
A law written on a piece of paper will not solve this situation. The solution requires much more than that.
Criminals and others bound to do violent activities care less about what the law says. It means nothing to them. It’s only writing on a piece of paper that a group of folks voted for. They do not understand it, or if they do, they don’t care what it says. There is often little fear because they know they will probably be back on the street before you can eat your supper if arrested for such illegal activity. It means absolutely nothing to them.
Inappropriate action by those breaking the law or suffering from a mental issue is the problem. Period!
The lawless are the people our attention must be focused on to resolve this issue.
It is not the good citizens who own guns legally under our Second Amendment that are the problem.
Laws restricting the legal ownership of guns by our citizens are laws that will make the killing and crime worse. Those doing the mayhem care nothing about any law or what it is supposed to enforce. If they want a gun, they will find it, either by black-market sales or theft.
Increased law-enforcement attention on this type of harmful activity will help. Additionally, there must be a better way to assess people with a mental disorder that might cause them to become violent.
The recent school shootings are good examples. Most of the shooters could have been identified ahead of time and stopped. Had there been a system to collect what they were writing on the Internet and their other activities, quickly, analyze it, and if a threat is determined, that information be passed on rapidly to the appropriate law enforcement agency, a large number of school children would be sitting in the classroom today rather than being buried in a graveyard.
The attention in the gun control argument must be moved away from the law-abiding citizens and placed on those who care less about the law.
Politicians need to forget about selfishly getting votes for themselves and concentrate on the bad actors in our society. Look for workable solutions to our mental health issues and lack of respect for the law. Identify these people and stop them before they wreak havoc on another schoolyard.
Until that happens, our children and grandchildren must attend school in a locked-down fortress.
They, too, are paying the price for political foolishness and lack of serious attention to the real causes of gun violence in our society.
People kill people.
Just saying.