"Guns don't kill people; people kill people."
The repetitive assumption of the gun enthusiasts. Reluctant to act, resistant to change, hesitant to see their way of life inexplicably altered in a world where, hey, they haven't been shot yet. So everything's OK, right?
...right?
The idea that guns are not a large factor in the mass murder epidemic we're seeing is ultimately not a debate. When compared to other high income first world nations, the United States' gun violence rate is more than 15 times higher than the next 20 countries.
Just to add to that statistic, let it be known that we also have a higher gun rate than those same 20 nations combined.
Sure, I understand your need to own a hunting rifle. I also understand your need to have a handgun in your home because guns do have purposes. A hunting rifle is powerful, accurate, and used for taking an animal at range. A handgun is compact, easy to use and concealable to be hidden away and ready to use when necessary. An assault rifle is easy -- the purpose is in the name. Assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons are built simply to kill, and I'm not talking deer. If a gun has a purpose, it has a place in society no different than a hammer, a drill, a knife, or any other tool. But when a gun has a purpose to destroy, to demolish, to kill, it should have no place at all in our homes.
When it comes down to it, America is a land of dreamers, a land of prosperity, and a land of freedoms. But we must, as a society, be able to draw the line between freedom and chaos. The ultimate purpose of our government is to restrict certain freedoms to create safety. Some may argue that the more we give up our freedoms, the more we enable the government to become too powerful, too involved, too omnipotent. But if the underlying purpose of our legislative thought process is to prevent government takeover, we are living in fear. There is no freedom in that.
Is it too audacious to envision a society in which legislation is created for the good of the people, not the appeasement of Washington wallets? Where instead of fearing the worst in each decision, we instead choose to push the positive components of new bills and work to eliminate the negatives? If you've ever watched C-SPAN, you know that the only debate that goes on in our government is on why new policies will fail, not what they could provide, who they could help, or what lives would be changed. While I may be looking through some rose colored glasses on this matter, maybe we all need a pair of those lenses.
So no, guns on their own will not kill people. You got me there. Yes, people kill people, but people can also take a stand, and make a difference. Yes, people kill people, but people can also communicate, associate, and eradicate the issues at hand.
Yes, people kill people. But people are the only ones who can save people.
...so what are we waiting for?
