Bleeding heart liberal offers solutions

I am so tired of conservatives wringing their hands and crying, “Don’t take our guns. You’ll have to pry them from our cold dead hands.”  Let me say this, once:

                “No one wants to take away your precious guns!”

Period.

What we “bleeding heart liberals” are tired of is all the killing going on in America and around the world. We are offering suggestions and solutions, but the problem is so vast, there is no one solution. What is happening though is that the right doesn’t appear to be offering any type of solution. All they can do is cry, “Don’t take our guns!”

I am not stupid or uneducated. I realize that if someone wants to kill you, they will find a way. Be it by knife, or hammers, or as one troll posted on my Facebook page, a dump truck. I know my children cannot live in a bubble to protect them from the evils of the world, but they should feel safe walking down the street, going to a movie theater, or shopping in a mall. The problem is, in 2015, they are not guaranteed safety in these activities.

I support our police officers. They are trained to keep us safe, but in reality they usually don’t show up until after a crime has been committed. I realize that people have a right to defend their homes and families. My oldest two daughters own several guns and are both avid hunters, as is my son-in-law. I would never tell them they could not own guns, but that still doesn’t keep me from worrying about my precocious grandchildren.

I really believe this is all politically motivated, and that is a shame. I have always been a contentious citizen, voting and participating, as I can, with the political process. I may not always believe in a politician, but I voice my grievances and move on. Our politicians keep saying, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims of …”, but we need their actions, not just their thoughts. Do something!

I am seriously afraid of all the conceal-carry, open-carry laws – these people frighten me. I don’t want to have to worry about every minor argument with a stranger escalating into a violent standoff. It bothers me to walk through Wal-Mart and see someone other than a police officer or security guard wearing a gun. I don’t want to eat a meal out at my favorite restaurant and have to be faced with a gun at the next table. I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire if this person perceives a problem and starts to shoot.

What is the solution? I know it is outrageous to say we will eliminate all guns – that will never happen. But the killing has to stop.

I’m really tired of a country where, in many states, buying a firearm is as easy as buying a pair of shoes. Gun and firearm shows take place all over the country. The gun show loophole allows private citizens to sell firearms on a “secondary market”. Only 18 states require background checks for private gun sales. The other states don’t even have to require record of sales or ask for identification. Closing these loopholes would be a good start.

What is the solution? Spending more on mental health issues has been a huge topic the past few years, but where do we start? How do we keep a mentally ill person from obtaining a gun and going on a killing rampage?

As a person who has suffered from bipolar disease most of my adult life, I don’t know what the answer is. I seek treatment and am controlling my illness. But how do we require others to seek treatment? Pharmacy drugs are not the answer, even if you recommend a specific drug to someone with mental illness; you can never guarantee they will take the medication. You can’t lock up everyone who is depressed or anxious, and not everyone with a mental illness has a propensity for violence. Then you have the problem of cost. Many of the mental health patients require government assistance, but the GOP wants to decrease funding the Medicaid. What is the answer?

I had another troll tell me today that I needed a “Hurt Feelings Kit”: 1 package disposable tissues, 1 disc copy of The Notebook, 1 hug, 2 women’s tampons and 3 Jolly ranchers. As I said, this was someone trolling my page, and he is a sexist troll at that. He also told me: “When the shit hits the fan, I hope there is a list of anti-second amendment people. They’ll be the hierarchy in the internment camps. While the rest of us fight for our country.” This troll is just one example of what is wrong with this country.

I don’t want to take anyone’s guns away. However, I think gun owners should have to attend classes and pass a written test in regards to gun safety, as well as taking and passing a shooting range test. Then they should have to go to a hospital and pass a mental health test and a drug test. Finally, they should have to pass a rigorous background check for any criminal activity or association with criminal or terrorist groups.

I’m really tired of the declining moral compass in our country. What is the answer? I don’t know, but I’m tired of seeing innocent people die every day in America. Whether it is by gun, knife, hammer or dump truck. There has to be some way of preventing this. Can anyone give me an answer?