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.   

Remembering The Children Lost On This Day

One year ago today our throats would not allow a word to escape from our lips. We were all rendered speechless by the news from Connecticut and the innocent faces that will forever be etched in our minds. It is hard to comprehend the hate that was manifested in the actions of a disturbed individual. Even now, as we remember those young lives lost, I can’t get over the evil that was visited upon that community that day.

Today should be a day to reflect, remember, and honor those who were lost to the world, those lights that were extinguished before they had the chance to truly shine with magnificent radiance. We should keep the families of the victims in our hearts and the ask G-d to ease their pain in our prayers. Those live lost, those innocent souls, those young faces should be the focus of our thoughts today.

However, as was made evident by the President today, many thoughts are not on the victims and the heinous actions of a murderous individual. They are on the objects that are so misunderstood by so many and appreciated and respected by too few. Objects, whatever they may be, will always require a force to be acted upon it to create an action. People are the root of good as well as the root of evil.

While all this was happening and the accusations were being made against those who have honored the laws of this country and respected the responsibilities of ownership, there was a sense that the people, the small children, have been lost in the politics of the day. A single event has been leveraged so fully to push an agenda that it has now defined these young lives. The actions of others should never define our own lives.

We should be the source of memory, our actions are the ones that should serve as a means of remembrance. Many lives are cut short and brave children are taken from the loving embrace of their mothers and fathers. While not all are as violent as those premature passings in Connecticut a year ago, they are all tragic and heartbreaking. One such moment of heartbreak occurred just after midnight. Superman Sam passed away at 12:33 am in the warm embrace of his mother and father.

It had been 18 months since he was first diagnosed with refractory acute myeloid leukemia. His mother kept a blog throughout the entire struggle. The good days, the bad days, the days of hope, and the days of sadness. She even wrote abouthis passing tonight, less than 24 hours after Sam’s last breath.

There are countless children taken from this world and they should all be remembered for the hope and innocence that lived in each and every one of them. If there was something that could be done to guarantee that these things wouldn’t happen, that no child would ever die, I would be the first one to throw my full and fervent support behind it. However, that is, unfortunately, not the reality in which we all live. This is why I choose to put my full support and faith in G-d because man cannot make such a promise but G-d offers the possibility and the hope that things can change, that people can change, and that those children who have been taken from us are in a better place than this limited world.

Remember not the actions of others but the lives of those lost. Pray for the end of such evil acts. And hold fast to your faith and your family and do all that is in your power to protect them.

We Didn’t Do Anything!

Now is the time to stop. Now is the time to think. Now is the time to help those in need. Now is the time to focus on the real problems at hand. Now is the time to offer comfort to those who are grieving. Now is the time to focus on people.

The irony was not lost on me between my last post and the events in Washington, DC today and now I find myself thrust into the spotlight (more like a flashlight given the reach of this blog). This is a topic that I did not want to or was planning to write about so soon but given the feedback that has been received I find that I have no other option than to address the issue at hand. However, before I continue writing I will say that everyone has the constitutionally protected right to have and share their opinion. The purpose of this post is not to argue, it is simply to offer an opinion (one of the many rights I exercise).   

Population Gun control has been the knee jerk reaction for most of this country in the wake of horrendous acts such as the one today. For people unfamiliar with firearms I can understand to a certain extent the need to focus their anger in such emotionally charged times. It is the desire to find some semblance of controlling the uncontrollable. Free will, no matter how disturbing it is in some instances, is uncontrollable which is why people have focused on the means and not the motive.

The societal problem at hand is not one that has anything to do with the rights granted to us by our forefathers. The problem is in the minds of the people. These actions are not committed by a piece of metal; these actions are committed by people. The means by which these horrific actions are carried out is irrelevant; the deranged individuals behind these acts are the problem.

The reaction of many in this country, including the current administration and the media, is not one that is productive. Attacking a large swath of the population and treating us as accessories to the crime is disgraceful. We should not be the focus of your efforts.

The focus, first and foremost, needs to be on the people affected by tragedy. Comfort your neighbor and offer whatever support you can. Be a calming influence on them and offer solace rather than stirring up hysteria. Secondly, find the people that are misguided, the people who are troubled, the people afflicted with mental illness and be proactive in preventing the prevalence of such tragedies.

Do I know the exact cause of such a breakdown in society and in the minds of the people? No. I am neither a sociologist nor a psychologist. But, it’s safe to say that there is a huge problem in this country and it does not stem from what we spend our own money on. Our issues are deep in the gray matter not in blued steel.

Unification, Division, and Mourning

Today’s post is one that I have not been looking forward to but I think this is something that needed to be written. There will be many of you that agree with me and many of you that will not. Some will think this post inappropriate while some think it necessary. It is on a topic that has been heavily debated for some time now and that is, to say the least, very polarizing.

Six months ago this Friday this country was shaken by the devastation imparted by a deranged individual at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. To say that this was a senseless tragedy is an understatement and I firmly believe that we should unite to find a means to put an end to such horrendous acts of man.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case as the root cause of this murderous endeavor has been skewed by placing the blame on the means rather than the motive and the individual. This was an evil act carried out by a human being (that term is admittedly used loosely in this instance) without morals against the most pure and innocent in our society. We know what happened and how it happened but what should be focused on is why it happened.

We need to stop focusing on inanimate objects and look at the core of the problem which is mental health and the factors that contribute to moral disconnect. Violence is an issue that plagues every country, every community in this world, without any preference as to the means in which it is carried out and in every case the individual(s) must be held accountable. These crimes cannot be an excuse to condemn an entire group of people… we cannot judge people because of race, religion, politics, or any object they legally own or sport they legally participate in. 

We are a nation of laws. We are a nation of rights. We are a nation of freedoms. Those who break, repeal, or limit these should be held accountable for their actions. Let your voice be heard and don’t let changes be made without your vote being cast.

We grieve as a people united. We judge as a people divided. We accuse as individuals. The means to unite this nation lies within us all. Respect is as the heart of unification. We must show respect to those lives lost. We must seek to punish those who do not respect the lives of others. We must respect the opinions of others. We must respect the laws of this country.

In the end, no justice can be done to ease the suffering stemming from this event, no law or campaign can change the past, no right can be trampled that would prevent this in the future. What we can do, and what we should all agree upon, is that we need to take time to mourn and remember those who were taken from this world, their families, and the community that will forever be shaken.