I read what Bishop Thomas J Tobin had to say about the president's speech last week in Tuscon. I must admit some of the same thoughts ran through my mind, given Mr. Obama's abysmal record on abortion. I thought of all the little Christina's that never got an opportunity to discover life's joys, like ballet, Little League, etc. I thought about the irony that we are so devastated when tragedies of this magnitude occur, yet many more lives have been lost to abortion, which is an act of violence against innocent life, repeated over and over again, every day. We get worked up about that which we can see, and we forget about that which is hidden from us but is a reality all the same. These ironies are not lost on me.
Still....I must confess to some disappointment. Had not it been so easy for a psychologically impaired person to purchase a gun and ammunition of mass destruction, there would have been no opportunity for the president to give that speech. Am I wrong to wish that just one word could have been mentioned about the insanity of making weapons which serve no legitimate purpose so accessible? I don't think it detracts from the unborn to call attention to other travesties which continue to snuff out innocent life, so long as abortion remains the primary focus. Do you?
Let's see if we can't have a respectful discussion about this.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
ReplyDelete"2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow..."
Because we have the right to defend ourselves, even if it means killing our attacker, we also have the right to arm ourselves with the means for that defense. The Glock 9mm pistol used by the shooter in Tucson is primarily a defensive weapon, as are almost all other handguns. It is designed to defend against an attacker, which as we can see from the Catechism, is a legitimate purpose for its existence. The fact that this weapon was used illegally for a purpose it was not designed for does not diminish its legitimacy.
Like it or not, when it comes to self defense, there is no better or more effective weapon for carry than a pistol. It can quickly equalize even the most lopsided confrontations. A 220 pound rapist can be held at bay by a 110 pound teenage girl with a Glock. Without it, who knows?
Making it more difficult to legally purchase firearms will not stop anyone that wants one from getting it. It will only make it more likely that the only people that are armed are criminals. Most criminals don't go through background checks.
Remember, one of the guys that brought the shooter to the ground was carrying concealed and he said in an interview that he only jumped in because he knew that if he needed it he had a weapon at his disposal.
I'd rather see everyone armed and take the chance that a crazy criminal might be, too, than to go unarmed into the world still taking that same chance.
I am also a believer in more people being armed rather than less. I think it makes us safer as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI wish the politicians would worry about the state of mental health treatment in this country. Because if that guy had been treated, he wouldn't have done what he did. Clearly he had been identified as needing help, but apparently got none.
I guess we all see this tragedy through our own lenses of belief. As a person who works at a psychiatric hospital, I can see that all this loss of life and heartache could have been prevented with a 72 hour hold and some medications, court ordered if necessary.
I have no objection to valid cases of self-defense that result in the death of an attacker. I also have no objection to a law-abiding person being able to purchase a Glock. What I do have an objection to is a criminally insane person being able to walk into a store and walk out with a clip designed for maximum killing and seeing this scenario repeated over and over again in this country. Assault rifles, armor-piercing bullets, etc. have no legitimate use or place in society. Supposedly, the people who sold the gunmen the clips were hesitant because he gave them the creeps, but because he wasn't entered into any registry, they felt compelled to go ahead and sell to him. Too bad they didn't feel empowered to trust their own judgment.
ReplyDeleteSo, what do you think can be done to keep psychotic people from buying guns without infringing on the rights of law-abiding sane people? And where does the right to carry end and the right not to get caught in the crossfire begin?
Thanks for you respectful comment.
I too believe in the right to own guns. What people overlook is how many times a gun has saved a life. That doesn't get the notoriety in the press.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree there needs to be some check on the individual's background. I don't know if this lunatic would have come up on some list. I don't know how one proves that the person buying the gun is mentally unstable. He probably came across as a normal person. I certainly agree that if the person has a record of mental instabilty, he should not be allowed to own a gun.
I'll always try to be respectful but thanks for the compliment. If I ever get out of line just tell my wife over at Moving On To The Past. She still scares me after all these years.
ReplyDeleteDo we know that the shooter was criminally insane? He may have been weird, creepy or just plain old evil but not insane. I don't think that's been determined yet.
If the guys that sold him the magazines (not clips, those are something entirely different) picked up some weird vibe they should have refused to sell them to him. But really, the mag size is immaterial. My .45 has seven round magazines and they can be dropped and reloaded in a matter of seconds. This whole thing about oversized magazines is a distraction being used to demonize guns. It really doesn't make much difference.
And so is the "assault weapon" scare. First of all, what is an assault weapon? Does a scary looking rifle qualify or is it something more? As far as the military is concerned, a true assault rifle would be capable of fully automatic firing. Since, unfortunately, it's just about impossible to own a full auto weapon legally in this country the chances of an assault weapon being used in any crime is pretty slim.
If you mean an AR type rifle then I would argue that it indeed has very definite uses in the civilian world, both for hunting and self defense. And they, at least the ones that you and I can buy at the gun shop, are semi-auto. This means that each time the trigger is pulled one round is fired - nothing more, nothing less. This is no different than a double action revolver.
These rifles are used by hunters all across the country because of their ease of use, accuracy and the wide variety of calibers that they are available in. They are also effective home defense weapons because they are compact, reliable and safe. The problem of penetration through walls when firing a weapon in the home and injuring someone besides the threat is fairly significant. The use of smaller calibers, such as the .223 and bullets that disintegrate on impact drastically reduce the chance of injury to the innocent in this situation and these rifles are the perfect weapon for this sort of ammunition. They also are designed for easy attachment of lights and optics that further increase their safety and ease of use in the home.
As far as keeping guns out of the hands of people that might harm us, whether crazy or just evil, I'd say it can't be done without infringing on our natural law rights. We just have to accept that do to our disordered nature (due to the fall) we will always be surrounded by danger and evil. That's why I believe that we should arm ourselves. Most people are going to try to do the right thing and when the bad guys show up I'd rather have a whole bunch of good people with weapons around me than a bunch of good people fixin' to get killed. We may still die but at least we'll have a chance.
And even if the shooter had been stopped from buying a gun he was within two feet of Giffords when he shot her, more than close enough to use a knife. Statistically, it's more likely that a person will die from a knife wound than from a gun wound. Knives do more damage to the body than bullets.
So, in the end there is no good answer besides asking for God's protection and trying to stay out of harm's way. And always have a gun with you for the times you can't.
Uh oh, you said, *crossfire*....careful...the word police are lurking everywhere!
ReplyDeleteThe gun issue was not the one that jumped out at me, guess it's my perspective, because it is the mental health system issue that got me going.
Having dealt with it up close and personal, I can tell you that it is broken and corrupt beyond what you can imagine. My family has experienced actual, criminal (complete with felony charges and conviction) abuse at the hands of the "system." The laws in Arizona provided for this man, and STILL he was not addressed appropriately. ANYONE could have anonymously called attention to his situation. 1.His parents, 2.the college, 3. the police that had interactions with him. And why didn't they? Who knows, but I do know that in the case of his parents, perhaps fear, and the college could have feared overstepping it's bounds; though if they had done a little research, would have found out the law I mentioned above. You know that I am all for treating anyone with a mental illness with respect, but there really are people who left untreated, become dangerous. Same idea as with abortion--we have become people who do not want to get involved. If we care enough to pay attention to what is happening around us, I think it would go a long way.
Thanks all. I think Mary Christine is right - we all see this issue through our own individual lens. My father was a responsible gun owner ( I say "was" because he voluntarily gave up his permit to carry after his accident). His weapon of choice when he was off-duty was a Derrenger. He was a decorated sharp-shooter on the police force, so I guess he was confident enough in his abilities to carry something not very high powered and with minimal rounds. I never asked him about it but perhaps I will.
ReplyDeleteOne day after school, my sister and I were home alone, expecting my mom from work any minute. There was a knock at the door and against all better judgment and teaching, I started to open it and as I did, I looked through the window in the door and saw it wasn't my mom but a man who looked to be selling something. I had already unlocked the door and started to open it. I managed to close and lock the door again, but the person on the other side jiggled the knob. Then he kicked the door, very hard. Even at that young age, I felt confident I would be able to fell him by clocking him over the head with the crystal vase on the piano right by the door.I knew where my dad's gun was, and I had been taught enough with it when it was unloaded to know what to do with it, but it never occurred to me to get it. My sister, in the meantime, was too frozen to call the police, but as God would have it, our neighbor across the street, also a cop, was just coming home from work. The sight of a uniformed officer must have sent the would-be whatever he was on his way. I was mad at myself for not looking before I unlocked the door, but I have to tell you - I was ready to let this guy have it with a Waterford vase. I was almost disappointed that I didn't get to try it!
When my son was only 10 and suffering torment at the hands of his classmates, I started taking him to therapy. As part of his on-going treatment, I agreed to do all I could to never let him get his hands on a weapon at any time in his life, not only because of the fear that he might someday seek revenge on his tormenters, but also because of the fear he might use it on himself to commit suicide. A family member did just that when he was only 16 years old. When a teenager puts a rifle to their head, there's little chance of surviving. Guns and the mentally ill are like matches and gasoline. There was a time when my son would ask me if he could have a gun someday because he enjoyed playing arcade shooting games, but it's been a long time since he's asked me. Now that his torment has ended and he has a social life and friends, it's no longer interesting to him. That doesn't mean my vigilance with him will ever come to an end, for his sake as well as anyone else's.
As for me, my weapons of choice are my Rosary and my Brown Scapular. To each his own, but I know there's no chance of an accident or suicide with either of them.