GUNS, GUNS AND MORE GUNS

Gun violence has gotten completely out of control in America, but as long as folks continue to flock to the altar of the National Rifle Association and worship the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms as if it’s ordained by the Almighty, innocents will continue to be slaughtered by the thousands while the rest of the society keeps busy cleaning up the carnage. It’s high time we repeal the Second Amendment, and if the wing nuts with weapons decide they want their guns pried from their cold, dead fingers – so be it. Once the smoke clears, Americans will be far safer walking the streets than they are now and tens of thousands of would-be gun death victims will live to see another day.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating for the complete elimination of firearms, though I dare say Americans would be a million times safer if that were the case given the current number of firearms possessed exceeding the number of citizens living here. What I suggest instead is a replacement of the Second Amendment with one that affords our elected leaders the power to reasonably regulate the who, what, where, when and how of deadly weapon ownership.

Not having reasonable regulations and restrictions in place to control life-threatening firearms borders on lunacy. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and hundreds of other dangerous controlled substances are either completely banned or tightly regulated, because they pose of substantial risk of death to a person using them. You cannot drive a car unless you’ve passed a driver’s test and prove financial responsibility by purchasing vehicle insurance, because operating a car is an inherently dangerous activity that threatens the safety of everyone in the vicinity. Guns and ammunitions, on the other hand, can be purchased like gum in a candy store. That, my friends, is the height of stupidity, except we have the Second Amendment that guarantees such stupidity, which is why I contend the Second Amendment should be repealed and replaced.

Critics of gun control cite personal protection of life and property as the chief reason why they oppose even reasonable gun regulations, but the fallacy of that argument is that owning and carrying a gun doesn’t automatically make one safer. People who believe that notion should watch the video of Officer Lynn Anderson, a fully-trained and fully-armed veteran of the Northern York County Regional Police Department getting shot at by a driver he pulled over for a simple traffic violation on November 22nd of last year. Officer Anderson’s life was not spared by the sidearm in his holster. It was saved by the reflex of his training and the fortunate fact that his would-be killer (Trev Bowies Jackson) was a lousy shot.

It seems to me that if people want to own a gun for hunting or self-defense, they ought to be required to take a test demonstrating proficiency in firearm safety, secure a firearm ownership license and provide insurance to cover the cost of any damage they cause. Let the insurance market bear the risk of loss instead of innocent children playing on the sidewalks.