The problem with "Gun Control"

[raxafarian]

I was bored on a rainy saturday morning and put some thoughts down on paper:


The problem with “gun control”


There are so many laws on the books that are either not enforced already or even when enforced; deals are brokered to reduce penalties for violations of those laws.

Everyone wants to reduce school and workplace shootings and for that matter, any crime whether firearms are involved or not. We should not settle for stopgap measures and attempts to treat what some perceive as “the problem” when they are only treating symptoms. Let’s treat the actual problems.

1. Punishments for crimes need to be enforced. Too many times we hear about a criminal that has a lifelong history of repeated offenses committing yet another crime. Rather than pass more laws that they are just going to ignore, convict those criminals using the existing laws they are already breaking.
2. If a minor commits a crime using a firearm they obtained from family or friends convict the person that allowed access to that firearm. If the weapon was stored in a safe manner, convict the minor to the full extent of existing laws.
3. Courthouses have security measures in place to prevent weapons from entering the premises. Schools should have the same measures. Spend the money required to implement these measures. Don’t waste the money on any attempts at more laws. Stop the problem at the door.

More people are killed or injured every year by motor vehicles than by firearms. The argument against limiting motor vehicle usage is that motor vehicles are required and firearms are not. Motor vehicles are a LUXURY. Most countries have far less private ownership of vehicles than the United States. We could walk or use a bike more or use public transportation but we choose not to. Having a gun is a RIGHT. There is a big difference between luxuries and rights.

Guns are a tool. You may not see the use for that tool but that does not give you the right to take away the rights of others. Use existing laws to prosecute the criminals. Do not pass more laws to turn law-abiding citizens into criminals.

Trying to argue that the Second Amendment was written many years ago and no longer applies is a dangerous road to travel. What is the next right that somebody will decide no longer applies today? We fought for these rights. They have been the driving force behind our country for over 200 years. We have added rights as time has passed. We should continue to do so as necessary. We should never remove rights.

The gun is not the root of the problem. Find ways to treat the actual problems in society today. Treating a symptom does not cure the disease. It may make you feel better for a little while, but the disease is still there.