Can We Please Have A Balanced Gun Debate?
I wish we could have a sensible, balanced discussion when it comes to guns and gun violence.
One with a little more common sense and a tad less emotion. These shootings are heartbreaking, incredibly difficult to tackle and I couldn’t imagine being directly affected by something so tragic.
But before I even attempt to jump into this, I’d like to give you a bit of background. I’m a 34 year-old Puerto Rican of African decent. I lean more towards Democrat with some Conservative points of view. My father and I both served in the United States Army. I’ve been doing martial arts for nearly five years and I play violent video games. I don’t own a gun nor have I ever, but I have considered it.
I paint this picture so you know that you’re not reading the thoughts of some nut job who lives in his mother’s basement and cleans his guns naked with porn playing in the background. I’m a rational individual who honestly thinks both sides of the gun debate are way too fanatical and way too emotional to yield anything worth listening to.
Let’s start off with the things that I think we can agree on.
The majority of gun owners are responsible and will never use their guns for something other than hunting and self-defense.
This statement shouldn’t piss anyone off, right? I think it’s a pretty safe assessment of the current state of gun ownership in America.
We can also agree that criminals don’t give two fucks about laws. If they did, they wouldn’t be breaking into homes, raping people, or selling drugs. Oh yeah, that’s another thing, they sell drugs. Drugs are illegal in America, yet they find their way into every nook and cranny of this great country — just like illegal guns.
So we should also be able to agree that we don’t want criminals getting their hands on guns?
For the same reason we have locks on our doors and windows, it shouldn’t be so easy for someone to get their hands on something that can cause so much damage.
Safe assessment, right? I haven’t lost anyone yet, have I?
This is where I might lose some of you.
The Second Amendment isn’t something that should be easily tossed aside.
It’s not just about taking hunting trips with friends, getting drunk, and shooting one of them in the ass by accident. It’s more about the right to defend from criminals and the government alike.
You don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to Constitutional rights because a few are abusing them. Just like we shouldn’t ban all Muslims from entering the country as refugees, we shouldn’t decide to ban guns outright. Now I understand that’s not quite the same thing, but it’s similar enough so I went with it.
I, as an American, shouldn’t be forced to defend myself against a criminal with my only recourse being a knife or my ability to call the police.
The Second Amendment is also in place for people to defend themselves if the government decides to impose itself in a way that is unlawful or unfair. People believe that we live in America and that kind of tyranny could never happen.
Maybe.
As a Black man, I can’t actually say with certainty that it could never happen. We aren’t exactly tyranny free with all these police shootings. Why would minorities be so trusting of a government that has done so much to hurt us throughout the course of history and even in the present day?
Now, for the Right. Have you lost your minds?
Senate Republicans just voted against a bill that would make it illegal for people on the terrorist watchlist to get their hands on guns. These people can’t even get on a fuckin’ plane, but we think that they should be able to buy guns?
Come again?
There should be universal background checks done on anyone who’s buying a gun, regardless of the type. The fact that there are gun show loopholes in effect is disheartening at best and frightening at worse. I understand that the NRA is balls deep in that GOP ass, but maybe you can help Americans out and curve some of this shit?
All I’m asking for is a sensible discussion about what we can do about this problem that’s plaguing America. Getting rid of all guns is a terrible idea. Illegal guns will continue to wind their way into the country just like drugs and leave good citizens unarmed in the process. That’s the honest cold truth of the matter, however doing nothing is equally as horrendous for Americans and unbelievably irresponsible of lawmakers.
We have to get something done. Please get it together.
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