In the wake of all of these mass shootings that seem to be happening on almost a daily basis, we're left with two sides to some very controversial questions: Are guns bad? Do they really kill people? Should we allow every single citizen to legally own an AR-15? These questions are hard and tough to answer, I know. So tough, in fact, that I believe these are some of the hardest questions facing America right now since last week's whole "is it really rape if you have sex with someone who's unconscious?" controversy.
But what really got me thinking more about these gun related questions this week, besides the fact that the largest mass shooting in recent American history took place last Sunday, was this particular image I saw shared on Facebook:
Now, I appreciate good, intelligent sarcasm when I see it, so I was very interested in what this graphic was trying to tell me. Let me break it down as I saw it; The brilliant humorist behind this well crafted meme is using a loose form of satire to let the world know that making things illegal doesn't make them untouchable or un-buyable, i.e., as seen with narcotics. So, the base logic here is that having laws in place does not necessarily negate crime nor stop bad people from doing bad things,. Let me reiterate that in a different wording: If making guns illegal will clearly not stop all shootings, then we shouldn't put laws on them at all. Therefore, since making drugs illegal hasn't stopped all drug use, we should retract those laws as well.
I know what you're thinking, that's quite the conclusion. But I'm here to assure you that that is exactly what this graphic is trying to say. The real meaning behind their first sentence is that putting harsher laws on guns would absolutely not stop shootings. Fair point. I've heard that argument a million and one times and I get that logic. But he/she doesn't stop there. They then give us an example to back up their argument, implying that we can see how well making drugs illegal has worked for our country, a clever joke seeing as people continue to use drugs today anyway. So, considering that the intent of this graphic is to convince you that laws don't work and guns should remain legal to everyone, you can see how the real meaning of this graphic is actually: Make drugs legal, because making them illegal doesn't stop anyone from shooting (ha!) up anyway!
An incredibly reasonable argument: Because some people (criminals) will ignore laws, laws are pointless and shouldn't exist in the first place.
Time and time again when discussing gun control people will suddenly throw up their hands in an outrage and compare it to drug control. They bring up the fact that our drug control measures have failed, that people still use and sell drugs, and that heroin usage is a rising epidemic in America. Just as this meme is doing, it's an attempt to make gun control seem silly, pointless, and a waste of time for America. But I wonder, if we don't keep drugs illegal, if drug control has failed us as spectacularly as this meme is making it seem, what is the alternative to it? Is there an honest belief that the government should regulate drugs, sell them over the counter like cigarettes and soda? Should we get written promises from every drug buyer that they're only going to use the heroin for recreation and that they have no intents of abusing it? Should every drug user be allowed to carry meth openly in public with the proper government issued licenses? Should we allow drugs around children? Hell, should we allow children to use drugs under the supervision of a responsible adult drug user?
If we started treating our drug laws like we do our gun laws, with relaxation and disregard based on the fact that "some people will still do it anyway," would you feel safer? Would this be a better country?
No, it wouldn't. It would suck. You know it would suck. I know it would suck. Nobody wants to live in a country where anyone can shoot up heroin in the same blasé way a person can drink a beer. Why? Because we know that drugs kill. They're dangerous if misused, that's why they're illegal. In a civilized society we make things harder to get when they're bad for you and when they run a high risk of being improperly used and abused. We do it with drugs, we do it with explosives, we do it with Kinder Surprise Chocolate Eggs. So, the only question that really remains in the wake of a tragedy in which 49 people lost their lives because a bad person was able to legally obtain an AR-15 is:
Why the hell are we not doing it with guns?
