The title is the attitude that many who wade into the gun control argument have when discussing guns in their neighborhoods. Its the attitude and pervasive nature amongst primarily non urban middle class families. They know guns exist, and they might even own one themselves, but its protected, locked up, or generally taken care of with regards to safety.
Sure, they see crimes committed with guns, even read about gun violence in places like my home town of Chicago, which has been wrought with a massive up surge in violence this past year. But they do not equate guns with the violence, they equate location or class. It is the mantra shouted by the wholly now useless and equally damaging groups like the NRA
Guns don't kill people, people kill people
More below the orange target range
To many of those people, this is how they equate and deal with gun violence in this country. They cannot even comprehend nor even attempt to reason with logic how a gun can end up in a criminals hand. They see it that a gun for a criminal or one with a nefarious purpose, is something very difficult to acquire.
For those of you who might be thinking that, let me please shatter your world.
I grew up on the south side of Chicago. I literally grew up swimming in a culture where you picked your fights wisely because the other person could be carrying a weapon. And when I say weapon, I don't mean brass knuckles, or even a knife. No I mean a .38 Special, or if they splurged maybe even a 9mm. At the very minimum they could have a .22 which though it might not kill, it would most certainly maim.
These weapons were guns that one could get with as little as 40 bucks, or even free if you wanted to perform a favor for someone. You know, just carry a package for someone and you get a 22 as payment. Or wait for your local dealer to come by every week or so with a new shipment and let you peruse what he has in his trunk.
Guns, lots and lots of guns and so easy to get. Serial numbers whittled down and the rifling already modified to avoid pesky issues with law enforcement should you get caught using it.
Ohh and because of this pervasive nature of weapons, the CPD also carry drop guns as well. Because well, you know..protection or something.
Need ammo? No problem, the gun dealer down the street turns a blind eye when someone is buying 40 boxes of ammo. Or hell, take the train out the suburbs or even to Indiana. You can buy all the ammo you need asking random people to buy it for you. Or if you don't mind paying just a tad more for it, head on down to a friend of a friend. They manufacture their own ammunition and very often with those pesky armor piercing rounds.
I came up in an age and era where gun violence was the norm. I don't know what its like to sleep in a war, but I do know what its like to sleep with gun fire and sirens in the background, or to stay at someones house and sleep in the tub for safety reasons.
Now with the recent tragedy, all of a sudden we want to talk gun control again. Its terrible that it takes something horrific on a national level to get everyone in the discussion again, but there it is. Finally however someone on a national level nailed it on the head, and he is being raked over the coals for it.
Costas was correct. Had there been no gun in possession, at least one person would still likely still be alive today. Belcher seemed intent on suicide, but maybe he wouldn't had he not had the guilt of a murder on his conscience along with whatever mental problems existed. We'll never know, but we do know that the gun did nothing to help that night.
Will gun control prevent violence? Not likely. Some people are going to do harm no matter what. If one drug dealer crosses another, and when presented without a chance to use a firearm, they will use a knife or pipe or whatever. People intent on doing harm, will do that harm.
But you know what?
I can think of countless lives I knew growing up, that would just like Kasandra Perkins likely still be here had there been no gun involved. They might have been hurt, but they would at least still be alive most likely. Those lives and the many in the past year in my home town, which has been one of the bloodiest years in history.
So yes, gun advocates, you are correct. People do kill people, but why do we have to make it easier for them? Why pave the road of violence smooth like the surface of a hand gun, so that it is so easily tread?
Until the world is perfect and people resolve conflict nonviolently, all people have access to mental health care they need, and we tone down the rhetoric amongst ourselves, why...why must we make it easier for people to dial it to 11 and go straight for tools of death? Because that is what a gun is, it is a weapon designed to kill, not defend....kill. That is its intent and purpose...period.
We need gun control in this nation, and we need it now.