Monday, April 13, 2009

Gun control

As someone who has grown up around guns and gun-toting cowboys, I am adamantly against gun control. I believe that our forefathers meant just what they said when they wrote the second amendment: 'The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.' And yet our government is slowly taking away our right to bear arms. They constantly impose stricter laws and regulations on people who own firearms, with the excuse that they are trying to keep guns out of the hands of those people who would use them to harm others.
It makes me angry.
You know what else makes me angry? The way the media vilifies firearms and those who choose to own them. I was pretty disgusted with 'If I Only Had a Gun', the 20/20 special that aired last Friday. They seemed to be trying to make the case that since a majority of children and teenagers (and even many adults) don't know how to handle a gun correctly, then nobody should be able to own a firearm. What I think is that since a majority of children, teenagers and adults don't know how to handle a gun correctly, they should BE EDUCATED. For instance, as a child I was taught that you should NEVER point your gun at any living thing unless you plan to kill it. Even if you think that the gun isn't loaded. Guns are NOT toys and should not be treated as such. I believe that there would be a lot fewer accidental shootings if children were actively educated and taught respect for firearms.
Kellene of Women of Caliber has some good points about the 20/20 special. I like what she has to say, and I especially love point #3, where she talks about freedom. Check it out: http://womenofcaliber.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/2020-shoots-blanks/
And for those of you who missed the show you can find it in pieces on YouTube.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm with you there, sister. If children, teens and adults don't know how to safely weild a gun, get educated! Don't take away our choices just because there are stupid people who misuse their agency. Punish them, not everyone else. Thanks for the syndication, glad you appreciated my thoughts on the matter.