Thoughts on Colorado, Guns...

Before I start, I want to say that my prayers go out to the families of the victims of this week's shooting in Colorado. My rant below has been thought out long before this event, but it has given me a platform for people to actually pay attention. Gun violence is a serious issue, but it is not a new one. In typical American fashion, people will care about this for a few weeks...then forget it. Think that sounds crazy...remember when everyone cared about that Kony12 thing? It is unfortunate that social media has become a place for "causes" to become fashionable. I hope that deep down people care about these issues beyond posting a photo or a "status" about it.

 RANT:

I am in the Army. I like guns. I like to shoot them, I like to clean them, I like to modify them. I am trained to use them to kill enemies of the United States. That right there however is a key word...I am TRAINED. The events this weekend in Colorado once again have our nation in an uproar over gun laws. It is a debate that has gone on for more than 200 years.

Let's go over some facts before we get into this debate...

1. The 2nd amendment to the United States Constitution gives citizens the right to own firearms. Further laws give certain people the right to carry certain weapons in public places. Federal, state, and local laws mandate who can carry what gun, in what place.

2. The US murder rate has dropped significantly in the last 30 years, and most sharply in the last 15. Gun related murders are down nearly 30% according to the department of justice.

3. Video games and movies that glorify killing, MAY have an impact on how certain people view weapons, both positively and negatively.


My take based on history...

You all know I'm obsessed with history, so let me give you a little lesson...In 1800 Aaron Burr, Vice President of the United States participated in a "duel", a situation in which two men walked away from each other, turned and fired their guns at each other to settle a dispute. He shot and fatally wounded Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? You want to argue that gun crimes are a new thing in the United States? Back in the day, a higher percentage of people carried guns, and more freely used them to settle arguments and disputes. But for some reason NOW people care more than ever about what people are doing with guns?

People that think gun control laws will prevent crimes are sadly mistaken. The majority of crimes committed with guns are performed by a person other than the person that weapon was issued to (Department of Justice). Are you going to try to tell me that your typical criminal is going to go through the gun-buying process, legally, so they can rob a liquor store? You are out of your mind.

GUN CONTROL LAWS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM--PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM

We need to do a better job of educating people about guns, and gun safety. Our streets would be safer with EDUCATED people concealed carrying. As a criminal I would be more afraid of committing a crime if I knew John and Nancy walking down the street had the training to take me out if I tried to rob them on their nightly walk around the block.

In 1993 there were about 14,000 homicides in the US from handguns. In 2004 there were about 8,000 (Department of Justice). Yet in that span of time people have tried to argue that video games are making us more violent. They have tried to argue that movies are polluting the minds of children. Sure these games/movies glorify murder, but so does our news media. They turn you into a front page news headline for doing something bad. This cannot be avoided, no matter how much you limit who has a gun. Attention was part of the goal behind the murders at Columbine High School. It has mad school shootings the quick way to get attention. The fact is...

CRAZY PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS COMMIT CRIMES WITH GUNS

Gun crimes cannot be avoided. They have been happening in every civilized country around the world for hundreds of years. It is something that we will never be able to completely avoid. However, some countries such as Germany and Switzerland are using guns to stop gun violence. In the 1970's Switzerland was having an issue with gun related violence. Now they have a program that issues every qualified adult a handgun, and give them a free course on proper use for defensive purposes. Switzerland now has the lowest gun crime rate of the civilized world (homicide and below) over the last 13 years, since the revamp of gun control acts in 1999. Germany is currently using the Swiss model, and the early results show a gun violence drop of about 20% over 3 years.

Just like any power, responsibility comes into play. Firearms responsibility can save lives. Responsible citizens carrying firearms have the ability to prevent crimes and protect themselves and others.

I am not saying every person should carry a weapon, but to argue that people owning guns is a bad thing is completely without reason. Education is the answer. Teach people to protect themselves. Empower them with the knowledge about how to protect themselves.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject...


Until next time,

Chris