We should know better…

I’m glad we’re talking about gun control.  The conversation has been enlightening.  I’m not sure why we allow private citizens to own military-style weapons in the first place.  I knew that sometimes background checks weren’t done, but I had no idea that the percentage is as high as it is.  And it seems that the NRA has, through its lobbying efforts, been able to stymie efforts to even appoint an ATF Director.  Every time I turn on the news I hear about someone trying to incite others to take up arms against the government.  One guy actually said he would start killing people if the government came after his weapons.  Law enforcement reportedly pulled his carry permit for saying that.  Probably for the best.

The government is not coming after existing weapons.  Even if there are some who want to do that, it won’t happen.  Existing weapons will be grandfathered in.  So any ban on assault weapons will only affect future gun sales.  It doesn’t stop anyone who already has an assault weapon from going postal and shooting up another first grade class.  So far, this just feels like going through the motions to me.

When a mother allows her psychologically disturbed son to have easy access to weapons, how does Congress deal with that?  How does anyone?  It’s not as if she’s going to advertise it.  Odds are, we’re not going to know until it’s too late.  I don’t know how we fix that.

I do agree with the President, however, when he said that even if it just saves one person, we have to at least try.  But it’s going to take everyone to dial back the rhetoric and the fear-mongering so we can come up with meaningful legislation that can begin to move this issue forward.  I say begin because I believe this will need to evolve over time.  I’m sure it won’t be a one-time effort because parties on both sides of the aisle are not only dysfunctional but also beholden to the gun lobby to fund their election coffers.  And clearly getting re-elected matters more than anything else to them.

I don’t know how we got here as a nation.  To think that someone’s so-called “right” to own an assault weapon trumps the safety of innocent children is appalling.  As a mother, the prospect of losing one of my boys because some asshole wakes up one day and decides to go kill people, enrages me.  And I don’t understand anyone who doesn’t feel the same way.