Wood 'N' Water - Mike Roberts, "On Guns"

  

JANUARY 15, 2016 WOODS 'N' WATER   MIKE ROBERTS "On Guns"

“The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones” -From the play, Julius Caesar by Shakespeare-.

            Truer words were never spoken. One only has to look at the aftermath of  the horrendous massacres that have taken place in America and other nations to understand what was meant by that Shakespearean quote. Not a day goes by that these tragedies are not mentioned in one form of news or another. And it is so easy to demonize firearms and firearms owners for these horrific tragedies. The fact that such an act was committed by a deranged human being is often overlooked when all of the focus is on the fact that a firearm was used.

            “Ban firearms” is the battle cry after one of these shootings, even those that involve the criminal element in our society. Being a legitimate firearms owner, I wonder just where the “Ban on firearms” is going to end up? With all of the tragic shootings taking place across the country, it is not all that hard for a person to develop a dislike for firearms, especially if a loved one was one of the victims, and I can understand that. Something has to be done, but what? Tell those with evil intent on their mind to obey the law? You'll sooner see the sun rise in the west!

           What I do not understand is who in their right mind can believe that a ban on firearms is going to keep them out of the hands of the criminal element and the deranged that do these shootings? Why are they criminals? Because they break the law with no regard for the consequences, including the taking of innocent lives. That being the case, how do those supporting a firearms ban intend to keep firearms of any type from the of the criminal element in our society?

            What about focusing on the individuals that commit these insidious killings? How do we find them and stop them? Will we be going back to the days of the Witch Hunts that took place many years ago? We have enough gun laws, but are they enforced?

            Our society bans drunken driving, illegal drug use, texting and using a cellphone while driving, and speeding on our highways, and how well do those bans work? While these activities seem innocuous compared to gun violence their death rate is very high. Every single day, innocent lives are lost because those bans were ignored., yet there is no battle cry to take away or ban the manufacture and the ownership of texting devices, cellphones and high speed vehicles. Why? Because there are already laws against such behavior? Or is the money made in selling and advertising them a deterrent to such a ban?

            Speaking of high speed vehicles, here in Connecticut we have a 65 mph speed limit so why do we need or allow vehicles that can reach speeds of over 100 mph on our highways? Yeah, I know, they aren't firearms so they should be allowed, heck just about everyone owns a car or some type of electronic texting device.

            I know that lawsuits are thrown against certain firearms manufacturers when deaths result from the illegal use of that particular firearm. Does the same principle apply when a death happens because of the illegal use (speeding) of a particular brand of motor vehicle, or cellphone use, or even the alcohol manufacturer  because they consumed to much of a particular brand of booze? If not, why not?

            And what about the millions of legal firearms owners and users? And yes, I am one of them and strongly object to being indirectly accused of being one of the causes for a shooting rampage. We go about using our legally owned firearms for hunting and target practice every day without an illegal incident, yet we are categorized in the same group as those that use firearms for criminal intentions.       

            Every year, some area Rod & Gun Clubs  and shooting organizations like the Meriden Rod & Gun Club, New Haven Raccoon Club and the Highrock Shooing Association use their legal firearms to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

            Down at the Meriden Rod & Gun Club, folks flock to the club grounds to use firearms to raise money for St. Judes While the Meriden Record-Journal has covered the event at times, most news medias simply stay away because firearms are involved in the fundraising. 

            But if you want to witness firearms violence go to the movies or tune in some of the TV shows during the times kids are watching them. These days, a show featuring violence, with firearms being used to create all types of mayhem with plenty of blood and gore splattered on the walls is a prime time feature. Does anyone really believe that kids do not watch these shows, especially with all of the electronic devices available to them? And what about the videos that depict all kinds of firearm violence? Does anyone really believe that they do not have some type of emotional impact on some people?

            Sandy Hook was a tragedy that defies description, with so many innocent young lives lost, but the fact remains that this insidious deed was done with a stolen firearm that the deranged human used after killing his mother and using the firearm stolen from her to do the shooting.

            When was the last time you have ever seen a show on the tube showing today's youths all about the proper use of firearms and firearm safety, or even in our education system for that matter? Every time there is a tragedy where a firearm was involved, even if it involved illegal use and selling of drugs, legal firearms and firearms owners, honest, hardworking citizens that do own legal firearms, come under scrutiny, and all kinds of new firearms laws are introduced. If all of these new firearms laws prevented such shooting horrors, all legal firearms owners would be n favor of them. 

            Those that introduce these anti firearms laws promise they will put and end to all of the violence, but then, I remember them saying the same thing about drug use that causes some of this firearms violence. Do we still have a drug use problem in our society?  And when was the last time we have ever seen the criminal element give a rat's behind about obeying any laws, never mind any new gun laws in the first place?

            At one time there was a saying, “Take the guns away from the honest gun owner and then only the criminals will own guns.” The anti firearm establishment scoffed at such a belief and often said that such a belief was a fallacy. However, you don't have to look too far to see that if this were to happen, it could become a reality. Again I ask, when was the last time someone intent on committing a crime, including the taking of innocent lives ever worried about breaking a law including a gun law? Here in Connecticut we have enough firearms laws, and if they were enforced they would help get rid of much of the illegal firearms use.

            It is only natural for all of the anti-gun rhetoric to surface after an insidious shooting like Sandy Hook and all of the others that take place. However, it seems that the same principle does not apply when innocent lives are lost because of a vehicle's ability to exceed speeds of over 100 mph, or a drivers using an electronic device to text or call someone while driving, or a person has consumed to much of a certain brand of alcoholic beverage. They all have one common factor, a human using them illegally to do the illegal deed, yet it seems that only the firearms are worth targeting.

            Historically, it has been a proven fact that those who harbor an evil intent to take human lives will do so one way or the other. We now have to fear human bombs strapped with explosives and killing so many people while taking their own life as well. And then the bombers at the Boston Marathon who used a couple of pressure cookers to take away lives and limbs from innocent folks watching the marathon. 

            Have we already forgotten the thousands of innocent lives that were lost that infamous day on September 11, 2001 when humans using box cutters (knives) to commander airliners, were able to end so many lives and not a shot was fired? Most of these evil doers commit their atrocities with no regard for their own lives, with many of them committing suicide after they have completed their evil deed. Regardless of how strongly we feel about all of this firearm violence, there are no  laws that can predict or prevent that from happening, unless we begin to read the human mind. So far, that has not happened. See ya' and God Bless America and watch over our troops wherever they may be.