Sandy Hook: America Needs To Take A Collective Breath

Like many parents, I was horrified at the violence against the weakest in our society by the hands of a disturbed individual. Our mind tries to wrap around the senseless violence and our emotions spin through anger, grief, fear, and loss with a dizzying pace. We can't stop what happened but we want to prevent it happening again. We cry for answers and look for quick solutions that will make us feel like we have solved the problem. This is the quickest path to failure because we pursue options in the heat of fear and anger instead of the cool of calm reason and rational consideration.

Should We Ban All Guns?

If the problem was simply the existence of guns, this would be a simple argument. The fact that we have over 300 million privately owned guns in the US and there no everyday firefights in the average streets of America proves that we have gun control - responsible citizens controlling their firearms and using them for hunting and self-protection.

I am not a prepper but when a disaster strikes, think Katrina and Sandy, there are not enough protective boots on the ground to protect each citizen effectively while order is being reestablished. Thugs who raid homes for prescription drugs and valuables will already be armed because they DON'T CARE about gun restrictions. In rural areas, it takes a long time for county security (i.e., Sheriff) to respond to calls because of distance. Homeowners need to be able to respond with a credible threat to violent trespassers until professional response arrives.

In addition, there are many who hunt responsibly and eat the food that is killed (helping population control of the animals in the processes) who should not have to give up their arms because others abuse the right.

Thinking Through The Problem

Are we not introspective enough to realize that responsible citizens should not have to forfeit their rights because there are some who have no regard for the law and will be dysfunctional and antisocial regardless of the laws?

Do you REALLY think that if the government outlaws guns, America will be free of the sound of gunfire? 

• We have restrictive drug laws but heroin, cocaine, meth, and marijuana are easily available, users and addicts are not hard to find, and complex dealer networks exist. 
• We have restrictions on immigration and border checkpoints but MILLIONS of illegal aliens in our country, some part of violently armed drug cartels. (illegal people, guns, and drugs!) 
• During Prohibition alcohol was banned but alcohol was still available on the black market and violent distribution networks arose to satisfy the need. At least now we can track legal gun purchases for the average citizen. Ban guns and citizens will still get guns on the black market and criminals will ALWAYS have guns. 

Don't disarm responsible gun owners because you fear those who will abuse guns especially since many will have them illegally anyway. The Law of Unintended Consequences from Prohibition and America's Drug policy will not provide a safer world for you.

We Must Learn to Handle Our Fears

America needs to quit being such a fear-based society and realize that we living in a difficult world with some messed up people and we can't protect ourselves from every problem. We can mitigate risks as best we can and be cautious and responsible. People are harmed and die but we still drive cars, ride buses  fly in planes, go to work and school, go to malls, etc. It's an imperfect world that is full of risks.

• We can strip down and fly naked and surrender our rights and dignity at the airport but someone is still going to figure out how to hurt a bunch of us on a plane.
• There are almost 100,000 public schools in the US but a horrific tragic incident happens in one school on one day and people are pulling their kids out of school across the country, considering homeschooling, and panicking. I have 4 kids (2 others lived with us) and most school days since the establishment of our public school system have passed without serious incident but one tragic day with an out of control person and we begin thinking schools are becoming Somalia. It was the worst of tragic days BUT IT WAS AN ANOMALY! I still send my kids to public school with a prayer as I have done since they were in kindergarten but understand there are no guarantees of anything.
• Three cheerleaders died in a tragic car accident a few years ago coming home from a school event. Kids have been killed in school bus accidents. Do you not let your kids drive? Do you not let them participate in school events? Do you wrap them in bubble wrap, lock your family in a room and pray the world goes away? For all these things we make adjustments that seem wise and effective. We make sure the cars are maintained  and the kids are trained to drive. We become more alert in the school and the workplace. 

Once we calm down, we can approach our problems with more rationality. Maybe we adjust laws to restrict irresponsible gun behavior but we don't disarm people who have respect for the weapon, other people, and are trained to use them for non-criminal pursuits. Perhaps we need better funded support structures

America Was Not Founded on Fear!

As a nation, we need to take a collective breath and quit panicking. Our greatness was not built upon fear but responsibly facing the challenges of life with resolve and courage. The government will not and cannot protect you from the tragedies of life. Government has proven to be a poor savior in most areas it has tried to help, creating bureaucracy and waste from fraud and inefficiency. You can't even protect yourself completely. But don't be so quick to surrender your rights for the false promise of deliverance for such leads to slavery, either to outside forces or to the tyranny of your fears.