Since the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut on December 14, 2012, the issue of gun control has been a hot topic of conversation and there seems to be no end in sight. There has been a huge debate over the decisions of President Obama using his executive powers on gun control and it has caused a backlash of comments from citizens all over the nation that he is abusing his power and is not upholding our constitution that he swore to protect.
The Constitution of the United States that our nation was built on very clearly gives the citizens the right to bear arms, and it has worked for this country for hundreds of years. Every citizen of this nation has the right to defend themselves, own firearms for hunting purposes, and it seems the people of this country are unwilling to compromise when it comes to their rights as individuals, especially when it is clearly a part of the Constitution that has been the backbone of this country.
Although none of us want to continue to see school shootings continue and are concerned about crime in general, taking away our Constitutional rights and the right to defend ourselves against anyone who may wish to do us harm is clearly not the answer. In these times we live in when home invasions and crime are everyday occurrences, it seems that taking away law abiding citizen’s weapons will only leave us at the mercy of criminals who intend to do us harm. It is incredibly naïve to believe that criminals would turn in their weapons or would be unable to arm themselves to carry out their attacks, and giving up our protection would only leave us in a vulnerable state and they would take full advantage of that fact. The crime rate would go up, because the criminals would obviously have the upper hand on us, which is just not acceptable and dangerous to us all.
What most people understand is that guns are dangerous weapons, but by themselves they are just objects. They only become dangerous if they are being handled by someone who has the intention of doing harm to someone or committing a crime, with the exception of hunters. Facebook has been full of comments, and although they may sound like a cliché, you can’t deny that it is the truth; Guns do not kill people. People kill people. Without someone holding the gun, pointing it at a person, and pulling the trigger, guns alone pose no threat.
That is not to mean that gun safety is not important. It is imperative that all adults keep their weapons in a safe place with the safety on and away from all children. If your children are aware that you own guns, you must teach them at a very young age that they are dangerous and they are never to touch them. Although children don’t always listen to your warnings, it is extremely important that you make them understand the dangers of handling guns, and that you take safety measures in case they are ever tempted to touch your firearms. There are many safety measures that you can take to ensure the safety of your children, but the best safety measures is to always keep your weapons out of your child’s reach and to have locks on them and keep them unloaded unless you have a legitimate reason to load the weapon.
The most important things regarding the prevention of school shootings is that we begin to pay more attention to our children and their mental issues. No parent would ever want to believe that their child could ever be capable of such a heinous act, but it is time that we watch for the warning signs of mental illness and get help for our children before they reach the point of being a danger to themselves or others. It is important that we are involved in our children’s lives and know what is going on at school and with their friends. If you begin to see warning signs that something is wrong with your child, such as depression or isolation, it is time to get help for your child immediately. Look for the red flags and talk to your children. Know what is going on in their lives and if they are having problems of any kind, get them the counseling or mental help they need. We must stop raising our children on autopilot, and get more involved and stay vigilant to their activities and pay attention to the kids that they become involved with.
The main issue at hand is whether or not the President has the right to overuse his powers for his own agenda. The United States is a democracy and not a dictatorship, and most believe that an executive order is a gross misuse of his power as president. Most do not believe that the president should be able to make these decisions without the support of our Congress and the people of this nation. The fact that he seemed to be using the Sandy Hook Shootings to disarm the innocent people of this nation seemed to really disgust many in this nation. Surrounding himself with children as he signed his executive orders seemed to be his chance to pull at the heartstrings of the people that are still grieving the loss of the children in the recent school shootings. Instead, most people saw through what he was doing, and did not appreciate his tactics.
The Constitution of the United States begins with “We the people”, and as a democracy, we have more power than we have been programmed to believe as to what occurs in our country. We have the right to stand up for what we believe, to make sure that our president has our best intentions at heart and is not abusing his power. It is our job to hold our government responsible for their actions.
This country was built by our forefathers who believed in the Constitution and it has worked for us for hundreds of years. There have been many who have died and been injured defending our freedom. The only difference is that in the past these wars have been fought overseas against other countries who were a threat to us. We are now in a situation in which our freedom is being threatened by the very people that we have voted into office to protect our country, and entrusted to do what was right for us. It is our job to ensure that we keep our eyes wide open and not be bullied by our own government that we believe should be protecting the citizens of this nation.
In only the last few months, there have been multiple stories on the news of women who were home alone when people have broken into their house. One of these victims was only a 12 year old girl. If these women had not had guns and the ability to protect themselves, there is no telling what would have become of them. More than likely, they would have become another sad statistic, but because they had that protection and were not afraid to use it to save their lives, those women are alive and well today. Everyone has a right to protect themselves against people who intend to harm them, and men have a right to feel that they can protect their family. If the government ever takes our ability to defend ourselves, we will be completely exposed. Everyone knows that criminals will have access to guns regardless of any laws that are passed. All the government would be doing is taking away our ability to defend ourselves, and that defies all common sense.
It is time to get involved, write your congressman, mayors, and representatives and make it clear to them that you do not intend to sit by and wait to become a statistic or a victim. Let them know that you believe in our democracy and Constitution and have no intention of standing by while our country is rewritten and our rights are being stripped from us. The ball is in our court at this point. We can either stand by and watch it happen or we can take a lesson from the decade of the 60’s and stand up together for what we believe in and take our country back.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, and any suggestions you have for future articles. I apologize that it has been so long since I have published an article, but my computer has been in the shop getting worked on. It is great to be back, and as always, I appreciate my loyal readers who have made my page such a great success.
Comments