Gun Control? What happened to freedom?
With the recent school shooting it seems as though I can't get away from people putting in their two cents worth about gun control. So being a veteran (of two wars) who has used a weapon to protect this country (and myself) I thought I would say my peace about it.
Although I am now a hippie and don't believe in violence, I do believe in being able to protect yourself by any means possible. I believe we not only have the right, but the obligation to. I am not a christian but even in the bible it says "sell your cloak and buy a sword" as an instruction by Jesus to his disciples. Because defending yourself is important!
The way I see it guns don't need to be controlled, people do. We need to start taking some responsibility for our actions, not only as people and parents but also as a society. We need to quit blaming problems on inanimate objects. The fact is people will continue to kill even if you take away guns. People will use not only knives but also blunt objects, sharp objects, poison (cleaning products or other household items), ropes, chains and even vehicles to kill. Does that mean those things should be outlawed?? People can buy crossbows and bow and arrows without any permit at all, those are actually weapons meant to kill, but no one seems to complain about them??
People are very crafty, they will come up with a way to harm or murder and not having a gun wont stop them at all. They can make things like pipe bombs very easily with items bought at a hardware store, come to think about it a lot items in a hardware store could be used to maim and kill, so should we outlaw hardware stores too? I know it sounds ridiculous but so does gun control because some asshole miss uses a gun.
Let's go over some numbers
Pharmaceuticals kill anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 people every year and there is nothing being done to stop that, in fact they are worse than ever before in history and making more drugs by the day!
Nearly 500,000 Americans died after taking a prescription drug in 2015, according to cases reported to the US National Poison Data System. By comparison, no deaths were recorded for vitamins, minerals or nutritional supplements.
In total, 443,900 deaths from prescription medication were reported to one of the US's poison centres, with analgesics—or pain-killers—being the deadliest poison, responsible for 11 per cent of all deaths reported. Sedatives and antidepressants were the fifth and sixth major killers respectively.
Of these, 275,000 were due to some error—such as a wrong dose—and 130,000 were caused by unintentional misuse, such as taking the drug more frequently than prescribed. Nearly 40,000 deaths were attributed to an adverse reaction to a drug that was properly prescribed and taken.
I'm sure those people didn't want to die! Maybe we should make doctors and big pharma illegal, that seems like it would save much more lives than taking away guns..
What about smoking?
Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.
That is a lot more people dying from second hand smoke than mass shootings!!
Let's talk about cops quick
Every likes to think more cops is the answer, when that couldn't be farther from the truth. I read this interesting article a few days ago by the Activist Post (a media company). It was explaining how gun control means the people loose their guns, not the government. That definitely seems like a really stupid idea to me considering the government has to much power as is.
In 3 Years, Cops Have Killed 450% More Citizens Than 4 Decades of Mass Shootings COMBINED!
That's right, the people you trust to do justice are actually mass murderers! They don't abide by the law and let a judge and jury choose your fate, they become the judge, jury and executioner when they decide your fate for you! I know you think they have no choice but many of the people they shot were unarmed people who did nothing wrong.. SO PLEASE TRY TO JUSTIFY THAT TO ME!!!!
I promise you that if you take guns away people will still kill and be violent. In fact WAY more people are killed from knives than guns every year but you don't hear anyone talking about that.
Stabbings
Believe it or not mass murders happen with knives too, this guy killed 19 people and injured another 26 just a few years ago. This is just one story, I found quite a few.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/25/tokyo-knife-attack-stabbing-sagamihara
HUH??? Why no knife control?? Because as all of you know it would be ridiculous.... just like gun control is ridiculous! Stop blaming OBJECTS for violence.
The problem is people! We need to start taking responsibility for our actions instead of always blaming something else. Guns aren't the problem, stupid people are. We have become a nation that is obsessed with placing the blame on anything but ourselves. We have become a nation of people who just want to complain about things instead of addressing the situation and taking action!
Let's just pretend that we did let gun control happen, let's pretend for one moment that guns were banned here. What does that even mean? Who do you think would turn in their guns? The honest law abiding citizens, not the criminals, not the people who you would want to turn in their guns. A lot of people who own guns are already criminals who have been in trouble with the law and aren't suppose to have guns right now anyhow. So how does that help this situation at all? It doesn't, it actually only makes things worse. Now only the bad guys have the guns, that makes NO SENSE AT ALL!
There is nothing anyone can say or do to make me give up my guns. Sure I would turn in my registered ONE, but I would just hide all of the rest. I would never ever ever give up my gun to a government who will use a gun against me. The only way anyone could take them from me is if they pried them from my cold dead hands!
Just as an experiment I left my loaded gun on the back porch for the last few days, funny thing, no one got hurt or killed!! Can you believe it! My fiance, my dogs and I must of walked by it 100 times or more each, and nothing.. I even decided to try to piss it off by yelling at it, calling it names and spitting on it.... still nothing. HUH? weird.. I must have one of those "nice guns" that doesn't "like to kill or hurt people".. lol.
Truth is, most gun owners are very responsible and now other people (who don't own guns) want to ruin their rights because someone else was acting like an idiot? How does that make sense to anyone?
Correct me if I'm wrong but Isn't this the land of the free? In the constitution only freedom of speech comes before our right to bear arms. Does no one care about our constitution anymore? What has this country become where we want to punish the innocent for the guilty peoples crimes?
What happen to our freedom?
(photo taken with my Nikon DSLR 3400)
Yes exactly to all of the above! I completely agree that we've become a nation obsessed with blaming everything and everybody but ourselves! It's like people can't handle reality anymore!
I'm so tired of people demanding to be treated like children by a nanny government. Thinking that the government can legislate us into utopia, provide for all our needs and protect us from every unpleasantness. Jeez, grow up and then act like an adult who can handle both responsibility and the fact that there are bad people in the world. Blame the bad person, not the weapon they happened to choose.
Yes yes yes!! I love everything you said in this comment! Its so great to hear people feel the same way as I do.
That was a brilliant statement! I wish I would've thought to put that in my article! SOOOO TRUE!
It was such an awesome comment I had to follow you! lol..
take care
I'm glad I could contribute a good comment :) I've followed you too! I don't have the balls to actually write articles like yours; I prefer to be the supportive peanut gallery when someone does, haha.
The "gimme a nanny state" phenomenon is blowing me away though! It makes me want to explore, what happened to people wanting to grow up and be independent? Where did that switch flip in our society. What's with wanting to pass straight from their parents' care to The State's care, even though it means not being free? It's really a very lazy, envious, childish mindset.
upvote for "the supportive peanut gallery" lol. Resonates.
I generally stay away from articles like this too because they only piss people off but I just was so sick of seeing articles of people volunteering to give up more rights!?! I was a soldier that fought for these rights and people just want to trash them without even thinking about the consequences. Taking away rights and disarming citizens never solves anything but most aren't educated enough to realize that.
You are soooo right, we coddle generations so much now that they feel comfortable being controlled, maybe even scared to think for themselves, they always have to go with the crowd. We give so many handouts that people are scared to bite the hand that feeds them and they can't fathom taking care of themselves... :/ its sooo sad.. im gonna have to read some of your articles when im not so busy because you seem to have a lot of great things to say..
criminals love gun control
Fuck yeah bro! That is fucking awesome!!
thanks dude! i have a shoulder piece that says From My Cold Dead Hands. I'm trying to sleeve my right arm in all 2nd stuff, we'll see if I ever get it done though haha
Saxxxyyyy ... that's sssexy with an accent ... wink wink :))
I had missed this post and had to back my way over here after reading you had flagged, I know how patient you are with folks so I knew I had to read this in it's entirety, meaning the comments.
You are spot on, as I have said plenty of times, we are sowing the seeds of what has been planted here in the USA. When the government no longer values life, neither will the people (Rowe vs, Wade). That is how you end up down the road we are on, it is just a long and winding road that is starting to get more traffic (school shooters).
The first school shooting was in the 1800's, the 1900's had 297:with the majority of those in the 70's thru the 90's. Planted a lot of seeds around then and we continue to plant as fast as we can as a society. We are just unfortunately planting seeds that bear fruit we don't like the taste of, guns don't kill people , bad apples do.
Well man you know, ive learnt that they want to disarm the people so in the future when we all wake up, only THEY will have the guns..
How many of these shootings are actually real? Its sad to say though that i think many people still believe sandyhook was real, when it was actually all staged- proved by a great documentary on pootube.
TRUST NO NEWS FROM THE MEDIA..
Ill leave norway on a boat, and just before I do, ill find atleast some shotguns from somewhere and take them with.
I had the epiphany the other day of "Democrat conducts mass shooting-->liberals scream for gun control. Democrat conducts mass shooting-->liberals scream for gun control. Democrat conducts....hold on, I'm seeing a pattern here...." Throw in the shady ones like Vegas, and it's hard not to turn it into a vast conspiracy theory.
I saw this quote today somewhere " The left wing and The right wing are parts of the same bird"
First of all, thank you for your service! As a gun owner myself, I feel that tightening gun laws only hurt those who abide by the law. People who want to kill will do so no matter what the law states. We have to address the mental health issue in this country. Taking away guns, tightening gun laws won't solve anything. Stronger background checks could help, someone's mental state should be taken into consideration. I often watch the news, and I find it difficult to accept the state that our country is in, the way we are so divided, and people don't want to hear someone else's opinion if it's not the same as their own. If we can't sit down like adults and discuss these problems, how will things ever get better? I'm not hopeful for the future. And I worry about how the country will be for my future grandkids, and great grandkids.
Wow, you really nailed it, I was gonna copy and paste and reply to the parts of the comment I liked until i realized it was basically the whole comment! lol. I too worry about the state of this country and only see it becoming more and more of a police state as time goes on. I am tired of people not being able to have real conversations, it makes it impossible for us to get anything done, but maybe thats they way they planned it? There are so many things that divide us as a country now rather than bring us together and like you I am worried about the future of this country and my family.
Thanks for the great comment ;)
Thank you for putting this out there and starting a discussion. I am seeing other comments on your post and I'm loving that you take things in stride. But I also see people putting "facts" out there that simply are not true. I always tell people to exercise due diligence before believing what they see or hear, but today, that's difficult with the media, and websites putting false facts out there to push their own agenda. It's not easy to find the truth with all the bias out there, but it's out there and can be found. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!!
It's ironic that you cite false facts when the OP wrote one (to be fair he has since withdrawn it), and has cited a false one about knife deaths that still sits there.
I noticed that, and I've noticed how gracious he's been when someone points that out. He's more than willing, it seems, to exercise due diligence and change if necessary. I will tell him, just like I will tell you, that you have to be careful what media you watch, and what websites you visit, in today's politically polarized environment, everyone has an agenda that they're trying to push down your throat. There are very few out there that push the facts and only the facts. And common sense is not so common these days. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And all I'm saying is to think for yourself and don't believe everything you see or hear on the news or online, seek out the places that want you to know the truth. And that goes to anyone who reads this, not just you. And I understand that in some countries, stricter gun laws may work... but here, in the U.S.A. we have states that have stricter gun laws and those states are some of the most violent in the country, so what works for one country, may not work for another. We are a diverse world, all countries are unique in their own way, just like the people that occupy them.
Sorry about that dick, thank u for being so kind.. he was out of line and now will pay for it with profile points and money.. that is not how we are suppose to act on this platform, it is unexceptable to attact other people who comment to me..
Thanks again..
No thanks necessary. It just goes back to my point of not being able to discuss things like an adult. Thanks again to you, and good luck in your future endeavors! I'm looking forward to watching your adventure!
oh, thanks a bunch! You seem like an awesome person so I followed you.. Welcome to steemit by the way, if you ever need any help just shoot me a comment and I will be more than willing to answer questions and/or point you in the right direction with anything you may want or need.
Don't get discouraged with steemit before you give it a fair chance, it is difficult for newbies on purpose, to weed out the weak bloggers who don't deserve to be here.. i can tell by your comments that you deserve to be here so just stick out the first few months and you will do great!
Anyhow, I look forward to seeing some of posts when my life calms down a lil bit after my move.
Take care!
I hadnt gotten around to checking the other things u wrote, i was going to continue the conversation we started but i am in the middle of a move out of the country and hadnt gotten around to it yet.. but now i feel as tho u are just trolling and i dont like that.. all ur comments from here out will be flagged by me because u are being a a dick to other people.. i did my best to have an open conversation but u refuse to act like an adult and are trolling othe people who made comments on my page and that is just wrong! Ur problem is with me not them, grow up!
First, let me personally thank you for your service and for your sacrifices so that I can sit at a computer and speak freely. Secondly, let me thank your for putting together such a well thought out and researched post on this subject. Nothing like some pesky facts and data to ruin a narrative based on feelings.
I feel you were spot on on most of your comparisons and I agree with most of your conclusions as well. I would like to add the much needed overhaul and additional funding within the U.S. mental health system. The vast majority of active shooters had documented and usually untreated underlying mental health issues. I am against gun seizures and gun control, but I definitely feel we as a society need to do a much better job with the background check system in place now to ensure the gun laws we have on the books are working they way they were intended.
I have been a cop for 20 years as well as a law enforcement and firearms instructor and I agree banning or seizing guns will not solve the problem with a vast majority of guns being used in criminal situations any more than banning and legislating narcotics have done for the illicit drug trade. The criminal element will never obey the standards and moral compass enacted by society. We will just be handicapping law abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves.
Thanks again for posting a sometimes unpopular stance on this issue.
You are very welcome my friend! I only did what I thought was right at the time. Although my views have changed about war now, I am proud of my service and the person it has made me today. ;)
I totally agree with the mental health system, I started in on that but realized that was a whole other post in itself. But I'm glad you brought it up. It really is a huge problem. People are being drugged from kids on and mental health is a huge issue that is being dealt with in the completely wrong matter. As a disabled veteran with terrible PTSD I know the mental health system well.. The VA had me so drugged up for years I didn't know up from down, and that definitely wasn't the answer. I have lost quite a few friends after the war as well due to those types of meds.. Something needs to change SOON!
I didn't mean to hate on you when I did my piece about cops, i was really trying to make a point about safety with guns.. My uncle was a cop for 30 years and my brother was a cop and then a under cover cop in the military so I do respect them (at least the good ones). I just don't think a police state is the answer to anything. I really respect you for the things you said in this comment and thank you for YOUR service! This country needs more of the cops to think like you do..
Thanks for your awesome comment, Im glad you appreciated the post.. It was not an easy one to write cuz I know I will be getting a lot of back lash on it sooner or later.. lol.
This video is the truth about Sandy Hook school shooting. it needs to be shown out there, because then you see how staged everything can be.
A'oo brother! God Bless our Vets and our Hippies. I love them all and everything you said, including we have the right to do as we please. I have a gun, moved from NYC to SF to CO just so I would have the total right to choose. It is my choice and Fuck anyone who says different.
As a side note all this crap pops up on the belief what happened at the school and investigation has seen Soros and method actors in the audience, possible set up. That's the whisper on the street. Eyewitnesses claim shots came from a different direction. That said, what was really questionable was the Russian plane that went down with the Uranium 1 deal guy on it, investigations into all the Russian deal BS coming to the fore, and many other issues that past political figures are now being brought up on. What a disgrace.
Oh i agree, there has been a lot of shady shit going on with crisis actors and multiple shooters and it started way back with sandy hook.. i also feel like a lot of this may be a way to persuade the country into banning guns slowly so eventually only the government has guns and thus total control. But u cant say shit like that in an article or everyone would just think u are fucking crazy! Lol.. so i tried to take a different approach on the matter.. but yes, i believe there is definitely some seedy shit going on here..
total shady!
mutiple shooters and yes even further back .. let's go to kennedy and farther .. lincoln.
well we are supposed to say this shit on steemit .. the entire objective was for us to have free speech instead of the censorship on YT and FB!! WTF
Now we have to deal with people here that still believe in MSM and/or are from other countries that already bend over .. chipped bastards.
totally seedy! A'oo
You are spot on with your comments and I appreciate you taking the time to point out facts and figures that destroy the illusion that outlawing guns decreases crime or homicide for that matter. I was in the middle of writing a post on the same topic but from a slightly different angle and I'm glad to see that there are a lot of logical/rational people here in Steemit land that don't fall for the anti-gun hysteria. My post will be comparing our reactions historically to other forms of gun/terrorism/explosive violence and how it differs completely from what we do with schools. Feel free to check it out if you have time and thanks again for the post.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Yes, steemit for the most part is filled with a lot of people who don't fall for the bullshit, but there is always the few who think the government is all knowing and only here to do good for the people, LMAO.. anyhow, I will definitely stop by and check out your post.
Finally a post that I can relate to. My own post about the shooting is getting hammered about gun control when it is actually a post about protecting our student as teachers.
Glad you can relate, seems like most people on steemit are on our level although I have had a couple of trolls as well. You can't change those peoples minds so no bother even replying to them. I have found a few people that don't agree with my view but we are having a great conversation anyhow, so I am enjoying that.
I don't pretend to have any answers to this dilemma but I know getting upset and trying to shove opinions down peoples throats doesn't solve anything. But you know very quickly the people who do think that lol.. I am intrigued about your post now so I am going to read it when I get a few mins.
Thanks for the comment..
it's time for teachers to start strappin .. people will think twice to come in there .. whether its a patsy kid or some real agents coming in to kill people .. i mean seriously if anyone is halfway awake we have to admit there are ppl in shadow gvt and other undercover agencies that are taking people out!