Insanity?

There was a story this morning about a hunter who accidentally shot a 6-day old infant. The child will live, but will be blind as the bullet missed its brain but went through the occipital area of the skull. There will be an investigation to see of the hunter used proper procedures. But the hunter was licensed and legally able to have that gun.

Stories like this make me wonder of anyone else thinks this is insanity. It is just me or are people not concerned about gun safety? Gun owners seem outraged when people question their right to own, gun violence opponents don't want guns around, and people who don't care start to care when their family is affected. Is this crazy or what?

This country has the highest number of gun owners and the most number of gun shootings. No one seems to think this is wrong or that a change is needed. At least that is my sense. Am I out in left field about this? I sure hope so. 

More Talk

When I blogged about the shooting at Sandy Hook, I predicted that the talks around gun violence would ramp up. That prediction was not all that much of a stretch because it was all going to come to a head sooner or later.  But because children were victims, now the nation has put up its collective head and is trying to address the issue. Whether this will fade into obscurity or not is really based on who is conducting the conversation. 

I found an article today on the gun control hearings going on now. Former Representative Giffords made a surprise visit stressing the need to get something done soon.  NRA Chair, Wayne LaPierre, is also at the table putting in his view on the subject and while I personally think he is a bit crazy, he touched on a part of the issue that is going to be very difficult to enforce;  the mental illness aspect.  Even if states are willing to report such records and provide the funding to do so, many people will not get the help they need until a crisis situation occurs, and sometimes it is often too late. Americans are by and large afraid of mental illness mostly because they are generally ill informed as to the malady and possess a somewhat unfounded fear. 

Despite all the talk and all the pundits’ squawking about something getting done now, this issue is going to take a long time to correct itself and is more about changing our culture than anything else.  I happened to see an interview with Bob Costas on the Daily Show where he briefly broached the subject of this culture.  Guns, like apple pie and football, are engrained in our traditions like no other and possession of guns is cherished.  Until we realize that there are deadly consequences when we take on the responsibility of being a gun owner and understand that better control is needed, our nation will continue to be no different that the Wild, Wild, West.

Guns Everywhere!

Another shooting happened in my hometown recently and this one is very close to where I live.  It was not a fatal shooting, but still it is totally uncalled for.  That makes six incidents in the last four months and it is getting to be too much.  Unfortunately these incidents are all related to the first shooting, and I think gang related, so I fear we are just at the start.

I went on a community walk about a week ago after the last shooting, which was fatal.  The idea of the walk was to bring awareness to the recent violence and get a sense to what has happened.  We walked around to the sites where previous incidents happened and put little memorials there and said a few words about the victims. It was a way to show a united force about how this small segment of the community feels about the issue and it did bring some awareness to the people who saw us walking. Overall it did nothing at all toward the problem but it was a nice way to spend the afternoon and to commiserate with other residents who feel the same.

There are no easy answers when it comes to guns.  As far as I am concerned they are too easily attained regardless of the laws we have in place currently.  The 2^nd amendment people scream that we have a right to own guns and object to laws preventing them from having weapons.  Criminals get guns from other criminals and all the laws in the world don’t seem to work for that.  The mentally ill can get guns legally or from family members and no one really knows if they are going to go off the deep end because they rarely have criminal records. 

Guns represent power to most people and for the most part, in my opinion, Americans feel powerless and trust nobody. Everyone is considered our enemy for which we must arm ourselves against.  That kind of attitude is not going to change easily and will take generations to breed out. The media does their fair share of glamorizing the use of guns but I personally don’t see that as a reason why people want them, moreover I feel that the media is just reflecting reality. Bottom line is that this is an issue that has no easy solution and no one is going to win.  It may sound hopeless but I think we are at the point of the darkness before the light and things will get better eventually.  There just might not be enough people left to care after all the shooting is done.

The Quick Fix

We are a nation of quick fixes, and that is one reason why the issue of Sandy Hook, Columbine, and others have taken place.  Think about it for a moment.  Rather than find the reason for things that are wrong, we immediately jump to the quick fix rather than find the reason why.  For example, if you go to the doctor with a pain, they prescribe a pill rather than find the reason for the pain.

However, according to Michael Moore, there are three others; poverty, fear/racism, and the fact we are a "me" nation.  A lot of what he says makes a great deal of sense and I believe in many aspects he is right, especially about the fear thing. I have blogged about this before and I firmly believe it is one of the main reasons our nation experiences more instances of gun violence than any other nation in the world.

All of those things cannot be fixed quickly and will take time - possibly generations of time - before anything is changed and we see a difference.  But I believe if our country is to move forward we need to implement things that will make a change now.  So for Christmas and for your New Year's resolution maybe look at how you can take steps to turn things around.  If you want to keep the reason for the season in your heart, you have to make room by removing hate. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

School Daze

The news of the events in Newtown CT saddened me like no other event has.  I have not been able to stop crying since I heard about it.  It is as if my own child was involved in the shooting and I am overcome with emotion every time I hear coverage.  Things like this just should not happen.  Little children should not be mowed down by gunfire.  School should be a safe environment where learning and happy memories take place. However, in this country more and more gun related violent acts are occurring at an alarming rate.

I cannot say that it is the lack of gun laws that is causing this, but I do admit that there is something lacking somewhere.  I am not a gun owner and have no real reason to have one.  I have participated in target practice and found it to be fun, like anyone else. But frankly firearms frighten me, I suppose because I know the deadly consequences of pointing a gun in the wrong direction.  I quite honestly don't think I could kill a person no matter how badly they may have hurt me or how much I dislike the person.  I guess it is just not in my nature to feel those things.  For that reason I can't put myself in a position to understand what goes through those people's heads.  I suppose one could call me a pacifistic, except I have a horrible temper.

Despite the laws these guns are getting into the wrong hands.  Despite the laws, people are getting shot every day for every type of reason.  I firmly believe that unlike other countries, our culture is one that relishes power in any type, and frankly that is what guns provide.  I read a book a while ago called The Culture of Fear. The author examines our fear and determines we are unique because of it. Along those lines, Michael Moore's video, Bowling for Colombine suggests that because of this culture America is obsessed with guns.  Both of these sources have helped me understand why guns are so desired, but neither of them suggest what can be done. I know that because of the Newtown CT incident that there will be much talk about gun control and gun rights.  The same thing happened after the West Virginia Tech event, the Aurora CO incident, and the Tucson AZ incident.  I only hope that this time something will come of all that talk.

Be Part of the Solution

Aurora, Colorado, before Friday was more known for its sports than a massive shooting that happened in a movie theater at a midnight showing.  I am still stunned about what happened.  I have been reading several articles about the incident and several blog posts, and one hit me just right in their blog post on Friday “Something’s Wrong Here”.  It really speaks to me and I totally agree. We have a big problem with guns in this country, and something is indeed very wrong. 

Now I don’t believe that guns need to be taken away from everyone, but something has to be done and gun owners have to understand that and be a little more understanding.  You talk to your average gun activist and they act like a 3 year old and act like you are trying to take away their toy.  Yes, I know guns don’t kill people, people kill people and all that but something has to be done to prevent massacres like what happened in Aurora. They have to calm down a little and work with us to get a solution on the table.  They have to stop whining that we are taking away their rights and look around them at what’s happening.  Don’t bury your head in the sand.  Stand up and be part of the solution. That’s all I am saying.

Gun Control

I urge you to see this video and then think to yourself about how you feel about guns.  Innocent people are affected everyday by guns.  People who didn’t do anything wrong.  People who have families and friends who love them.

Angry

An incident happened on a local bike path that involved a rider pulling a gun on some kids after he was kicked by one of the boys while he was riding, which, caused the man to fall off his bike. The man was armed and shot at, and hit, one of the boy’s bike tires. He is in jail now with a rather high bail. The kids? Well it didn’t say in the article whether they were in any trouble, but they ought to be. They ought to be in a juvenile detention facility and have to face charges as well; after all they started it.

I am out on that trail practically every day and the area near my home has made the news more frequently than the area of this incident because there have been more reports of problems. As a result, the police have stepped up patrol in the area of the trail within the town borders. On one hand I am sorry this happened, but on the other I am glad it didn’t happen in my area. It just shows that my area is not the only place negative things happen. There is a biking group who started a website to report incidents on the trail like this, and when they opened the site, they hung notices on the trail about the site. However, once you are out of the town limits on the trail, the notices aren’t posted. That really speaks volumes.

In the last few weeks I have gotten pretty angry, and this is one more thing to get angry about. I don’t know why I am so irate; I am usually a very peaceful person and not one to want to cause any violent act against another. However, recently I feel like I just want to punch someone out. Is it because I am getting so much stronger now I am not afraid to defend myself if necessary? Is all this exercise affecting me in a negative way? Lately I imagine me wailing on someone after they tried to hurt me, or harass me. It’s weird. Maybe it’s old age. Maybe I am getting to be a grumpy old woman. Maybe it’s hormones.