If you found yourself in a strange city late at night and your car broke down in a ‘bad section of town’ and you had to walk alone to get help; how would you feel? No cell phone service is available. Imagine it for a while. Now add the possibility that you had your small child with you. Feeling a little tense yet?
Soon you see a group of teen-age youths approaching you. They do not look like you and are probably not part of the friendly local neighborhood watch. They all cross the street to the same side you are walking……..
I will try to make this brief so play this out in your head for a while. Think of a movie scene unfolding.
If you feel you and the child are in danger, what steps would you take to ensure your safety?
Would you cross to the other side of the street?
If approached and you felt intimidation, would you begin to run?
If you had a knife would you point it at the group?
If you had a hand gun would you point it at the group?
If you had an automatic weapon would you pull it out?
If you had a grenade would you pull the pin?
If you had a device that would destroy the entire block but you would be safe would you use it to save yourselves?
If you had a massive weapon that would level the city but you would not be harmed would you use it?
You are calm now and reading what seems like an unlikely scenario, but the protection and preservation of your life and that of your child is hard wired into each of us. To avoid the possibility (real or imagined) of harm to you and your child are you willing or could you imagine killing or injuring one of the group. How about two of them. What about all of them? In the stress of the moment would you risk injuring passers-by?
In the US we have the ‘right to bear arms’. It is in the constitution plain as day. But when this was written the bow and arrow had been replaced by single-shot guns as the major weapons of the time. Cannons could not be carried or moved by a single person or easily reloaded. Hand guns capable of rapidly firing multiple bullets were not invented until the 19th century.
The authors of the US constitution had no concept of revolvers, semi automatic weapons let alone modern military style assault weapons of today or tomorrow. The thought of RPG’s (Rocket Propelled Grenades) and other military tools were unimaginable at the time.
We are required to take tests and acquire a license to drive a car. More tests, training and licenses to drive a commercial truck or bus. Even more to operate cranes and earth movers.
We need a hunting license to shoot wild game – are told where and when allowed by local laws. We have to get a license to get married. Statistics are gathered and analyzed in fine detail for all of the above.
Funny; when you ask manufacturers and sellers of weapons how to resolve civilian mass shootings and the real threat of criminals with hi-capacity guns – the ONLY answer is to sell more and bigger guns so everyone has one. Hell, they want you to buy a dozen.
We can purchase guns of all sorts including military style assault rifles without question in a number of ways. We do not need a license to hunt or kill humans in this country. The government is prevented by special interest groups from spending any money to gather data on gun usage or sales.
With very few exceptions, no one is trying to take your guns away – No one wants to stop you from defending your family from home intruders – No one wants to stop you from legally hunting wild game – any more than they want to take away your car or pick-up truck by requiring you get a license. But what we are doing now does not make sense.
MidiMike 