I have been trying to refrain from blogging about the gun control issue. The discussion has already shifted from the mentally ill to controlling the sale of guns and ammunition. I just listened to some more of the rhetoric and can no longer contain myself. I will not claim to know the answer but will offer this much.
Guns don't kill people, people kill people. The gun in and of itself is an inanimate object. Practically any object you can name can be abused and cause serious harm or death. It is all in the application.
I will say I don't really see a need for assault weapons and large capacity magazines but they are certainly no more dangerous. Does it really make a difference if I shoot thirty rounds out of a single clip or change the clip a couple times ? I just don't think so. Now, that being said here is what I feel we need to do.
The laws concerning crime and punishment are already in place. The problem lies in enforcement. The application of actual punishment, and suffering the consequences of our actions are so diluted as to be ineffective. Like raising a child, idle threats without following up gets you little respect, or fear. And it has always been my contention children, and criminals by extension, should be " just that much afraid " of the consequences. I hear the experts saying, capital punishment isn't an effective deterrent. I expect that may hold some measure of truth. I'm no criminal but even I know if I get the death sentence the chances of it actually being carried out are very slim. I can spend at least twenty years filing appeals. And of course, I just might be mentally incapable of making decisions. Phooey.
It is my contention that were it known, for a fact, that if you commit a crime using a gun you will be held fully accountable. If, in the case there is no doubt about it, beyond a shadow of a doubt you will be executed swiftly, and without appeals of any kind, that would be a game changer. There is little we can do to prevent mental illness and those that acquire guns. They will always be available legally or illegally.
Our justice system is the fairest in the world. We are given protections and safeguards unlike any others. I'm not talking about doing away with these protections. What I am talking about is making it clear to those that would do harm, that the enforcement of punishment will be swift and sure.
Yes, I know several of these shooters have killed themselves. Good ! Saved the taxpayers a bunch of money and trouble. Those that kill any person and it is a clear and direct act should meet with the same fate.
I do not personally own a firearm of any kind. One reason for that ; I don't see the need to have one. I do not hunt, prefer fishing thank you, and I'm still naive enough to believe my house will not be invaded. I would have one if I felt a need however. I have even considered buying one, just in case. But then, if I did, by the time I got it out of the gun case, removed the trigger lock and retrieved the ammunition ( stored in a different location ) it probably wouldn't do a whole lot of good.
All I'm saying here is, we need to put the fear back into the criminal. Make those that would consider these actions, think twice. No idle threats and no second chances. If you do this, this is the result ! No ifs', and or buts about it. I am convinced it would make a difference to a sane man. The insane is another issue entirely.
Guns don't kill people, people kill people. The gun in and of itself is an inanimate object. Practically any object you can name can be abused and cause serious harm or death. It is all in the application.
I will say I don't really see a need for assault weapons and large capacity magazines but they are certainly no more dangerous. Does it really make a difference if I shoot thirty rounds out of a single clip or change the clip a couple times ? I just don't think so. Now, that being said here is what I feel we need to do.
The laws concerning crime and punishment are already in place. The problem lies in enforcement. The application of actual punishment, and suffering the consequences of our actions are so diluted as to be ineffective. Like raising a child, idle threats without following up gets you little respect, or fear. And it has always been my contention children, and criminals by extension, should be " just that much afraid " of the consequences. I hear the experts saying, capital punishment isn't an effective deterrent. I expect that may hold some measure of truth. I'm no criminal but even I know if I get the death sentence the chances of it actually being carried out are very slim. I can spend at least twenty years filing appeals. And of course, I just might be mentally incapable of making decisions. Phooey.
It is my contention that were it known, for a fact, that if you commit a crime using a gun you will be held fully accountable. If, in the case there is no doubt about it, beyond a shadow of a doubt you will be executed swiftly, and without appeals of any kind, that would be a game changer. There is little we can do to prevent mental illness and those that acquire guns. They will always be available legally or illegally.
Our justice system is the fairest in the world. We are given protections and safeguards unlike any others. I'm not talking about doing away with these protections. What I am talking about is making it clear to those that would do harm, that the enforcement of punishment will be swift and sure.
Yes, I know several of these shooters have killed themselves. Good ! Saved the taxpayers a bunch of money and trouble. Those that kill any person and it is a clear and direct act should meet with the same fate.
I do not personally own a firearm of any kind. One reason for that ; I don't see the need to have one. I do not hunt, prefer fishing thank you, and I'm still naive enough to believe my house will not be invaded. I would have one if I felt a need however. I have even considered buying one, just in case. But then, if I did, by the time I got it out of the gun case, removed the trigger lock and retrieved the ammunition ( stored in a different location ) it probably wouldn't do a whole lot of good.
All I'm saying here is, we need to put the fear back into the criminal. Make those that would consider these actions, think twice. No idle threats and no second chances. If you do this, this is the result ! No ifs', and or buts about it. I am convinced it would make a difference to a sane man. The insane is another issue entirely.
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ReplyDelete"I have been trying to refrain from blogging about the gun control issue."......"Does it really make a difference if I shoot thirty rounds out of a single clip or change the clip a couple times ?"......"The laws concerning crime and punishment are already in place. The problem lies in enforcement."......."All I'm saying here is, we need to put the fear back into the criminal."...."I am convinced it would make a difference to a sane man. The insane is another issue entirely." - Ben Reichart
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason for you to refrain from commentary on gun control; you might have something valuable to contribute to the debate. I see that your perspective is somewhat neutral on "gun control"; your stance seems to be that justice with enforcement of existing laws would be a solution to our present dilemma. I respect your opinion but think that it is far incomplete and inadequate for any solutions. The problem is not current proper law enforcement leading a positive change; it might help a little but fall far short of stopping the sporadic violence the country experiences regularly now. Justice by definition only is involved post fact. After the disasters there are plenty of finger pointing parties looking for justice. The future is where the solutions lie.
Courts determine facts according to pre-established laws after some occurence. Even in the face of sure, severere consequences for law breakers crime continues. Criminals haven't ever paid much attention to the consequences of law. A motivated individual can easily overcome the resistance to be law-abiding if the situation, the personal inclination or passion are factors in an action taken. Justice only is to balance the scales of mistakes made.
Legislatures are pro-active entities. The idea is to proscribe or prescribe behaviors that might lead to better outcomes. The whole idea of representative government is way too big a topic to discuss. But on gun control the idea might be to create and promote an atmosphere of "responsible" gun ownership.
ReplyDeleteHaving been involved in community disaster preparedness I learned that there are stages to a catastrophe. The first is preparedness leading to mitigation of the possible damages. Disaster relief after an occurrence is a last ditch effort at re-establishing status quo and restoration. I think what we have now is a slow motion national catastrophe with too many well funded vested interests. Gun owners ,in general, I believe support the idea of gun safety.
I've known enjoyable people with automatic weapons that I would hope not to be around for safety reasons when they are armed. Of course, there are similar people who drive I would rather not be in a car around either for the same reasons. The NRA is a group that represents the manufacturers not the majority of sensible gun owners. They seem to be the loudest group with seemingly unlimited finances. I wouldn't bet our government isn't for sale when the money gets distributed; so much for justice or democracy. Their objective is to arm each and every citizen and let God sort out the survivors (of course while raking in the profits). A legalist reading of the 2nd amendment leaves little argument for individual gun "rights". Even the Supreme Court (leaning heavily conservatively) has weighed in on that. The question is when are we going to return to the ways of our forefathers who had sensible gun regulation for decades and centuries before the NRA made profit and propaganda its main function. Gun owners are not the strange people described by some who "love guns"; they have legitimate reasons for possession; only a relative few think they are Rambo and need the weaponary of modern warfare. We will either regulate these folks back to some reasonable position or we will spend a fortune in lives and treasure increasing SWAT teams. The more the Rambos put forth their reasons the sillier their arguments look against responsible gun regulation; they are just marginally sane. There has been such legislation for decades before the marginally crazy got ahold of the debate.
"Does it really make a difference if I shoot thirty rounds out of a single clip or change the clip a couple times ?" Duh ...... !!! Depends if the SWAT team has a bead on you or you are running out of ammunition at the Alamo ....... ???? Whatever emotion is going on during the changing of the clip it would mean less causalities no matter. None of these gun men in the recent massacres seem to have been affected by fear (of running out of bullets, the police, the laws, morality or anything else). None of these people causing the problem are sane ...... unless you have a really flexible idea of sane; therefore your premise that justice would affect them is inadequate. Maybe not supplying the clips would be an idea ..... Duh !!!! Lives obviously would be saved if a gunman had to reload ......... giving people more time to get out of the way.
ReplyDeleteBefore someone gets an idea on my opinions or my politics (no one would be even close to getting it right), I must state in the interests of understanding that I do in fact own a squirrel gun, have hunted, do not support gun confiscation, live peaceable with numbers of my armed neighbors and am not a member of any anti-gun organization. I have experience violence up close and personal; OKC and a personal friend who committed murder-suicide with a hand gun as well as having relative living on the road where the Newtown school is located. My thoughts are just my opinions and subject to education as I learn more on the subject. The best thing we all can do is to educate ourselves no matter which side of the gulf we find ourselves; and continue to put forth our opinions and ideas until some rational solution is arrived at; our lives and our children's lives depend on our efforts to move forward.