Our American crisis du jour is gun control. But does controlling certain types of guns REALLY keep us safe or maybe just make some of us feel safe? We Americans want so badly to be protected from every harm in life from disease, accidents, murders, and terrorism, that we give up more and more freedom to feel safer in our minds. So, do controlling law abiding citizens really deter criminals? Let’s explore this concept.
Take my home state of Tennessee. Our law makers enacted a law to curb the production of methamphetamines or crystal meth, which is a huge problem here. In our government’s wisdom, the solution was to move the products that were key ingredients off of the pharmacy shelves to behind the counter so EVERYONE had to show an ID and register to purchase sinus medicine. For those of you that have never been to my beautiful state. We are the allergy and sinusitis capital of the world. Every type of pollen producing plant lives here. It is common for people that move here to learn if you don’t have sinus problems, stay here for a year and you will. Needless to say a vast majority of Tennesseans purchase this medicine for relief. Our government thought by punishing all law abiding citizens by making it really hard to purchase this medicine and limiting volume it would stop these “Meth Labs”. According to the Nashville “Tennessean” in a recent article the production of “Meth Labs” is up 6% from last year after enacting the law a few years ago. I am personally blown away. You mean to tell me that criminals don’t respect the law? Who knew?
As much as we would all like to be safe from all of the perils in life, we can’t. Government can’t legislate morality. Bad people are going to do bad things, law or no law. Life is a risk and the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. As a matter of fact death is a part of life. Of the 7 billion people in the world, approximately 155,000 people die every day. Why do we fear it so much? I know, but that’s another blog for another week. My point is we all go sometime. Stop worrying about dying and start living why you are here. It is said on our death beds, we have no regrets of the things we did in our lives, but rather regret the things we didn’t do while we were alive. Get your affairs in order to leave your love ones something or at least buy some good term life insurance if you don’t to make sure they will be provided for. Otherwise, go live your life to the fullest!
“There isn’t so much to be afraid of, out there. I can remember thinking it was funny to find that out, on the last night of my life; I’d spent the rest of it being afraid of everything.” ― Nick Hornby
Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger and team leader with over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.
Gun control makes some of us feel safe. It does not result in a meaningful reduction of the rate of gun-related crimes. The city of Chicago–which has enacted one of the strictest gun control laws in the nation and boasts the highest rate of gun-related crimes, including, but not limited to homicide–is proof of this. I agree with the position taken by the NRA that the best deterrent to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
The most recent attempt by the Obama administration to place restrictions upon gun ownership and usage at the federal level is also misguided. Gun control does not lend itself to a “one size fits all” approach. What is appropriate in New York or the District of Columbia is not appropriate for rural states like Wyoming and the Dakotas where recreational hunting is prevalent or in states like Arizona and Texas that are subject to border violence. Gun control is best addressed and regulated by individual states.
Barbara, I really appreciate your sharing on this hot topic in this country. I wish you much continued success!
CT had a strict gun law and mental health / waiting period provisions. How well did that work?
What is the social expectation if you are really angry and you “snap”? Go shoot up a bunch of people. Especially anyone who made you angry, and all the people who might be around them too. ‘Boy or boy, that’ll show them. I’ll be front page news for months, people will know my name then, nobody will want to mess with me then.’
By definition, these people are sick and shouldn’t have a gun. If he had plowed through the school with a car, would we be banning cars? You have to stop the person, because they will find a way if they are determined.
As for criminals, if they know that people are unarmed, they are emboldened. If they know you can defend yourself, they move on to someone who can’t/won’t. The only thing that stops a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun. When you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns.
Jean, I believe you put it as plain and to the point as I have seen. I love the car analogy which is very true. Putting a bandaid on an amputation does nothing to fix the real issues. I thank you for sharing these unreserved points.
Jean,
That is one of the most logical explanations I have heard yet. Couldn’t agree more.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that I love:
If guns kill people, do pencils misspell words?
Love the bumper sticker.
Hi Tim, thanks for posting the article. I don’t know that you can compare guns and sudafed. Apples and oranges. People NEED sudafed. People don’t need automatic weapons with large capacity magazines that can potentially kill a lot of people in a matter of seconds. People keep posting the photo of Obama with his secret service people pointing out that these people carry guns. Yes, they do. However, they are trained professionals. And just because someone learns to shoot a hand gun doesn’t mean they are now qualified to shoot an uzi. That would be like me saying that I drive a car so I’m going to hop into an Indy 500 car and take it for a spin because hey, I know how to drive.
People are getting all twisted over gun control. However, what I don’t understand is why. They aren’t trying to take away guns completely – just the ones that are over-the-top killing machines. If you need an automatic weapon to hunt… you probably are a lousy hunter and should give up the sport. All of the hunters I know (and I know a bunch) hunt with either riffles or crossbows.
Signed…. a responsible gun owner in favor of gun control
Julie, I thank you for sharing your point of view. Automatic weapons are illegal. The weapons in question are semi-automatic weapons with magazines that can hold more than 7 rounds. This would ban a lot of popular handguns. Then where does it stop. The real issue here is controlling really doesn’t keep us any safer as a nation. What it can do is disarm it’s citizems against it’s government. Read American history with the Indians and see how that ended or the history of Germany. Not saying it will happen but it certainly could. We have bigger issues in this country than taking weapons away from law abiding citizens with an expectation criminals and crazies follow the law. Drugs are illegal, yet we still have a drug problem in this country. These are politians, not leaders, making sound bites to get re-elected. These aren’t problem solvers.
Tim, true. However, what does a home owner or hunter need more than 7 bullets in a magazine for? Let’s take out the “making semi automatic and large magazines illegal” out of the equation for a moment. Even if we left those alone and didn’t outlaw them, it’s still easier for me to get a gun (legally) in many states than it is to get a driver’s license. Making it harder to get a gun will make it harder for criminals to get guns (straw buyers). It may prevent someone who’s picking up a rifle in their local sporting good store from shooting his boss in a fit of rage to giving him some time to calm down. People talk about their rights to protect their families but when you look at the statistics of home owners with guns shooting intruders, the numbers are quite low. In Bucks County Pennsylvania, a home invasion resulted in the home owner being murdered, two others being tied up and injured and an arsenal of guns being stolen out of the home. In my area, there are a large number of check cashing agencies. I’d say all of the owners are licensed to carry and do. They also employ the use of armored cars. Doesn’t change the fact that they are targeted on a regular basis by criminals for robbery. The fact the owners are armed doesn’t seem to sway the bad guys at all.
I’m not advocating for taking away the right to own a gun. I’m advocating for limits on that gun ownership.
Hi Tim,
I am a miltary veteran, political conservative, small business owner, one time hunter and citizen of this great country. I am also an amateur historian. As a freedom loving people, I think we should all go back to our Constitution and re-discover the actual, factual reason why the Right To Bear Arms was included in our Bill Of Rights by our Founding Fathers. The times were vastly different in 1783 than they are now. All was very different . . . except for how critically important our freedoms are. I have heard many reasons put forth as to why the Right To Bear Arms was established . . . most of them factually and conceptionally wrong. Most poeple putting forth these reasons seem to be “pro-gun” and NRA supporters. Prior to speaking out, they should insure they know the facts. For all of us in this discussion, I put to the table the question “Why was the Right To Bear Arms” included in our list of basic freedoms?” All feedback will be appreciated
Craig, my understanding was protection from a tyrannical government. If gun control fixed the problem, I would be all for it. Look at the many things that are illegal such as drugs, still problem. Julie, I do believe guns are a deterent for most bad people. The Aurora, CO nut job didn’t pick the closest theatre to his home nor the largest to inflict the most damage. He chose the theatre that had a sign posted no firearms allowed, because he knew it was an unarmed audience to inflict maximum damage. The problem is not the guns but our media who gives them the fame and attention they have been craving from society. Our children are desensitized to violence through TV, movies and video games. Our government choses the path of gun control so not to insult their Hollywood buddies. Again it boils down to lack of leadership over playing politics. Craig, I disagree that things are vastly different. I believe the more things change the more they stay the same. The Founding Fathers got it right. As my connection Jean stated, “blaming the gun for violence is like blaming the pencil for misspelling a word”.
Tim, As my connection Jean stated, “blaming the gun for violence is like blaming the pencil for misspelling a word” – but just like the misspelling, the detrimental act was caused by the person wielding it. Comparing causing a death by using a firearm to causing an eye roll because someone misspelled a word is just ridiculous. No different than the car comparison.
Can you provide a link for the statement on why the gunman in Colorado choose that theater?
That’s a fair part of it Will, but not the main, most practical reason. Let’s not forget that after the Revolution, most of our army plus the local and regional militias were disbanded . . . yet quite a few immediate threats remained upon and even with our ‘assumed’ borders. Threats from Britain, Spain, The Netherlands plus the little known indigenous populations in the western wilderness were huge. Tyrannical government considerations were secondary . . . yet that reason is quite convenient today for ‘pro-gun’ enthusiasts, big business and NRA proponents. Most military professionals will agree that we do not need para-miltary and military styled assault weoponry with large magazine and drum capacity. And keep in mind that although this weoponry is classified as semi-automatic . . . it takes only a small adjustment to bring full automatic to reality. American ingenuity has proved that point time and again. Gun Control is not by any means the complete answer but it is merely a start. Our President said only a few weeks ago that as a society and culture we ‘have to change’. The problem lies in our value system and cultural morays . . not just the guns.
Julie, my point of my blog was not to start a heated debate. I don’t have a link for you. I heard it on TV or the radio, it has been awhile and I can’t remember which one. My point is there is no way government can pass enough laws to makes us all safe. We have to live our lives to the fullest and when your time is up, your time is up. Just get your affairs in order and go live it. We weren’t trying to down play a pencil to a gun. That point was they are all just tools. A car, a hammer, a gun or even a pencil in the wrong persons hands can be a deadly weapon. The biggest mass murder in this country’s history didn’t involve any gun. A psycho blew up a school. Craig, you and I are not far apart on what you are saying. I agree we have a lot more problems than just guns. I am afraid that will be a long road to fix. I wish you both much continued success.
Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying gun control is the answer or solution but rather part of the puzzle. I googled the statement and the only thing I could find was an assumption made on Fox News – nothing concrete. Actually, the biggest mass murder – the weapon used was an airplane. Sick people will do sick things. Always have, always will. I’d like to see them have less of an opportunity to kill large numbers of people at once. Now, building a bomb isn’t as easy as it used to be (fertilizer companies now report unusual purchase patterns), no way in hell passengers or air marshals on a plane would allow someone to breach the cockpit. Point is, we’ve learned from many of our tragic events – this one… not so much.
Oh, by the way – my intention was not to engage in a heated debate (and I still don’t think this is very heated) – rather an intelligent discussion.
Julie, I understood that, you have been very gracious and informative. I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
John Allen Muhammad, aka. the DC Sniper, killed 10 and wounded and maimed several others. Gun controls were in existence at that time and place and what good did they do? They were obviously completely impotent.
Will piling laws and restrictions higher and deeper make a difference? Legislators may feel better after engaging in more knee-jerk legislation, but the law of diminishing returns has already manifested in this area.
The “feel-good” legislation will serve only to punish and endanger the innocent and cost more jobs. Most notably, it will not save lives.
If a solution is really being sought, instead of symbolic and ineffectual cumulative legislation, gun control at the door [metal detectors] is where it works best.
John, thank you for your meaningful comments. I couldn’t agree more.
affordable and available mental health insurance and screenings would go a long way to curtail the gun violence in America along with banning those idiotic violent war games. Kids have been desensitized to violence. Mental illness and all the war games really make for a dangerous situation.
Elizabeth, you nailed the real problem. Unfortunately, this government only treats a symptom and not the problem. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us.
Elizabeth, John & Tim, thank you for your straightforward, no nonsense comments. Please let me add, regarding the public (not solely kids) being desensitized to violence, many of us in the educational side of the media business (where I began my career) in the late ’70’s & early ’80’s, were alarmed about increasing sensationalism & violence in the media–for sensationalization’s sake. We have been deeply concerned about the impact on our psyches & subconscious minds for decades.
The impact of media, which bombards us daily, has been heatedly debated for decades, as I’m sure you area aware. The outcome was always that we couldn’t show sufficient evidence of cause & effect to prove a negative impact. Behavior is so complex. And we could make no headway to stem the tide of increasing violence in scope & frequency.
So here we are today…with the loudest ones among us blaming the guns. What happened to parenting, discipline & good common sense? No problem is ALL any one influence, or most kids would be toting automatic weapons.
Very well said Jaci, thank you for sharing. I really appreciate it.
You know my feeling, Tim – it is to wonder if gun ownership really keeps us safe or does it make some gun owners merely feel safe. I don’t really have any problem with honest people, properly trained, possessing firearms.
Mack, I do believe it works both ways. Gun ownership and gun control makes some people feel safe. The point of my blog is that lfe is a risk. As much as we all want to be safe, no government laws can guarantee that. Maybe a feeling of safe, but not a reality of safe. Just got to go out and live life to the fullest and stop worrying about dying. Thank you so much for sharing your comments, I appreciate it.
Yes, guns do keep us safe! ) Even criminals take the presence of a firearm seriously. More specifically, everyday 550 rapes, 1,100 murders, and 5,200 other violent crimes are prevented simply by the presence of a firearm. In less than 0.9% of these instances the gun never fired. (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2000, Bureau of Justice Statistics, BATF estimates on handgun supply)
Richard, excellent contribution to this discussion. Thank you for sharing.
It seems that almost all the laws we need are already there. What needs to happen, in my opinion is that everyone that buys a gun from anyone has the same rights and the same responsibilities. That means registering and submitting to a background check at the gun dealer and at the flea market or any other secondary market. Finally, every state should do it the same way so a national database has some relevance. We won’t stop all the crooks, but at least we can do our part correctly.
I do not want a gun, but I also don’t want to get in the way of a law abiding citizen that wants one. I also have allergies and don’t mind proving who I am to get medicine. I also submitted to the process of proving I know how to drive and who I am to get a drivers license. I don’t see it as intrusive, just the things we do everyday.
My comment is short and simple, the guns are ALREADY out there!….., Amen
Marci, you are absolutely right. Someone posted earlier that there are over 300 million guns in th US and if you removed one per second it would take over 57 yrs to get them all. Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it.
It is wonderful to see an intelligent debate being waged – gun control is such an emotional topic right now but dialogues are absolutely essential. Along those lines, I have some FBI statistics to share:
– 99.8% of all guns are never used in any crime.
– Guns are used 4 times as often in self-defense as in a crime and 98% of the time the gun isn’t even fired.
– after guns were banned in the UK, the armed robbery rate spiked to over 40%, and spiked to over 44% in Australia.
There are more, but you get the point. Gun control is a simplistic reaction to a much broader problem.
Phyllis, thank you so much for sharing the stats. It is hard to argue with facts as most of this is just political pandering to the emotional side of the population. I really appreciate your sharing.
Everyone in this county over 18 should be required to be trained and carry. When only cops and criminals carry we are in REAL danger…
Joie, I do believe anyone who owns a gun should be properly trained. I don’t agree to make everyone carry. I personally know several people that should not be anywhere near a firearm.
~wondering if Tim saw me shoot an Uzi~
I learned (well, tried to learn) how to shoot from the best of them (Israeli soldiers). Trust me when I say… I should never have a carry permit. I’m a lousy shot.
Julie, LOL! Hard to miss with an Uzi. You are too funny!
I fell over when taking my first shot (prepared for a huge recoil and it wasn’t so I overcompensated) and didn’t take my finger off the trigger. You never saw anyone move as fast as these guys! They took my gun away (in Israel, Uzi’s are considered “girl guns”) and told me to never touch a gun again.
logically a permit to carry would not be issued to EVERYONE…exceptions might be criminals, mentally defectives, etc. but you must admit if the people in the theater or teachers in the schools carried the shooters could have been and would have been stopped…additionally, people in general would be much more polite.
Joie, you craked me up with the if everyone was packing, people would be more polite. I like that! LOL! Thank you for sharing.
Just think, NY would be almost silent of horns honking,,,,people wouldn’t push you in the subway…or toss you a “hand sign”, the entire country might just be better
I wonder if there has ever been a comparison in population to gun violent crimes in these cities imposing these laws. Certainly with 8 million people in New York and around Los Angeles, your going to have what seems like a large amount of gun crime, but are the percentages comparable to a city like Dallas or Lincoln, Neb. or Roanoke.
The Judicial System puts criminals back on the street to commit more crimes. I don’t feel to safe when I hear about murderers and armed robbers serving very short sentences if they happen to get convicted. It sounds like most offenders plea bargain to a lesser charge and get out of jail.
The only thing that has not been covered is our constitutional rights. We must stand up and not give up any rights because of emotions. I’ve heard it said before “that we need to give up some right(s) in order to protect —– (what ever the issue of the day was). That would become the termites of distruction of our wonderful country that we love and so many people want
One other root of the problem is the failure of parents to break their childrens’ will at a very early age, not their spirit, but their will. Then, and only then, do children learn to respect parents, adults, other people, neighbors. It’s not just a mental illness issue, it’s a parental issue, When America decides to get its priorities in order, then you will witness a great decline in violence of every kind. America has been led astray by their whims on demand being satisfied immediately. Corporate America had not destroyed America. No moral leadership within these institutions have. We think in the short term only and fail to believe and understand that God sees it all. We can’t escape God believer or not.
Should the government be allowed to start restricting other Amendments such as Free Speech, Abolition of Slavery, Women’s Right to Vote?
That is a good point, Gary. Firstly how does a nation even function without a constitution? Once the fabric of the constitution is torn, where does it end? History gives us the answer, if we’ve indeed learned it.
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”–Thomas Jefferson
I couldn’t agree more Elizabeth. The good old fashion art of raising children has been taboo for a long time. I’m glad I got all of mine properly into adulthood before all of the laws came into affect not to discipline a child. This country has passed laws that literally keep a parent from teaching a child any type of discipline and have renamed a lot of discipline as child abuse. Then when you can’t teach proper behavior, the child will get to where they act irresponsibly. Then you’ve got the psychologist ready to come in and medicate the child with drugs to calm down so they will learn. Thus the development of ADHD and it being classified as a mental disorder. ADHD and the other disorders was given its birth in 1980. This all came about with ‘time out’ and counting to three. My daddy counted to 1 and I’d better get it done. I’ll get down off my soapbox now and get back to the gun issue, sorry
One of the first laws I learned takes care of it all for me.
‘Thou Shalt Not Kill.’
Gun laws will not take care of the problem. There are laws now for gun control; and as most have said and seen the problem continues. You can find a gun if you really want one. Having a respect for the laws given by God makes life simple and if everyone followed them we would have a better society. I do believe that the drugs we so readily are prescribed sometimes when we say we are not feeling so well play a profound effect on those who inevitably commit such acts of mass killing.
Control will not make us safer. I have been in le for over 30 years. I worked just outside of detroit mi…in a city were everyone had a gun or it sure seemed like it. None of them were registered. We just has to assume that they had a gun for our safety. Then I retired and started working in a little village department. The first few traffic stops I made realky got my heart racing because as soon as i entered a lisc. plate in the computer it would give me a warning with a tone saying that the person had a CCW permit. Crime was huge in the first city and virtually none exsistant in the second. The or the people that had guns and registered them an no crime. In contrast look at Chicago. The have gun control…thing that make you go hmmmm…am I the only one that sees this.
Dennis, David and Stacy, everyone of you make very valid points. There are so many factors to this problem. To outlaw guns to law abiding citizens is like banning cars to stop DUIs. As Dennis pointed out, this has been an evolution of bad decisions and this is the price we all have to pay for them. I really appreciate all of your sharing.
Need not only remind people, but inform them, that the 2nd amendment is to have weapon’s, to protect ourself’s against a tyranical gov’t.
Thank you for sharing that important point Thomas
It does in the UK!
Does discussing political or religious views so openly hurt customer out reach or alienate potential buyers of your product?
Patrick, I have seen a big spike in traffic. If you read my blog, it is really not political, but just some common sense. I sell life insurance. The point of the blog is all of the law changes in the world can’t keep people safe. Better get your affairs in order and go live life. Stop trying to live life in a bubble. Everything is a risk. As Stuart points out in the UK that he feels gun control works. But if you were on the bus in London in 2005, those people weren’t too safe. So, to answer your question , no if you have the right point. Thank you for sharing.
I believe in tightening gun laws to the ensure a lower number of them on the street – but I do not believe that we will be able to keep them out of the hands of those who wish to do harm against others. I think that mental health is the biggest /best solution for helping reduce gun violence. The people using guns for violence are hurting inside and are in need of guidance and mental health advisement. I think people should step out of their comfort zone and help those around them – neighbors, friends, relatives – get well mentally. Whether by just talking with them and making sure they feel heard and understood or by encouraging them/referring them to a mental help professional. I am now stepping down from my soap box.
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The UK actually saw an increase in gun crime after their weapons ban. Our previous gun ban that lasted about a decade did nothing to reduce crime. Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mao (and a host of other tyrants) all disarmed their people first, before committing the atrocities they did and that’s just in the past 100 years (a drop in the bucket of time). Every mass shooting in the past decade has been in a “gun free” zone (does that give you a clue?) and all of them have been mentally unstable people. Chicago has the strongest gun control laws in the US (Conneticutt is 4th) and they have the highest murder rate using guns. The only way to stop this is for the people to have the right to bear arms. Using the logic that you don’t need a gun because the police or government will protect you is like saying you don’t need fire extinguishers because you have a fire department. The real answer is finding a way to deal with the mentally ill so they don’t harm others, not grandstand about guns.
Tammy, I agree with you about the mentally ill – should have read your post before I made mine.
Michael, can’t argue with any of that. Thank you for sharing.
Michael, I appreciate that you were able to point out specific points to reinforce my comment.
Michael and Tammy, I agree with your points, however gun control should not be about no guns at all, but about the types of guns. The average citizen has no use for assault riffles, and plus do not say you are using it for hunting deer, as that would pulverize the animal and there would be nothing left to eat. Removing assault riffles for sale and collecting all those that are in circulation right now would probably lessen the chances of them getting into the hands of those who are mentally ill. After all the young man in Newton could have been avoided if his mother had bothered to get rid of her assault riffle, and noticed that he had a mental problem.
Rose, where does it end? Remember, when they were just going to ban smoking in restaurants? Now smoking bans are everywhere. Our government has an insatiable appetite for over control. In the words of Benjamin Franklin “they who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Just food for thought.
Sorry Rose, but I think you’re missing the point. Having a semi automatic rifle is about protection. While there are those who do use them for hunting, and it doesn’t necessarily pulverize the animal (that’s hollywood & video game overkill imagery). Many people prefer them because of the slight recoil. Still, it’s for protection. If my home was being invaded by criminals intent on stealing and doing me harm, I want to have a weapon that can handle that situation – it’s going to take the police 20 minutes or longer to arrive, which is to the criminals advantage. I want to eliminate that advantage. I’ll tell you, if they have a choice between going to a home that has a potentially armed person or a “gun free zone”, they’ll take gun free every time. That’s why cities like Chicago, Baltimore and New York have such high gun crime rates. It’s only the criminals and police who have guns. As for the mentally ill, if they are going to kill, they’ll do it any way they can. Conneticutt has the 4th strictest gun laws. He murdered his mother to steal those weapons, and also had pistols. Timothy McViegh used a bomb to kill more children using simple ingredients you can buy anywhere. And the worst school killing (39 children) in American history was a car bombing by a school administrator. It’s not the guns that are the problem. Our politicians (including the President) send their children to a school with armed security, then require that the average american send their children to gun free zones
he nation is not actually discussing gun control. We are discussing the processes surrounding how guns are made available and reducing the risk of murder. The public has to admit that once a gun is manufactured it cannot be controlled. People have a right to own and shoot firearms. Amendment II: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” People also have a right not to be shot. Amendment IX: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” The real argument for our country is to decide which right is more important . A right to not be shot, — or the right to shoot a person when necessary. If you can decide that, then the answers become easy. Those persons who really respect the Bill of Rights understand that the ability of the government to protect all citizens from a known dangers is inherent within. If you start with the public’s inherent right to safety, then you can find compromise. Pretending that the right to bear arms trumps personal safety is ignoring the Bill of Rights. So let’s change the dialog. How can we protect all of our rights at the same time?
Matthew, I am certainly not qualified to answer the Constitution question you pose. But perhaps the words of one of the framers may be appropriate. In the words of Benjamin Franklin “they who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
One of my favorite Men and so true. I wish he were here today to help us
adapt
Sent from my iPhone
I thought this was a BNI discussion group (as in Business Networking International). I hear enough of the gun debate on the radio, TV, in newspapers. I don’t care to see it in a BNI discussion. I joined this discussion group to gain interesting points on growing my business.
Thank you.
Well Curtis, feel free to start some other streams for discussion but don’t be fooled that this gun control issue and the issues surrounding it are not related to business. Our businesses and the fears that run through our employees on a daily basis as well as the safety we must provide to our employees is vital. Not to mention the mental health issues that are incredibly important for our businesses to run efficiently. If our employees do not feel safe at work or are too depressed to come to work or function at work…that is our problem as business owners.
Givers Gain is important so make sure that you give advice before your complain about the ideas that others care to discuss and only trying to gain from the advice of others.
Have a wonderful day
Thanks for your comment Tammy. Point taken.
Well said Tammy – As a Realtor, we hear frequently about fellow practitioners who are mugged, robbed, etc at Open Houses, showing vacant homes and just generally meeting customers. Having the right and ability to conceal carry gives an extra measure of protection against those that wish to do us harm when we are trying to help honest hardworking people find homes. When it takes minutes or longer for the police to respond, 1200 fps matters….
Michael, I don’t know where you get your information (an NRA website perhaps?) but gun crime only went up very briefly after guns were banned in the UK and the reason for the increase was it became illegal to keep a gun at home and so the few people who chose to ignore the law were convicted and dealt with.
The American obsession with justifying gun ownership on the basis of “protection” is really bizarre. Protection from whom? Other idiots with guns?
Good point Susan,
Also look at how many deaths by guns in the USA, the Police go in guns blazing; where as in the UK we have far fewer death by police as we appreciate life more. I would rather have a copper with a truncheon and tazer than a big cannon!!
Not sure what information you’re referring to Susan – but it’s a shame that the UK made otherwise law abiding citizens criminals just because they owned a gun. It’s not an obsession, it’s our right as American citizens granted under our constitution. I don’t see wanting to protect myself as bizarre – nor does owning a gun make me an idiot. It’s a shame you have to resort to insults rather than just have a conversation.
While I don’t have exact numbers, I’d say it’s safe to say that in the US there are probably more people who own guns than the entire population of the UK and never have a problem. Law abiding citizens. Everyone one of the mass shootings in the past decade were committed by people who were mentally ill. The sad thing is that there were people around them that knew they had problems and did nothing about it until it was too late. That’s the real shame. Chicago has the strictest gun control laws in the country and yet it also has the highest gun crime rate. And murder rate. Not an NRA statistic, that comes from our New Media and the FBI crime statistics. The real problem is people who, rather than tackle the real issue – which is mental health. It’s easier to use fear to motivate people to give up their rights. Stuart, the police don’t go in “guns blazing” – that’s more hype then truth.
You missed the point Michael – the law abiding citizens turned in their weapons and the criminals kept them. So they were treated as such. Law abiding citizens do not break the law, by definition.
The school shooting in the UK was nearly 18 years ago and there hasn’t been a mass shooting in the UK since. You guys have had at least 4 that have been reported since that dreadful one in December.
Sure mental health is a huge issue, but its the fact that the mentally ill have easy access to guns that’s the problem.
And as for your constitution – it was written hundreds of years ago when muzzle loading guns were state of the art. And it really troubles me that a lot of the chat I’m hearing about your so called right to bear arms is justified by saying it means if you don’t like the government the militias can take up arms to take it down. Not what we really want to hear from a country that lectures other countries on democracy.
And as for a “God given right” – seriously? I thought God was pretty clear about killing.
Sorry, I didn’t miss the point – basically, if they didn’t give up their guns, they became criminals and were treated as such. No government should have the right to disarm it’s citizens. Remember Hitler? That’s how he started. The people willingly gave up their weapons, then let him take control of the education system and started the “Hitler Youth”. End result was the holocaust. That will never happen in America because of our rights granted by that hundreds of years old Constitution.
You also have it backwards. It’s not about the people rising up because they don’t like their government. It’s about preventing the government from overstepping their bounds. Hitler is only one example of this, and in the grand scheme of world history, not so very long ago. And if you don’t think it could happen again in this day and age, start paying attention to what’s happening in the middle east – their very goal is to destroy western civilization.
As for lecturing on democracy, don’t know where you came up with that – and besides, America is not a Democracy, it’s a Republic. While we have democratic elections where the majority rules, our country is a Republic where the focus is on individual rights. That’s what our Constitution and Bill of Rights are all about – guaranteeing the individual their rights to what should be everybody’s inalienable rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No one owes you anything, you only deserve what you earn so long as you don’t infringe on someone else’s rights while doing so.
And I never once mentioned God – or a God given right, so don’t put words in my mouth. Yes, one of God’s commandments is to not kill but that doesn’t mean you can’t defend yourself. Lot’s of examples of that throughout the bible. It’s man that’s the problem, and man has a great capacity for evil.
Every one of the mass shootings all occured in “Gun Free Zones”. Ever wonder why? It’s because they knew no one could stop them. There are many many more instances where someone was armed and prevented this from happening.
Check out Nationmaster.com – world wide crime statistics. Some interesting stuff. In the UK, Assauts, rapes, drug offenses and overall crime victims are higher in the UK than in the US. Also, we have more confidence in our police and feel safer. Gun crime is higher, and I wish it would show it based on population density because I think that would also make a big difference. Cities like Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Detroit with their strict gun laws have much higher gun crimes than other areas. And of course out total population is 300,000,000 to UK 60,000,000.
Funny thing is, I don’t even own one of those rifles. Just a hunting rifle and a nice pistol, couple of compound bows. But, and it’s a big but – that doesn’t change anything. No government should have the right to disarm it’s citizens or limit what they use to defend themselves.
Another of the real problems is very typical – instead of dealing with the real issue (keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable and identifying them so they can’t harm others) so many out there want to punish those who have done nothing wrong.