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?
