So there was another tragedy involving guns and people dying. It's heartbreaking and a lot of people have already expressed the collective sadness and horror quite eloquently. 9 people died in church in an act of terrorism committed by an American against other Americans out of fear, racism, hate and a desire to start a civil war.
Hearing the families of the victims forgive the killer is repairing the break though, it is as true an example of faith as we are likely to see in our lifetimes.
There is so much in this whole fucked up situation and the national reaction to it, that it's hard to narrow down a focus. My Facebook newsfeed is sure helping with that- people being utterly convinced that we are trying to take away their guns.
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These apples to oh, I don't know, skyscrapers? comparisons are part of what is making it difficult to have a good working dialogue. I know that some conservatives think they've won when we stop arguing. That's not the case. They've just said something that makes so little sense that we've realized they have no intention of listening and no good arguments to make.
When Stephen King said on Twitter
"According to Bloomberg Business, gun deaths will exceed traffic fatalities in America this year. Can't put a seatbelt on a semi-automatic."
Someone replied-
@StephenKing what about hammers?
And of course, over and over, people bring up cars in any of these kinds of discussions. How do you argue when people are conflating things and won't see that their argument is completely flawed by not making any damn sense whatsoever?
Rocks and hammers-
Let's take that together. If you don't understand the difference between a madman with a rock, a hammer or a gun, stop and think about the scenario.
Man walks into a restaurant, he's carrying a rock. There a lot of reasons he might be carrying a rock. He might be a rockhound wanting to show it off. Maybe he has a mint condition pet rock, maybe he's there to kill someone. But you have some time- if he walks up to someone and raises it over his head- you can stop him, run from him, or tell him to drop the rock. If he does manage to kill one person with a rock, chances are good he can't kill two because the second person is going see it coming. Plus- he's one guy with a rock against everyone in the restaurant.
Woman walks into a shopping center with a hammer in her purse. You can't see it, you don't know she has it until she pulls it out and heads for someone- again, mall security, other people, the person she's heading for have a chance.
Man walks into a big box store with a gun, pulls it out and starts shooting. Now your options become a lot more limited, your defense becomes more limited. You can't outrun or dodge bullets the way you can rocks or hammers. If the rock hits you, if the hammer hits you, you have a good chance of just winding up with a broken bone or a bruise- if a bullet hits you, it makes a hole.
I think it's pretty clear that rocks and hammers are not guns. Yes, the madman could have killed a person with a rock or a hammer, but it probably only would have been one person. Injury, not death is more likely. The person is arrested and there is a good chance everyone walks away.
Cars-
When gun fetishists bring up cars they are really making our argument for us.
The difference between guns and cars-
You need a license to drive a car legally.
You have to pass a test to get the license which proves you know how to use it and the laws applicable towards using it.
You can lose your license for risky behavior, endangering other people or driving under the influence.
If you have impairments that keep you from being a safe driver, you can lose your license.
If you are caught driving without a license you can go to jail and lose your car.
Nobody is trying to make cars illegal or further regulate use of cars because there is already a system in place to help protect people.
The last argument that is often heard is the most troubling.
"We need assault weapons to protect us against the government, to protect this country against people who are trying to destroy it from the inside."
That argument is a statement that they are willing to kill their friends and neighbors for voting differently than they do. It's a statement that they know that they have the right to kill to get the government they want. It's saying, flat out, they have the right to commit treason and start a civil war that removes other citizens right to a voice in this nation.
As far as I'm concerned, that is not the act of a patriot. It's the act of a bully, and bullies at their heart are cowards. Afraid of change, but progress is inevitable. I love my country and know it can be so much better because we have all the potential in the world.