US must shake its Wild West attitude toward guns
In one bitter week, six dead in Kirkwood, MO and six in DeKalb, IL, an even dozen, from a fusillade of gunfire by two citizens armed and dangerous. This is not counting the other assorted incidents of victims killed by gun-toting citizens in our country last week alone.. I don’t have the exact number of deaths due to weapons legally obtained by the perpetrators. No doubt, that illustrious defender of the faith, ranting their spurious, self-serving interpretation of the Constitution of our right to bear arms, the NRA, keeps this total on their spreadsheets at Washington, DC. headquarters. In this hail of bullets members of this “militia” power-mad lobbying throng must be chanting, ” Hail to the NRA “. How many card-carrying members recited the Lords Prayer attending funerals of their slain friends?
Against an individuals intent on killing scores of others indiscriminately, the evidence is overwhelming that there is scant defense from limiting the initial carnage by officers of the law or average citizens, unarmed or armed with openly displayed or concealed weapons for defense. To those who defend the Missouri concealed-carry law I challenge each of them to be able to respond instantly and effectively to ongoing violence in a manner that would prevent the immediate bloodshed of others and their own imminent demise. At the very least law enforcement gets weapons training; most individuals have little more than rudimentary knowledge of weapons safety and use though they may like to think they are Cool Hand Luke with a fast draw.
Until we as a nation wake up from our 1870’s Wild West attitude toward guns, we will continue to witness these unspeakable, irrational killing rampages which compete for headline-grabbing attention with the daily slaughter of countless civilians and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both are a consequence of active and wrong-headed decisions we have brought upon ourselves. The ownership of all handguns and assault weapons by other than the appropriate authorities should be banned. Will we still be ringing our hands and hurting as many more people inevitably are taken down by legal and illegal guns? It is one quick step away from a deranged or angered citizen from pulling the trigger upon you and yours. Welcome to Iraq in Missouri.
Laurence C. Day
Ladue
#36 Garrison, that is an example of how adamant gun owners are about protecting our rights. You oppose guns, so you don’t understand most gun owners. Despite what you’ve seen in the Bambi movie and CBS News’ “Guns of Autumn” propaganda, we aren’t crazy extremists running around the woods shooting everything in sight.
Yes, I have ethically hunted game animals since childhood. I have taught my children to target shoot and spent many quality hours sharing the experience with them and my wife. When my first child began crawling I purchased a semi automatic pistol because it could be stored more safely and loaded more quickly if needed than the revolver I already owned.
The enhanced physical, mental, and emotional development offered by shooting sports and safety training have been assets to me, my children, and now my grandchildren. Our family has benefited from safe, legal, ethical, ownership and use of firearms for generations. The fact that firearms are also misused by those who are negligent, criminal, or insane will not convince me that I should surrender those benefits for future generations.
Anti-gunners portray gun owners as unreasonable thugs. Just the opposite is true; the gun banners are the real thugs.