Man, I really hate politics. I try to stay away from getting into discussions about politics and religion because those two topics can turn the best of friends into enemies. People feel so strongly in their views that they tend to get blinded by anger and things just get out of hand. Everyone that really knows me knows that 95% of the time I am more than content in just listening to a conversation than actually participating in it. But it seems that anywhere you turn these days you just can’t get away from the gun control discussion. This discussion is being had all over social media, the radio, the television and all over the internet, and believe me folks it is getting intense, so with that in mind I am just going to voice a few of my views here. Please remember that these thoughts are just my personal opinions and I am not trying to force them down your throats, I am just saying what is on my mind. So here goes…
I am a responsible gun owner who has obtained guns through the legal process. I don’t believe the issue is with the type of gun, I believe it is with the person holding the gun. I think that we SHOULD have stronger background checks and we should close the loopholes in gun laws that require background checks for sales of guns at gun shows. If background checks have weeded out roughly 1.5 million people in the last 14 years that shouldn’t have had guns, then maybe more thorough background checks can continue to weed out more people that shouldn’t have guns. I am not pro-big brother for checking our medical records, but when it comes to mental illness I think mental health providers should be held to task when it comes to notifying authorities if there is any risk of violent behavior. I think that some, NOT ALL, mental health practitioners can fall in to the trap of complacency or greed, that can happen with many other professions. Either they get so comfortable in their job that they miss subtle clues and misdiagnose them or they are so happy that they are collecting a weekly paycheck from the client that they keep stringing them along week to week with a “if I try this or this or this treatment I can fix them, I know I can” approach. All I am saying is we need stronger mental health checks and reporting.
I have heard the arguments for the ban on assault weapons, I get it. If you label a gun as an “assault weapon” it sounds scary, but the truth is these “assault weapons” are shooting the same ammo as regular hunting rifles. Almost all of the AR-15’s that people can buy are shooting .223/5.56 ammo which is the same ammo that feeds your Grandpa’s Remington bolt action rifle. So can you use an “assault weapon” for hunting? Of course you could. It’s the exact same thing as firing a traditional rifle. I think that the issue is not the AR-15, it is the magazine capacity and the fact that it is semi-automatic. In NY you can only have a 10 round magazine, unless you purchase larger magazines that were manufactured before the first assault weapon ban. So instead of banning the AR-15, reduce the magazine count to 7 rounds and make any magazine larger than that illegal. This would close the pre-ban magazine loophole and limit the amount of shots in the gun. The “assault” rifle would still be able to fire 7 rounds in a rapid succession but not that much faster than a traditional rifle where you are racking the bolt or lever. Finally, there is already an “Assault Weapon” ban in place for the general public. The general public cannot purchase Class III weapons that are used by the police and military. These are the much, much more powerful weapons like M-16’s, M-4’s etc. The AR-15 is simply a dressed up hunting rifle that is made up to look scary like an AK-47.
Finally, I just want to say that the world is getting to be a scary place. If the government sets the precedent of making one set of guns illegal they could keep going and make all guns illegal in the name of making the country a safer place. I know that this will sound crazy to people but through history a lot has been done to make a country “safer” and “better” for its people then turned into a dictatorship or military regime. I know that there would be a huge outcry against taking our guns and how it affects our 2nd amendment rights, but it could happen and if that does happen it could throw our country into a civil war thus breaking down our infrastructure. We have all seen how even a temporary breakdown in infrastructure (Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, etc) has led to violence and looting. When future disasters occur wouldn't you want to be able to defend yourself, your family and your home? By banning types of guns the government makes it easier to ban more guns, then they might start to ban things like what you can eat (Michael Bloomberg and sugary drinks) or what you can watch. Sure these things sound small but when put together it puts us one step closer to becoming a police state.
I guess that is all I really want to say. I know that some people will think I am some sort of crazy gun nut, but just think about these things before you rush to judgment. Take care.
I am a responsible gun owner who has obtained guns through the legal process. I don’t believe the issue is with the type of gun, I believe it is with the person holding the gun. I think that we SHOULD have stronger background checks and we should close the loopholes in gun laws that require background checks for sales of guns at gun shows. If background checks have weeded out roughly 1.5 million people in the last 14 years that shouldn’t have had guns, then maybe more thorough background checks can continue to weed out more people that shouldn’t have guns. I am not pro-big brother for checking our medical records, but when it comes to mental illness I think mental health providers should be held to task when it comes to notifying authorities if there is any risk of violent behavior. I think that some, NOT ALL, mental health practitioners can fall in to the trap of complacency or greed, that can happen with many other professions. Either they get so comfortable in their job that they miss subtle clues and misdiagnose them or they are so happy that they are collecting a weekly paycheck from the client that they keep stringing them along week to week with a “if I try this or this or this treatment I can fix them, I know I can” approach. All I am saying is we need stronger mental health checks and reporting.
I have heard the arguments for the ban on assault weapons, I get it. If you label a gun as an “assault weapon” it sounds scary, but the truth is these “assault weapons” are shooting the same ammo as regular hunting rifles. Almost all of the AR-15’s that people can buy are shooting .223/5.56 ammo which is the same ammo that feeds your Grandpa’s Remington bolt action rifle. So can you use an “assault weapon” for hunting? Of course you could. It’s the exact same thing as firing a traditional rifle. I think that the issue is not the AR-15, it is the magazine capacity and the fact that it is semi-automatic. In NY you can only have a 10 round magazine, unless you purchase larger magazines that were manufactured before the first assault weapon ban. So instead of banning the AR-15, reduce the magazine count to 7 rounds and make any magazine larger than that illegal. This would close the pre-ban magazine loophole and limit the amount of shots in the gun. The “assault” rifle would still be able to fire 7 rounds in a rapid succession but not that much faster than a traditional rifle where you are racking the bolt or lever. Finally, there is already an “Assault Weapon” ban in place for the general public. The general public cannot purchase Class III weapons that are used by the police and military. These are the much, much more powerful weapons like M-16’s, M-4’s etc. The AR-15 is simply a dressed up hunting rifle that is made up to look scary like an AK-47.
Finally, I just want to say that the world is getting to be a scary place. If the government sets the precedent of making one set of guns illegal they could keep going and make all guns illegal in the name of making the country a safer place. I know that this will sound crazy to people but through history a lot has been done to make a country “safer” and “better” for its people then turned into a dictatorship or military regime. I know that there would be a huge outcry against taking our guns and how it affects our 2nd amendment rights, but it could happen and if that does happen it could throw our country into a civil war thus breaking down our infrastructure. We have all seen how even a temporary breakdown in infrastructure (Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, etc) has led to violence and looting. When future disasters occur wouldn't you want to be able to defend yourself, your family and your home? By banning types of guns the government makes it easier to ban more guns, then they might start to ban things like what you can eat (Michael Bloomberg and sugary drinks) or what you can watch. Sure these things sound small but when put together it puts us one step closer to becoming a police state.
I guess that is all I really want to say. I know that some people will think I am some sort of crazy gun nut, but just think about these things before you rush to judgment. Take care.
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