To Arm or Not To Arm...That is the Question.

I should be posting about the birth of my new son, #2.  Instead, I find my thoughts lingering toward those Fathers in Connecticut who recently lost their sons and daughters to the mindless act of one evil and deranged person.  I cannot begin to consider, nor do I want to, how they must feel at this time.  Simply devastating.  Just awful.  While the thoughts and prayers of all of us should be directed compassionately toward those families and their loss, much of the nation involves itself in a passionate debate over gun control.  For every time there is a season and first, I believe we must mourn the deaths of these precious children and those adults who chose to protect them.

But much of that has been cast aside as the media sweeps the season along to the next and greater money maker of discussion, that of gun control.  I have seen this spark ignite to a great firestorm and it will grow greater in scope in the coming months.  Much like any political discussion these days, there seems to be no choice but black or white.  Every political issue seems to offer up only two options these days, much like the timeless Ford v. Chevy debate.  "You must choose!  You must either love Chevrolet and hate Ford or you must hate Chevrolet and love Ford."  There is no other option.  Chevy lovers would rather you hate Chevy and love Ford entirely than to be a fan of both and vice-versa.  Well, guess what?  I love classic Chevys and classic Fords!  There.  I said it.  Are you sitting down?  I also like The Trojans of THE University of Southern California as well as the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  "WHAT?!"  "SACRELIG!"

In this issue, I admit it is disturbing to see the media and others immediately gobble up this awful situation in Connecticut to push their own agenda for an increase in gun control.  But I also realize there are those who believe there should be gun control and bear those beliefs out of genuine and growing concern of others. In other words, not every anti-gun person is a red commie.  Some just believe differently than others.  Sadly the reaction to the media's seize upon this opportunity has forced those who strongly support the right to bear arms to take a stronger stance regarding no need for stricter gun control.  Guess what people...Much like the raging Chevy and Ford debate, there can be a middle ground.

2nd Amendment supporters, of which I count myself, tend to think for some reason that "gun control" means "we will take your guns from you".  This doesn't have to be the case.  Now there is definitely a concern with the current administration and trends of the country that cause 2nd Amendment supporters to stand on the ready regarding the issue, but this does not need to negate the need for tighter gun control...not restriction per se, but control.  Now again, most of my 2nd Amendment supporters are going to be up in arms about this because they will automatically associate "gun control" with "gun seizure".  I assure you, they can have my gun when they pry it from my dead cold fingers.

To those fanatics calling for an abolition of gun ownership, your argument (Mr. Bob Costas) that Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today if Jovan Belcher did not have a gun is very short sided and not valid.  That statement is Swiss Cheese at best.  According to that logic, Cain would not have killed Able if he didn't own a club.  Yet the club was never the victim of fear mongering or threat of being banned.  Is it tragic?  Of course it is.  But we need to spend more time looking at everything else.  There are indeed other issues involved in every one of the slayings this year.  Surely you are not so ignorant to believe the only issue is gun control.

With that said, hopefully we can be willing to compromise and put aside agendas in an effort to make the world a better place.  Somehow I doubt it.  It seems we crossed an imaginary line where there are only two options to any given issue.  Perhaps from now on, there are only two ways to skin a cat.  Until that is all too painfully made aware, I will continue to carry weapons, but I will also continue to see a need where firearms are perhaps a little more difficult to own, thus hopefully discouraging those who seek to do harm or at least slow them down.  Where is the harm in that?  Inconvenient?  Perhaps.  It seems a gun is not typically one of those things you JUST HAVE TO HAVE THIS MOMENT!  It isn't like you saw an Arby's commercial and immediately have a craving for a jamocha shake that cannot wait to be satisfied.

Owning and carrying a firearm is something that should be well thought out and planned!  It seems to me that someone who has to have a gun RIGHT NOW, may be the person that shouldn't be given a gun.  Again, there are those who will choose to ignore the word, "may", in that last sentence and read it as an absolute rather than a variable.  I assure you, I am nothing if I am not at least an impulse buyer!  In fact, I was in the market for a gun just three weeks ago.  This is when it became apparent to me that getting a gun is all too easy.  I just went to KSL.com (a local news station site that has a classifieds section) and immediately found a list of 1500 handguns for sale, most of which never offered or required to register the gun.  In fact, most were interested in my money.  Only one was curious as to why I wanted a gun and what my intentions were.  It is too easy.  Nobody can deny that.

In fact, here in Utah, it seems EVERYONE not only owns firearms, but carries a firearm.  They hand out conceal and carry permits at Chuck E. Cheese when you collect 50 tickets from Skee Ball!  This is both good and bad.  Good because there is a lower crime rate in Utah and some of that may be attributed to the many gun owners.  Bad, because anyone can get a gun and permit to carry it.  Anyone!  The education and preparation is minimal at best and any idiot can check those two boxes off a list.  We even had an idiot carry a loaded weapon into the workplace recently.  He apparently didn't know how to empty all ammunition from the gun before handing it to a coworker then encouraging the coworker to "squeeze the trigger"!  POP!  Idiot!  Nonetheless, he continues to carry multiple guns with no repercussions for his idiocy.  But I digress...

So to recap, I support the 2nd Amendment and also support the right to have my own opinion...even if it doesn't fall within your crazy scheme to only offer me two opinions to choose from.  I believe we need stricter gun laws and I believe we are truly missing the boat when it comes to discussing the other issues at hand; mental health, detecting a disturbance, addressing that disturbance and preventing tragedy.  Unfortunately, tragedy will happen.  If not with guns, than with sticks and stones as Cain did with Able.  We need to find a way to love and to respect each other and value life and identify and help those who don't.  The media distracts us with the debate of gun prohibition and too many of us get sucked in so quick with views even stronger than they were before the debate began.  Like all things politically, we are a mess.  When we quit talking and listening and respecting, progress is halted.

With that said, you can pry my gun from my dead cold fingers.