Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Now I will have my say

I try very hard to stay away from controversial issues, but sometimes....well sometimes I just have to say something. This is about stricter gun control laws.

Now before the NRA starts having fits, let me have my say. Honestly, NRA members act like hysterical old biddies every time someone says those words. Okay, SO....NRA MEMBERS...absolutely nobody--NOBODY--wants to take your guns away from you. Not in any way, shape or form. You can keep them, take them hunting, cuddle with them at night, or whatever it is you do with them.

Now....there just has to be some sort of law or regulation to keep crazies from arming themselves. Police forces and the military do background checks and administer psychological tests so that they can weed out those who are not fit or psychologically sound enough to carry a weapon. So why shouldn't that apply to civilians?

Let's make it personal, shall we? Suppose you decide you're going hunting with your new rifle, and the man three doors down, who also has a new rifle, wants to go with you. You know him pretty well, and he's a regular guy , and heck, he has a gun, too. So away you go. There you are out in the woods when suddenly, your neighbor starts hearing voices. They say, "Don't shoot Bambi, shoot the man with the gun." And there you are, staring down the long barrel of this man's rifle.  After they bury you, your wife is informed that the neighbor three doors down had been in therapy once for mental problems. He quit therapy because he didn't hear the voices anymore--so he said.

Well, that doesn't matter now to you, or your wife, who is now a widow raising your children alone. She also learns that the man who killed you bought his gun with no background check or psychological testing. That matters. Your death could have been prevented.

On the lighter side, I notice that my crazy idiot neighbor has a NRA sticker on his truck. Oh boy! I'm getting myself a Kevlar.