Learning more to protect better
“Don’t do it. Don’t post it.” That’s my inner voice telling me what I’m about to write is sure to start a “lively” discussion. But heck, I haven’t always listened to that voice, and this time, it is worth it.
Here’s an admission — I believe it’s time for stricter gun laws. I believe it’s too easy for those who should not have a firearm, to actually obtain a firearm. I am someone who believes gun violence in this country is at a level that just can’t be described. I remember where I was when Columbine happened. And Sandy Hook. And Parkland…. So much is said of the 2nd Amendment. On one hand you have confessed liberals asking for stricter gun control. On the other you have those who say “they are after our guns.” It’s so easy to make this an “either/or” argument. You’re either for gun control or against the 2nd Amendment.
Thing is that this argument is so much greater than that. It’s not about making it hard for a law abiding citizen to obtain a gun. It’s not about taking my husband’s guns away — yes I, an anti-gun advocate live with someone who owns more than one gun. To own a gun is his right, and he went through the proper, legal channels to obtain his guns. He respects firearms and what they are capable of — gun control is not about him.
It’s about individuals who do not have the self-awareness to know right from wrong, the individuals who are suffering from debilitating mental health issues that compromise their thinking, from those who have proven they cannot obey the established laws, and yes, its for those who just don’t care about human life — to name just a few.
Yet while I have long believed in stricter gun laws, I haven’t given much time to learning about the issues at hand. Why? There a thousand reasons, but it simply comes down to the fact I haven’t taken the time — until today. The Biden-Harris Administration released: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Initial Actions to Address the Gun Violence Public Health Epidemic
In this fact sheet we find the basic ideas surrounding the six initiatives the Administration is pursuing to confront the gun violence epidemic ravaging our country. I read through the ideas explained in this document from addressing “ghost guns” to red flag laws meant to help the families of unstable individuals to evidence-based community intervention to public reporting of firearms trafficking to naming a director for the ATF. No where in this document did it say, “we’re coming for your guns.” I appreciate this effort from the current administration to communicate, to attempt a level of transparency (in politics am guessing true transparency is a dream).
I am grateful for the chance to understand this large issue just a little bit better. And therein rests the purpose of this post. Learn. Read more about the varying laws across the country. Understand what the 2nd amendment means and what gun control could provide. I know I have friends who will say I am nuts. That’s ok. Really, it’s ok. You may be pro-gun. I may be pro-gun control. We can exist in a world peacefully — “peacefully” being the key word. The way I see it, we spend so much time arguing that we haven’t spent much time learning and listening. We can protect each other while respecting the rights our fore-fathers established.
