Gun Control: Saving Us From Ourselves

I'm trying to set aside my emotions on the matter. I'm trying to understand, in an unbiased way, why those that follow liberal politics want to control guns. What is the logic in reducing the number and type of guns available to law abiding citizens?

I took my information from the comment section under Politico's Should Military Gun Rules Be Eased. There was plenty of rudeness and high emotions on both sides of the argument, but once I managed to sort through things, the running theme in favor of gun control is to reduce the availability of guns for criminals, the insane, and the suicidal by making them unavailable for purchase by anyone, including the law abiding and emotionally stable.

Said LiberalXaltotun:
The top 10 states for per-capita firearms deaths are also the top 10 states for firearm ownership.

The bottom 10 states for per capita firearms deaths are also the bottom 10 states for firearm ownership.

Sure, let's make sure more people have guns. Brilliant

Gumpchun:

copyright Florida Today, by Jeff Parker

The bad TV-show-generated fallacy that ubiquitous guns means less violence is laughable, statistically bogus and utterly false.

More guns equals more dead soldiers. More guns on our streets means more dead Americans.

Even a child knows that. Having even grandmas packing heat so that every dispute, misunderstanding, grievance or show-and-tell is between people armed to the teeth with the ability to kill again and again is no prescription for safety.

Never was, never will be.

Rick W4:
I doubt there are many current or retired (like me) service members who want folks walking around bases/posts with loaded weapons. Weapons are for using against the enemy, in combat, not at home. I served on active duty for 25 years and only touched firearms for training or deployment purposes. There is no protection against a deranged person who is willing to sacrifice his life to commit a criminal act. The notion of more guns equals more protection is absurd. More guns only increases the opportunity for tragedy.

Of course these were just opinions. None of them had any attached substantiating links.

The problem I see with the argument of taking away the weapon is it doesn't resolve the reason why one person would want to kill himself or another.

No one commits murder or suicide just because he has a gun. It's a problem of the human heart (or the mind as is often the case), and taking away one weapon would only lead humanity to seek other weapons. Remember, guns are a relatively recent innovation in weapons technology. For most of recorded human history we've killed each other and ourselves with knives, swords, arrows, spears, rocks, poisons, farm and fishing equipment, even our bare hands.

Passion is inherent in human nature. No doctor has fully succeeded in drugging away our darker feelings, and no politician has yet drafted a law against death that we've been willing to follow. Until such time, we take a risk with every moment that it may be our last. Accept it.

A Criminal Mastermind and a Bumper Sticker

An evil genius wakes up one morning and says to himself, "Hmm. I wonder what I'm going to do today. I think I'll let fate decide".

He drives to the grocery store and sees this on a car:

He also sees a bumper sticker proclaiming an honor student at Local Middle School, and a parking pass for Standard Heights HOA.

"Huzzah!", he says to himself, "I know exactly what I'll do today. I'll kidnap a football player, terrorize a woman and a baby, rob their house, and kick their little dog! Mwah ha ha ha ha! No one will be able to stop me because soldiers are never home! Bwah ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Snort! Mwah ha ha! Bwah ha ha ha! Cough cough. He he!"

Of course because Billy was at football practice and surrounded by witnesses, matters were too difficult to manage, so our criminal mastermind decided that kidnapping a football player might not be ideal today. After that he drove to the Standard Heights neighborhood and realized he didn't actually have an address; but after driving around a while, he found the car with the bumper stickers. The evil genius broke into the house and was promptly barked at then bit by a very large dog, then a very large man with a gun came around a corner...

You decide out how it ends.

This story was inspired by the geniuses behind this unsubstantiated, fear inducing visual currently circulating on Facebook:

There is nothing of use to a criminal on these kind of bumper stickers, save that the dad is trained in the use of firearms.

Does it matter to a would be kidnapper where a random child goes to school or what sport he plays? No. Kidnapping is almost never a random occurrence, in spite of what popular media leads us to believe. Usually kidnap is carried out by close family members, in which case, they don't need to consult bumper stickers because they already know the pertinent information. Even is the very rare case of kidnap by stranger, it's not a crime where research determines the victim.

Do cute stick figures matter to a crook bent on breaking and entering? No. It's a crime of opportunity, not affected by how you personalize the family minivan.

Rape, identity theft, car theft, stalking, harassment, assault, murder, etc; none of these crimes are attributable to bumper stickers. No one with intent to do evil cares about your stick figures or honor students. They just do what they do.