Let me just start off by saying that I love people. I know, I know. I can be a bit grumpy around some of them some times, but I truly do love people. I love it when friends of mine have babies as well. Seeing those precious, hopeful children with eyes so big and full of wonder at the world around them. Then I hear about another tragedy where multiple people are gunned down because some person who owned 14 guns snapped and lost their minds and decided that today was the day that they finally put their entire arsenal to use. When I hear about horrible events such as what happened at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon just last week, I don't love it when my friends bring new life into this world. It makes me sad. It terrifies me for the innocent children who are forcefully placed in a country that cares nothing about protecting them. It makes me so angry at my friends that they would choose to bring the most wonderful creation into this country where they have a better chance of being gunned down at school, then of making it to their college graduation.
Yes, this blog is about guns. So let me just say now that I don't care if you have guns. Let me also say that if you think President Obama is going to come and get your guns, you're a fucking moron. You have bought into the propaganda that the NRA and the far right are selling you. Hook, line and sinker. Whether you want to believe that or not, you have. Me personally, I do not like guns, nor do I want one. I don't need one to "protect myself or my family". If it is our time to go, it is our time to go and there is nothing or no one that can stop that. Plain and simple. However, if you are one of those people who would rather have your guns than save the lives of your fellow man, then I have to ask you, why? Why is your gun so much more important than perserving the lives of over 1200 people since the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in December of 2012? Yes, you read that number right. Over 1200 human lives were taken in MASS MURDERS alone since December of 2012. That is an average of over 400 lives obliterated in mass murders per year, all in the name of protection. So again I ask you, why? Why is that gun so important to you?
Okay, okay, I get it. Those reading this blog that own guns more than likely aren't going to go on a shooting spree at Martinsville High School. But what about your neighbors? Or the people that live across the street from you? Or that crazy eyed, wild haired man at the end of your block who is always glaring at you as you drive your kids to school every morning? What about him? Are any of them going to go to MHS, or any school for that matter and start shooting up the school? It is very possible. We hope it doesn't happen. We pray it doesn't happen. But sometimes, well, sometimes our prayers aren't answered in the way we hope them to be. So we just hope...
After doing a bit of research before I wrote this blog, I nearly broke down in tears. The numbers are staggering!!! This year alone there have been 300 mass shootings. Since Sandy Hook, there have been 994. Let that number sink in. 994 mass shootings. Over 1200 human lives taken from this earth, their families and friends. The United States of America has an average of 32,000 gun related deaths PER YEAR!!! According to vox.com, the United States makes up 4.4% of the world's population. Yet we have 42.4% of the guns owned in the entire world! WOW! So what does that tell us? Well, it's easy. Statistics show that places that have more guns, have more gun deaths. Clearly. And I didn't even graduate college and I figured that one out!
According to data compiled by the UN, the US had 29.7 firearm homicides per 1 million people last year. In comparison, Switzerland had 7.7, Canada had 5.1 and Germany had 1.9. All free countries. All democratic countries. Criminal Justice experts believe that this is a result of cultural and policy decisions that have made guns far more accessible in America than in most of the world. For the U.S., that means not just more mass shootings, but more gun violence in general. (Yes, I borrowed that paragraph from vox.com, excellent little website!)
On September 30, 2015, President Barack Obama held a press conference to address the shootings in Roseburg, Oregon. Part of what he said was this: "Somehow, this has become routine. The reporting is routine, my response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath," he then tapered off. "We've become numb to this. We talked about this after Columbine and Vicksburg, after Tucson, after Newton, after Aurora, after Charleston." I can tell that he wants to make changes. I can tell that many people want to make changes. I know that the majority of Americans care about the lives of their fellow man. Yet changes are never made. History continues to repeat itself. People continue to die because of senseless tragedies that can be, but never will be prevented.
After 26 people were murdered in cold blood at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December of 2012, 20 of which were children, the iron was hot to strike to help get a little bit of gun control in this country. But, just like they always have in the past, the NRA shoved fistfuls of dollars into the pockets of politicians all over the country and the topic just went away. Just like it always does. After that horrible event, the NRA coined a really catchy phrase that gun lovers everywhere began to chant in places such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and hell, even in public places. "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun." Well let me ask you this, since that phrase was first voiced by the NRA, how has THAT worked out for us? So there haven't been 994 mass shootings since December of 2012 because of all the brave good guys with guns? WOO HOO!!! WE WON!!! Oh...wait. You mean nothing has changed? There HAVE BEEN 994 mass shootings since December of 2012? There HAVE BEEN over 65,000 human live eliminated from this earth because of guns? Okay then, where are the good guys with a gun? Honestly. I want to know. I want to know WHY 994 mass shootings weren't prevented because of all of these good guys with guns.
Apparently the NRA was wrong. Apparently, everyone who ever uttered that phrase in the almost 3 years since 26 people, 20 of which were children were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was wrong. President Obama continued in his press conference regarding the shooting at Umpqua Community College by saying "As I said a few months ago and a few months before that and each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It does nothing to prevent this carnage being inflicted some place in America, next week or a couple of months from now. Somehow, this has become routine." Routine indeed, Mr. President and it seems that there is nothing that you, myself, or anyone else in this country can do to stop it.
Many years ago I was doing a bible study with some friends of mine on the book of Revelations. When John the Reveler was seeing his visions of the future, he saw a country that he described as having the heart of a lion and the head of an eagle, who had come to lead the way and to protect the world. I initially took that as meaning the U.S.A. I was told that while I had every right to believe that, most folks believe that the country that John describes was England, not America. I asked why John didn't mention America. I was told quite simply, "Because America will not exist in the end times". I had struggled with the idea of that for many, many years. I had tried so hard to wrap my mind around HOW we, the good 'ol U.S. of A. could not be around in the end times. Now I know how, I've known for a while. We are just going to kill ourselves. End of story. The U.S. will not be around in the end times because we are going to slaughter ourselves with our own guns. We as a people, do not value human lives. We as a nation, do not care to save our people. All in the name of protection.
The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun was truly and honestly, never the answer. So what is the answer? I wish I knew. I wish I could tell you how we could make this country of ours safer for it's citizens. I wish I had a brilliant idea as to how we can stop all of these senseless massacres. But I don't. However, I do know this, pretending that mass shootings are going to stop will never work. Playing make believe that a good guy with a gun is going to ride into town on his bright white horse to stop the bad guy with a gun, isn't working. Hoping that people will stop mass murdering people is most definitely not the answer. I also know this, the truest definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Isn't it time for our nation and it's people to stop being insane?
