Americans seem to be obsessed with guns and “safety,” so I have a few questions…
Many thousands of Americans are killed or injured in automobile crashes of one kind or another. Many are deliberately murdered using vehicles of some kind. A few use a vehicle to commit suicide as well.
So, in the interest of saving those lives and making everyone safer… shall we talk about banning all the automobiles and trucks commonly involved, with ever greater restrictions on who owns and drives the few left?
Why not?
Thousands of people, including children, are murdered, injured and commit suicide using a vast array of tools and substances each day. The tools and substances are, of course, inanimate and can do nothing on their own, but it seems most people find it easier to blame the inanimate object than the people involved.
How many people drown each year? How many are injured? How many people are murdered or commit suicide with water, one way or another?
Shall we, as a people, then seek to eliminate all the tools and water on the planet, just to keep those folks “safe?” You say, “that’s impossible”! And besides, water and tools play a much larger role in our lives than just murder and suicide, don’t they?
Yes indeed. All tools serve multiple purposes, and only the action of the person using them determines whether they are used for good or evil. Accidents are not caused by the material things involved, but by the people who hold and use them.
So, why do you suppose that so much effort and emotion is concentrated on the demonization and elimination of guns in private hands? Guns are used in only a small number (compared to the overall number of deaths and injury by any other means) of suicides, murders and deliberate evil – if you don’t count all of the wars, murder and maiming done with them by the government itself, of course.
The dirty little secret that the government overlords want badly to hide from as many of you as possible is the fact that the gun, properly used, is the most effective means of protecting yourself and your loved ones, your community, from those who would use ANY tool or method to harm you.
And those who want very much to be able to render you helpless to defend yourself, from them or anyone else, do not want you to even think about the fact that it is as impossible to eliminate guns as it would be to eliminate water or every other dangerous tool. The best they can do is to make such ownership or use so difficult and dangerous that only those who have an overriding desire to harm others – the criminals – will continue to have guns. And yes, I include the armed government agents and employees among those criminals.
Just how can anyone see the government as being the least concerned with their safety when that very government is perfectly willing to injure and murder any number of them for a vast and growing array of reasons, let alone having the most effective tools available to defend themselves?
Who owns your life? Who or what is actually in control of that life? Who or what actually has legitimate authority over your life and choices?
The ONLY reason anyone wants to prevent you from owning guns, the most effective tool for self defense, is that they have every intention of doing things to you that you would not allow if you were able to resist them. All criminals prefer helpless victims.
Think about that.
The Price of Liberty 
Unfortunately, as scary as it is to face this reality, the truth is that there are some problems for which there simply aren’t good solutions. Starting the debate with “what can we do to stop homicidal crazy people?” pre-supposes that there exists something we CAN do. I’m not convinced that’s the case. Maybe the only thing we can do is to accept that there are a certain number of crazy people in society who will do crazy and dangerous things, and prepare ourselves to respond effectively if we cross paths with one of them.
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Exactly, Tammy. Sometimes, the imagined “cure” is worse than the disease.
Tornadoes and tidal waves can’t be prevented, or even predicted well, but there are obvious practical steps people can take to be ready to survive when they come. And people who stand around waiting for someone else to make them “safe” and provide for their needs during the emergency are sad indeed, and they often are injured or die while they wait.
The problem isn’t really “crazy people” at all, of course, since that covers an awful lot of territory. And people who want to do harm to others can – and often do – seem “normal” right up until the moment they let loose. And then they simply have to be dealt with.
Irrational, aggressive, harmful behavior can’t be prevented or predicted any better than tornadoes or tidal waves, no matter how many people’s lives are destroyed in the attempt. Instead, the reasoned individual and family practices awareness, takes precautions, makes preparations, and cooperates with others to ensure survival in all but the most devastating situations. And that’s about the best we can expect…
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Great site, ML. I wish you had a “rate” and “like” buttons so I could show my appreciation for each post.. even when I don’t have something thoughtful to say in reply.
Isn’t it amazing how we want to give away responsibility. I’ll have to think about that.
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Thanks, Rob! Your comment is welcome any time. Just type “like” if you wish. 🙂
Giving away responsibility really only works when someone else is willing (or forced) to take it on instead. Unfortunately, the tendency to take the easy way is part of our human nature and is responsible for much of our technology and growth of our civilization. Without the option of using force against others, the individual has to discover how to work smarter, not harder, in order to prosper.
As with many of our natural tendencies, this has been perverted by those who wish to use it for their own ends.
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The question that should be asked is how do we keep guns out of the hands of criminals without infringing on the rights of everyone else. Unfortunately, the solutions presented revolve around restrictions on the tool rather than on the person who misused the tool.
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It is simply not possible to prevent evil people from obtaining tools with which to do evil. It never has been, and never will be. ANYTHING can be used as a tool of evil – including their bare hands, which was exactly my point. It is not possible to accurately predict who might do that evil, no matter what kind of “laws” are imposed, or what sort of tools are available.
The solution, especially if anyone is interested in individual liberty, is for each person to take full responsibility for their lives and safety – including the helpless innocents under their protection. Self defense, day by day and case by case, is the only rational alternative to an ever increasing police state where the general population is kept like cattle… helpless victims ever available for slaughter.
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