Firearms Friday: Responsibility

Following the mass murder at the Umpqua Community College free fire zone yesterday, it didn’t take very long before the reactions to the horrifying event flooded social media. Politicians, celebrities, athletes all took to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to both express their horror and condolences but also offer their prayers to the victims and their families. Of course, if the messages stopped there I wouldn’t be writing this post.

What followed these messages of consolation and peace were what has become inevitable attacks against inanimate objects and the people who own them (i.e. me). One particularly liberal friend of mine on Facebook, whom I doubt has even held a firearm in their life, even posted the following today:

“Our legal system is predicated on the notion that it is better to let ten guilty people go free than to send one innocent person to jail. In my view it is better to deny ten lawful citizens guns than to have one loss of innocent life. Therefore I support bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines; weapons that are more equipped to do harm than good. I also support requirements for gun owners to be licensed and insured.”

First of all, this “if it only saves one life it is worth it” crap is getting old. If our goal was to save a single life we should really be talking about banning cars, alcohol, prescription drugs, fast food, bats, professional sports, the internet, and dissolving the entire educational system. All of these things are part of everyday life and all are the source of multiple deaths per year. And, keep in mind, none of these things are a right. They may be seen as the social norm these days but in the end they are all privileges.

But let’s take a closer look at the words posted. Just take a look at the first sentence… you would rather have ten people enjoy their freedom than deprive a single one of said freedom for a crime they did not commit. I completely agree with this statement. We can’t deprive an entire groups of people of their rights to ownership or, as in this case, put limits on their rights because of the crimes committed by a few… don’t persecute the innocent and don’t accuse people of a crime simply for owning an inanimate object.

As for the last part, this is completely ridiculous. There should not be a penalty (i.e. license and insurance) for exercising my right. And this is coming from the same crowd that refuses to support the requirement of a photo ID to exercise another right… voting. I can prove who I am and ownership if I need to do so, there should be no other requirement. We might as well require a license and insurance for those who wish to use the internet… after all, there are a few people who use that tool for nefarious reasons as well. And we should abolish the entire educational system because there are a few “teachers” in this country who are indoctrinating, harming, and pushing children to their suicidal breaking points. All these actions wouldn’t save a single life, they would save multiple lives so what are we waiting for.

This crap has got to stop. Assign blame to the person or persons responsible not to a large group of people with whom you disagree. Accept the fact that you can’t protect everyone and that evil exists in this world regardless of the number of laws that you pass or places you declare free fire zones. And hold people accountable for their actions and don’t give them the exposure that they crave by taking about their evil deeds over and over and over again to further your political ideology. Take responsibility for yourself and stop relying on others for everything in your life including your safety and security. We used to be a self-sufficient nation that accepted personal responsibility for our actions and we need to return to that mentality.

Firearms Friday: Free Fire Zones

Two weeks after the false alarm at the Washington Naval Yard, another unthinkable tragedy unfolded in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Another deranged individual targeted innocent military personnel left unable to defend themselves in a ‘Gun Free Zone’. Having defended their own lives and defending our way of life, they were left without a means to defend themselves against an active shooter in their own country. We can’t continue to allow those who have sacrificed so much already to be defenseless when they return home. Today, while flags may not be at half mast, we remember those who lost their lives yesterday because of this country’s nonsensical prohibitions.

This is just the latest in a string of horrors that were made possible, at least in part, by the inane limitations placed on those to protect themselves and other innocent lives. We cannot stop unstable people from committing heinous crimes but we can’t look at stripping an individual’s ability to protect themselves or others as a solution to the problem. What continues to be coined by many under the misleading term of “gun free zone” has proven to be anything but and should be seen for what they are “free fire zones”.

Whether it is trained individuals protecting innocent children or trained individuals defending their own lives, innocent people should be given every opportunity to live rather than be left to become victims in these lawless areas. Will eliminating these ‘zones’ prevent tragedy? There is no way that will happen but it is conceivable that such an elimination would have a positive outcome. After all, you would be removing the ‘targets of opportunity’ label from the backs of thousands upon thousands of innocent people on a daily basis.

However, let us go back to the events of yesterday. It is disturbing to think that those who risked their lives to defend our freedom and our rights are stripped of some of those rights as soon as they return home. How the heck does that make sense? Why are they expected to defend others abroad but not allowed to defend themselves and other Americans at home? Someone really needs to find a reasonable explanation for this nonsense.

And let us not forget that these tragedies are inflicted upon people by other people. The means by which these acts are committed should be a non-factor. In fact, those with the means to defend themselves and others, could potentially stop these mass murders before they happen. If anything, firearms are a solution not the cause of the problem that we are now facing. In the end, it comes down to people. There are good people and there are evil people. Rather than giving greater opportunity for evil to have their way, let’s make sure that good people have every means available to stop evil people from having their way.