I originally wrote this blog piece February 8, 2013. Many commented to me that the government would not try to do exactly what I said they would in this piece. Yet, it is happening as we speak. Veterans are receiving letters from the government stating that they have been deemed incompetent and are no longer fit to practice their Second Amendment right.
Since Sandy Hook, there has been much debate over the whole gun control issue. This is a healthy debate that we must have from time to time here in America to ensure we remain a free country. So the debate, regardless of which side you fall on, is a good thing. The thing is people are missing the point. People are offering a plethora of band-aids to cover the wound but nobody is offering a real solution to the problem.
Banning weapons is never the answer for a free population. The whole concept of our country is based on the ability of the people to defend themselves from those who would abuse power.
Registering guns is an idea that is supported by some, but will cause more problems in the long run as people don’t believe it is appropriate for our government to know who has guns and what kind or how many. It is akin to your boss telling you the password to the file that has all the corporation’s secrets.
Background checks is a knee jerk response by politicians to get some sort of consensus and agreement from which to show that some progress is being made. However, it is not a response that addresses the problem of preventing the crime from happening in the first place. There are 300 million guns in private hands in the United States right now. Approximately 90 million honest and law abiding citizens own almost all those guns. Criminals obtain their guns through theft or purchasing them through illegal channels. So how is a background check going to stop the criminals from purchasing a gun? In short, it won’t.
Some of the partly outside the box thinkers have determined that there needs to be an overhaul of the mental health system. This needs to be done, of that there can be no doubt. However, it has to be done in a manner that does not violate people’s rights. There also have to be safeguards in place that prevent the process from being abused. As soon as it is determined that mentally ill people cannot have the right to purchase or possess weapons (which is a good thing) the government will immediately figure out a way to ensure that everyone who applies for a background check be determined to be mentally ill. It will become their favorite tool with which to prevent people from obtaining guns. Eventually, it will be determined that the mere desire to purchase a gun is grounds for being declared mentally ill.
Additionally, there has to be sever e restrictions on which mental illnesses are the ones which will disqualify one from obtaining a firearm. All people will occasionally succumb to bouts of depression and need to be treated for it to a degree. Most forms of depression can be managed quite well with some form of medication such as bupropion or something like that. Most people who suffer from depression can even learn to manage their depression without medication. Some cannot, but many can. So it should not be a given that anyone who has ever suffered from a bout of depression should be disqualified from gun ownership.
However, there are cases where people who suffer from a form of depression such as bi-polar disorder should be disqualified. The extreme swings that a bi-polar person can experience can often make it difficult for them to make good decisions especially under pressure. And there are also the very obvious mental illnesses that should be on the list of those that disqualify one from ever obtaining a weapon.
This is an issue that needs MUCH national debate. This is an issue that needs careful consideration. The potential for abuse of this process is too great NOT to have intense and serious national debate.
While all those proposals have their good and bad points, the fact remains that they do little to nothing to solve the problem of violence. The problem of violence needs to be addressed head on and in plain, clear, easy to understand language for all to hear and understand.
Yes, you are correct, this article is an attempt to posit one possible SOLUTION to the problem of violence.
The only way to combat violence is to meet it head on. Violence respects only one thing: strength.
Strength does not necessarily have to come from the barrel of a gun, though. Or from wielding any sort of weapon at all. Violence can be stopped through the strength of courage, integrity and honor: the elimination of fear.
It is understood that fear is necessary. It is what keeps most people from doing stupid things. It is also what allows others to prey upon innocents.
Fear is the tool of choice of terrorists. It is what makes them so effective. I mean, seriously, look at how fear changed America in ONE DAY! On September 11, 2001 the United States received a sucker punch that gave us a black eye and brought us to a knee. It was only the second time in living history that an enemy was able to attack us on our mainland successfully. It was the first time they were able to create massive casualties. It was the first time 70 years that it entered into our collective consciousness that we have become vulnerable to attack.
America sprung into action and immediately began trading in freedom for safety. It is understandable how such a mistake could be made by the people. Most people alive that day didn’t remember the hardships and trials our country experienced during WW2. The war experience of most Americans of that time was limited to pixilated images flashing at them from their television screens or the glorified combat simulations they played on their computers which allow one to die and come back to life again to retry your mission. The bubble of unreality was burst that day and it scared most Americans. Out of fear, they reacted without thinking and gladly handed over their freedom to the government for empty promises of safety. With that done, and the responsibility of their safety now in the hands of someone else, they returned to their television screens and computer games.
This was an eye opener for those in government. This gave them the perfect chance to organize a campaign of fear to unleash on the people. They realized that if they just scared enough people they could get Americans to give up more and more freedom giving the government more and more power.
And it worked. Americans are now the most fearful people in the world. We find something to be afraid of around every corner and behind every bush. As a result, we demand laws be passed to get rid of corners and bushes. Every time we find something to be afraid of, we demand a law to get rid of it. When we have nothing to be afraid of, the government then devises something for us to be afraid of. If they don’t, then we can count on the free enterprise system to make that happen for us. Look at the tremendous success of Alex Jones, for example. This is a man who has cashed in on American’s fear. He creates wild and outrageous conspiracy theories, fabricates evidence and creates false documentation that he conveniently discovers or is given to him by “secret” sources. This man is a multi-millionaire. He has made his money by creating and maintaining a state of fear which he then feeds off. All the way to the bank!
As Americans, we have become weak willed, gutless and cowardly. It used to be that anywhere in the world, if you used the word American it was a word used with respect and awe. It was synonymous with courage, integrity and honor.
How far we have fallen. And the only reason we have fallen this far is because of our fear. We have given into the fear. We define ourselves by our fear. We determine how we conduct our daily activities by our fear. Those with more fear accomplish less. Those with less fear are usually given a position in the government where they can be watched and controlled. And those who aren’t given government positions, are ridiculed by those who were given the government positions in an effort to discredit them. This has created more fear in people thus securing the positions of those now in power.
But, no matter how hard the bad guys have tried, they have been unsuccessful in creating a completely fearful environment. There has been one obstacle in their way. “Truth?” you are asking yourself. No. There is no longer any truth available. It has long since been diluted and convoluted and polluted to the point where it is no longer recognizable. In fact, now, truth is considered to be lie. Lie is considered to be truth. So, no, Truth is no longer the obstacle of the enemies of freedom.
The last obstacle for the enemies of freedom to overcome to successfully create a society completely controlled by their fear mongering is firearms.
Imagine that. We have now come full circle, haven’t we? The cycle begins anew. Now they use fear to attack the firearms and the last remaining obstacle to their total domination over the people will be removed and they will be free to do whatever they want. And if you think this isn’t the plan, you are a fool.
Since Sandy Hook, there has been much debate over the whole gun control issue. This is a healthy debate that we must have from time to time here in America to ensure we remain a free country. So the debate, regardless of which side you fall on, is a good thing. The thing is people are missing the point. People are offering a plethora of band-aids to cover the wound but nobody is offering a real solution to the problem.
Banning weapons is never the answer for a free population. The whole concept of our country is based on the ability of the people to defend themselves from those who would abuse power.
Registering guns is an idea that is supported by some, but will cause more problems in the long run as people don’t believe it is appropriate for our government to know who has guns and what kind or how many. It is akin to your boss telling you the password to the file that has all the corporation’s secrets.
Background checks is a knee jerk response by politicians to get some sort of consensus and agreement from which to show that some progress is being made. However, it is not a response that addresses the problem of preventing the crime from happening in the first place. There are 300 million guns in private hands in the United States right now. Approximately 90 million honest and law abiding citizens own almost all those guns. Criminals obtain their guns through theft or purchasing them through illegal channels. So how is a background check going to stop the criminals from purchasing a gun? In short, it won’t.
Some of the partly outside the box thinkers have determined that there needs to be an overhaul of the mental health system. This needs to be done, of that there can be no doubt. However, it has to be done in a manner that does not violate people’s rights. There also have to be safeguards in place that prevent the process from being abused. As soon as it is determined that mentally ill people cannot have the right to purchase or possess weapons (which is a good thing) the government will immediately figure out a way to ensure that everyone who applies for a background check be determined to be mentally ill. It will become their favorite tool with which to prevent people from obtaining guns. Eventually, it will be determined that the mere desire to purchase a gun is grounds for being declared mentally ill.
Additionally, there has to be sever e restrictions on which mental illnesses are the ones which will disqualify one from obtaining a firearm. All people will occasionally succumb to bouts of depression and need to be treated for it to a degree. Most forms of depression can be managed quite well with some form of medication such as bupropion or something like that. Most people who suffer from depression can even learn to manage their depression without medication. Some cannot, but many can. So it should not be a given that anyone who has ever suffered from a bout of depression should be disqualified from gun ownership.
However, there are cases where people who suffer from a form of depression such as bi-polar disorder should be disqualified. The extreme swings that a bi-polar person can experience can often make it difficult for them to make good decisions especially under pressure. And there are also the very obvious mental illnesses that should be on the list of those that disqualify one from ever obtaining a weapon.
This is an issue that needs MUCH national debate. This is an issue that needs careful consideration. The potential for abuse of this process is too great NOT to have intense and serious national debate.
While all those proposals have their good and bad points, the fact remains that they do little to nothing to solve the problem of violence. The problem of violence needs to be addressed head on and in plain, clear, easy to understand language for all to hear and understand.
Yes, you are correct, this article is an attempt to posit one possible SOLUTION to the problem of violence.
The only way to combat violence is to meet it head on. Violence respects only one thing: strength.
Strength does not necessarily have to come from the barrel of a gun, though. Or from wielding any sort of weapon at all. Violence can be stopped through the strength of courage, integrity and honor: the elimination of fear.
It is understood that fear is necessary. It is what keeps most people from doing stupid things. It is also what allows others to prey upon innocents.
Fear is the tool of choice of terrorists. It is what makes them so effective. I mean, seriously, look at how fear changed America in ONE DAY! On September 11, 2001 the United States received a sucker punch that gave us a black eye and brought us to a knee. It was only the second time in living history that an enemy was able to attack us on our mainland successfully. It was the first time they were able to create massive casualties. It was the first time 70 years that it entered into our collective consciousness that we have become vulnerable to attack.
America sprung into action and immediately began trading in freedom for safety. It is understandable how such a mistake could be made by the people. Most people alive that day didn’t remember the hardships and trials our country experienced during WW2. The war experience of most Americans of that time was limited to pixilated images flashing at them from their television screens or the glorified combat simulations they played on their computers which allow one to die and come back to life again to retry your mission. The bubble of unreality was burst that day and it scared most Americans. Out of fear, they reacted without thinking and gladly handed over their freedom to the government for empty promises of safety. With that done, and the responsibility of their safety now in the hands of someone else, they returned to their television screens and computer games.
This was an eye opener for those in government. This gave them the perfect chance to organize a campaign of fear to unleash on the people. They realized that if they just scared enough people they could get Americans to give up more and more freedom giving the government more and more power.
And it worked. Americans are now the most fearful people in the world. We find something to be afraid of around every corner and behind every bush. As a result, we demand laws be passed to get rid of corners and bushes. Every time we find something to be afraid of, we demand a law to get rid of it. When we have nothing to be afraid of, the government then devises something for us to be afraid of. If they don’t, then we can count on the free enterprise system to make that happen for us. Look at the tremendous success of Alex Jones, for example. This is a man who has cashed in on American’s fear. He creates wild and outrageous conspiracy theories, fabricates evidence and creates false documentation that he conveniently discovers or is given to him by “secret” sources. This man is a multi-millionaire. He has made his money by creating and maintaining a state of fear which he then feeds off. All the way to the bank!
As Americans, we have become weak willed, gutless and cowardly. It used to be that anywhere in the world, if you used the word American it was a word used with respect and awe. It was synonymous with courage, integrity and honor.
How far we have fallen. And the only reason we have fallen this far is because of our fear. We have given into the fear. We define ourselves by our fear. We determine how we conduct our daily activities by our fear. Those with more fear accomplish less. Those with less fear are usually given a position in the government where they can be watched and controlled. And those who aren’t given government positions, are ridiculed by those who were given the government positions in an effort to discredit them. This has created more fear in people thus securing the positions of those now in power.
But, no matter how hard the bad guys have tried, they have been unsuccessful in creating a completely fearful environment. There has been one obstacle in their way. “Truth?” you are asking yourself. No. There is no longer any truth available. It has long since been diluted and convoluted and polluted to the point where it is no longer recognizable. In fact, now, truth is considered to be lie. Lie is considered to be truth. So, no, Truth is no longer the obstacle of the enemies of freedom.
The last obstacle for the enemies of freedom to overcome to successfully create a society completely controlled by their fear mongering is firearms.
Imagine that. We have now come full circle, haven’t we? The cycle begins anew. Now they use fear to attack the firearms and the last remaining obstacle to their total domination over the people will be removed and they will be free to do whatever they want. And if you think this isn’t the plan, you are a fool.
RSS Feed