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I think most gun owners and non-gun
owners alike will agree that something needs to be done about the
seemingly recent rash of gun crimes, especially in schools and other
areas typically associated with being safe places to be. The question
is, “What?” To jump to one conclusion and focus on only one of the many
issues involved in violent behavior, and especially school shootings, is
seriously short-sighted.
In an effort not to make a knee-jerk reaction to the recent Newtown, Connecticut school shooting, I’ve waited to gather as much of the information as I could before adding my two cents to the plethora of information stemming from the incident in Newtown, Connecticut.
It's easy to assume most normal human
beings want common sense laws and efforts aimed at keeping children
safe. Reducing not just gun violence, but violence in
general--especially aimed at defenseless children in our schools--is one
of the most important tasks we face. We also should want to do whatever
is possible to keep the teachers who work in our schools safe. The
school shooting at Sandy Hook brings up a lot of questions, and those
using their common sense should be able to agree that there isn’t only
one thing that will provide a simple solution.
If we are serious about finding new
solutions to this never-ending problem it’s time to change our old tired
and failed methods of protection for our children and innocent teachers
just trying to do their job. So where do we start? My suggestion is to
rule out the things that are the least likely culprit for the cause of
school shootings and focus our attention on that which will have the
most swift reduction in these types of senseless crimes.
According to the FBI, 8.5 times as many people are murdered with knives, blunt objects and bare hands, as with rifles of any type.
The FBI data shows that 323 murders were committed with rifles of any
kind in 2011. In comparison, 496 murders were committed with hammers
and clubs, and 1,694 murders were perpetrated with knives.
Knowing this, it’s interesting to note
that only when a gun is the object used to perpetrate a crime that the
person actually responsible for the blame is rarely the focus of the
media or the blame. When a man slaughters his family with a knife, no
one is clamoring for the ban of steak knives. When a violent gang uses
machetes in a murderous spree against rival gang members, no one calls
for the confiscation of machetes or hatchets. When chemicals in the home
kill children, we don’t call for the closing the chemical factories.
Even though automobiles cause far more
casualties on a yearly basis (more than 32,000 deaths) than almost
anything else in America, no one is calling for a halt to the
manufacturing of automobiles. When someone kills another by means of
their 2000 lb. automotive projectile we typically believe in punishing
the individual for his or her actions. However, the uninvolved drivers
are not punished by having thier car taken away, yet isn’t it strange
that when someone commits a crime with a firearm there is an outcry for all gun owners to give up their guns instead of holding the individual responsible for his own actions?
If our government is so concerned about
preventing deaths perhaps the answer is to confiscate our vehicles. Is
removing all the vehicles from the road too drastic? Then let’s just
eliminate a segment of the automobile deaths by eliminating a few models
of vehicles. In fact, if we wanted to eliminate 93 deaths today all we have to do is ban vehicles right now.
But we don’t. Why? Because it’s too
convenient for us to have our vehicles even though thousands of people
die every year in vehicles on the roads of America. Or, more aptly
stated, we’re willing to sacrifice 32,000 lives every year simply
because it would be inconvenient for the rest of us to give up these
murder weapons.
Focusing on the gun instead of the
criminal seems to suggest we might as well have a trial involving only
the gun and let the perpetrator off the hook.Why is it that in these
cases so many politicians are so quick to blame an inanimate object
instead of the very person who used an object in a manner it was never
intended for? Why do these same politicians try so hard to push their
agenda on those who never abuse these same items? Is there an underlying
reason being kept from the public?
In the days to come, we’ll be looking into the truth about why you’re being led to believe guns are the problem for school violence, and specifically how your attention is being diverted by the anti-gun lobby—and why.
This article may be re-posted or printed in it’s entirety with the following included: This article previously posted on www.http://positivegsgoldnuggets.blogspot.com/ and is re-printed/re-posted here with the express consent of the author.
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