nickjohnson
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JWilsonphoto wrote:
Yes Niall, very different situations for sure. Can't really explain it and it would be a waste of time if I could, but until it can be demonstrated to me that "gun control" means a significant reduction in firearm access to actors with mal intent, the most reasonable course of action is to be trained, responsible and prepared to defend one's self and others. I find myself in frequent situations where I'm vulnerable and defenseless, absent a means to protect myself, and it is becoming increasingly evident that there is no "safe space".
I have had numerous conversations, philosophical and technical with friends in law enforcement from the Secret Service/FBI level, down to local officers. and to the man/women, they are proponents of responsible citizens being part of the concealed carry program. Statistics bear out that crime falls in the areas where CC is enacted. Believe me when I tell you that I understand the seriousness of carrying a weapon, I wish life was all Unicorns and rainbows, and that we lived in a much kinder, gentler world, unfortunately that is not reality. Do I believe in a bunch of people getting CC certification, buying a firearm and toting it around without continuous training, certainly not. Do I wish with all of my heart that there had been a "me" somewhere in that church congregation outside of San Antonio a few weeks ago, absolutely.
You'll notice little reference from the gun control pundits in the US to the fact that first of all the "control" system completely dropped the ball, allowing a clearly deranged "person" access to lethal weapons when he shouldn't have been allowed to buy a squirt gun. Secondly, that "gun free" prohibition on the door of the church pretty much guaranteed a risk free environment to the perpetrator, and thirdly, the situation was terminated by a law abiding and well trained citizen who took his 2nd Amendment rights very seriously. Nope "gun control" in our country is just another plank in one party's platform that ignores reason, statistics, and reality, all in furtherance of an agenda.
Sadly Niall, we are of the same heart, I abhor violence, anyone hurting anyone, physically or psychologically. My philosophy seems to be held by fewer people every day, but I have always believed that any violence, whether it be verbal or physical, is a clear indication of the weak mind of the person or persons perpetrating it. I will not be dissuaded from my philosophy, it is the minimum my Savior expects of me, on the other hand, it would be irresponsible of me not to be educated, skilled and prepared to deal with the evil that clearly surrounds us today.
I read the account, just one story of the unthinkable many, where a father in South Texas buried eight of his family members yesterday, inconceivable . I wonder what he might say to us about gun control and the fact that before the bodies were removed from the building the ire and thunder of gun control proponents blasted from every TV and radio, calling for more laws, when it was the lack of enforcement of laws already firmly on the books that allowed this latest tragedy? They are silent as well when they are asked how any of this will help when the tightest controls and all of their wishes are in force in Chicago Illinois, widely recognized as the gun violence and murder capitol of the US. Just another case where politics and an agenda cannot get out of the way to allow a discourse of reason and logic.
Unfortunately, I don't see any of this getting any better, so one has a couple of choices, ignore it and imagine the unicorns, or be responsibly prepared. I wish it were otherwise, and as I said before, in theory I wholeheartedly agree with your statement.
With much respect,
JW...Show more →
We who are fortunate enough to live in the UK are in a very different place to those who live in the US. But it is no utopia, not by a long way. We have no widespread history of gun ownership in our culture. Yes, we have some folks who have smooth bore weapons for shooting birds – feathered or clay. We have a greatly diminished number of folks who shoot rifles on highland deer hunts and on target ranges in Surrey. Our Olympic pistol shooters practice in other countries due to stringent regulations at home. The vast majority of our population have never seen a firearm – except at the airport or major train station – held in the hands of an armed police person. Uniquely for a major nation, our police force is not armed with guns. Only police firearms officers are armed – we have a couple of thousand of those to cover the entire country. Police persons are armed in Northern Ireland. Apart from the owners of the 1.2 million legally held fire arms most people who have handled a gun are ex service folks like me. I think this situation serves us well, insofar as a lot of the bad guys with illegal guns have no idea how to operate them!
But all is not well. IMHO we share with the US a problem in our society. We have more than our fair share of people who use violence as a means of changing their world to suit their own world view or who use violence in retribution when their world comes up short of their expectation. Instead of guns these people use knives or acid or whatever. So yes, we don’t have the pervasive use of guns as the weapon of choice – but we sure have plenty of violence. So any idea that we in the UK don’t have “that kind of problem” is, at best, delusional.
Sadly, my belief is that one of the national characteristics of the US population is preventing meaningful progress with “gun control”. Much of what has made the USA great is the belief the “we can fix this”. For the most part you have and you can. However, no amount of legislation or programs is going to fix widespread use of violence by an apparently increasing minority. That change will only happen when and if there is a widespread and overwhelming mandate from society at large to turn the tide. It is going to be a very long journey and one that the UK needs to embark upon too.
In sadness as much as anything......
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