americas-complex-relationship-with-guns

Guns have been a part of our history since we were colonialists and subject to the whims of the King of England. As we broke free from his over reach and became Americans, guns have been important not only in establishing our independence but also for defending it up through decades of challenge in our country's history.

Americans not only used their firearms to put food on their tables but they also used them to protect their families. As this gun culture emerged it became a right to do so and families armed themselves when they pushed west into lawless land.

So when someone wants to reduce those rights or even suggest taking them away entirely, it will be a stiff argument to dissuade any American to give up our guns. Guns are a tool and like a tool they can be used for good or evil. Something as simple as a hammer can be used to drive a nail and build a church or it can be wielded like a club to bludgeon someone to death. Guns are no different. In the hands of a good person they can help protect a family from those who would do them harm. In the hands of an evil person they can wreak havoc and death in horrible proportions as seen in the recent school shootings these past years. We have to look at the core problem that would make a good person do evil things with a firearm and fix that first.

I grew up with guns and so did all of you. It was in the closet behind my dads car coat. It was never to be touched or looked at unless he was present. It was a tool but could be dangerous to the untrained in its use.

We settled our arguments on the playground as young children and a pecking order established itself early on and if you didn't like a particular person you avoided them at all costs or suffer a knuckle sandwich.

You didn't grab a gun and settle this argument because you had something back then called respect for life. You would never dream of killing anyone for a playground squabble because you knew it was wrong. This I believe is the reason for school shootings, church shootings, workplace shootings and it will only stop when men take responsibility for the children they sire and be the leader in their family.

It will only be solved when violent games are taken off the shelf that teach our children to kill for points. It will only be stopped when teachers, parents, are allowed to discipline their kids and students for something they did at school.

Remember when your mother after she was summoned to the principals office, turned to you after hearing what you did and said those chilling words,"You wait till your father gets home". This is when you learned a small and sometimes painful lesson in "Respect for Life". For some of us it was once or twice and for others well it was many lessons but soon enough we all behaved and left those guns in the closet behind dad's car coat and settled our differences in a more peaceful way.

There can be a myriad of reasons why someone kills these days but we need to work together, share resources, make that call when one of our kids says someone at school needs to die.

Like most polls, many gun owners reply " nonya business !"

Nobody has ever surveyed me to see what I think, so I don't know what to make of that. Do I own firearms? Yes. How many? More than I care to comment on, but some might be surprised. I know my wife is every time she opens up a safe and sees another new one.
"No, I've had that one for quite a while. I just moved it forward in the safe!" She's on to me. She knows better! LMAO