| Essay Non-Fiction posted July 9, 2016 |
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Essay
Guns!
by michaelcahill
I don't want to give the impression I'm for a complete ban on all guns and gun ownership, I'm not. I'm not calling for a repeal of the second amendment. I'm for regulating the sale and ownership of lethal weaponary with at least the attention we give to the right to drive an automobile, take a drink, smoke a cigarette, catch a fish, or vote. The following statistics are facts. We can debate until we are blue in the face. I want whatever it takes to reduce the number of children shot in the United States.
(Statistical Chart)
In One Year on Average (ages 0-19)
Over 17,000 (17,499) American children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, or by police intervention.
2,677 kids die from gun violence:
- 1,671 children and teens are murdered
- 827 children and teens kill themselves
- 124 children and teens killed unintentionally
- 24 are killed by police intervention
- 30 die but the intent was unknown
14,822 kids survive gun injuries:
- 11,420 are injured in an attack
- 280 survive a suicide attempt
- 3,061 are shot unintentionally
- 62 are shot in a police intervention
I must say it disturbs me when numbers alone are not enough to sway the hearts and minds of a thinking and caring society. Sadly, I’ve discovered I live in neither.
I live in a country where the haves tell the have-nots how it’s gonna be and it is so, This occurs in spite of the fact the have-nots possess the power to seize complete control at any time. It is a free country here in the United States of America. The document says so and it still in fact is the law of the land immutable and standing tall.
We have chosen the leadership in charge. These are the policies we endorse. We have the power to change them and we don’t. Enough said. I just want that established.
The second amendment grants the right to bear arms for protection to private citizens. That’s it in a nutshell. I’m not about to argue all the details. I’ll just stipulate I agree in general indeed those are the terms as I understand them. It’s generally accepted as well that the government has authority to regulate this right. Thus, five-year-olds, criminally insane individuals, convicted murderers and others are restricted from this right.
Somewhere in the midst of this sensible sounding program sense was lost. Fanatical attachment to a perceived “right” to own any kind of firearm became the norm. The call for sensible regulation became the radical cry of the bleeding heart calling for the surrender of freedom. The very idea of gun regulation became as unpatriotic as professing a love of Communism and a closet worship of Khrushchev as a shiny bald idol.
I don’t care what the NRA says, it doesn’t take a machine gun to hunt ducks. (please read notes regarding machine guns) It works well when slaughtering dozens of humans though.
True, it will be possible to acquire a machine gun no matter what regulations are put into play. I draw your attention to the numbers. Compare the statistics of countries allowing machine gun ownership, The United States, with those who do not, i.e., everyone else. Get it?
Restricting ownership and availability of machine guns DOES make a difference. What in hell is the argument against regulating ownership and availability? “It’s our right to own them. An interalieniable right guarendamnteed by the Constitution by gumption.”
OHHHH! You mean the document that was so precise we had to set about amending it almost immediately? Hell, we were still amending it two hundred years later and are proposing amendments to this day. It’s hardly something set in stone. No, it’s certainly a document that is quite pliable in nature and open to interpretation and re-interpretation.
According to the numbers, it’s high time to re-interpret the right to bear arms. The rest of the world has. We are the only nation on Earth who arms their populace. We are the only nation on Earth whose citizenry murders children by the thousands every year.
Now, you tell me, what is the reason this should stand?
The time has come to get rid of all of these guns. I’m sorry if it costs some profits from people who are preying upon the misery of others for their income. That’s too damn bad. I’m sorry if anyone thinks their precious rights are being violated.
Let’s consider the rights of the 17,499 children who are shot every year in this country by guns. I’m willing to step on some toes and ruffle some feathers to consider them. I’m even willing to make a few enemies. I’m sure I have already.
Remember, this is only ONE point. There are indeed others. I don’t think I need more than the one. The following statistic contains much more to support my argument:
As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting, or murder/suicide.
Here is my bottom line:
I condemn the policies in this country contributing to the shootings of 17,499 children per year. At this point, the opposition is welcome to state their reasons for defending these policies.
Story of the Month contest entry
I don't want to give the impression I'm for a complete ban on all guns and gun ownership, I'm not. I'm not calling for a repeal of the second amendment. I'm for regulating the sale and ownership of lethal weaponary with at least the attention we give to the right to drive an automobile, take a drink, smoke a cigarette, catch a fish, or vote. The following statistics are facts. We can debate until we are blue in the face. I want whatever it takes to reduce the number of children shot in the United States.
(Statistical Chart)
In One Year on Average (ages 0-19)
Over 17,000 (17,499) American children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, or by police intervention.
2,677 kids die from gun violence:
- 1,671 children and teens are murdered
- 827 children and teens kill themselves
- 124 children and teens killed unintentionally
- 24 are killed by police intervention
- 30 die but the intent was unknown
14,822 kids survive gun injuries:
- 11,420 are injured in an attack
- 280 survive a suicide attempt
- 3,061 are shot unintentionally
- 62 are shot in a police intervention
I must say it disturbs me when numbers alone are not enough to sway the hearts and minds of a thinking and caring society. Sadly, I’ve discovered I live in neither.
I live in a country where the haves tell the have-nots how it’s gonna be and it is so, This occurs in spite of the fact the have-nots possess the power to seize complete control at any time. It is a free country here in the United States of America. The document says so and it still in fact is the law of the land immutable and standing tall.
We have chosen the leadership in charge. These are the policies we endorse. We have the power to change them and we don’t. Enough said. I just want that established.
The second amendment grants the right to bear arms for protection to private citizens. That’s it in a nutshell. I’m not about to argue all the details. I’ll just stipulate I agree in general indeed those are the terms as I understand them. It’s generally accepted as well that the government has authority to regulate this right. Thus, five-year-olds, criminally insane individuals, convicted murderers and others are restricted from this right.
Somewhere in the midst of this sensible sounding program sense was lost. Fanatical attachment to a perceived “right” to own any kind of firearm became the norm. The call for sensible regulation became the radical cry of the bleeding heart calling for the surrender of freedom. The very idea of gun regulation became as unpatriotic as professing a love of Communism and a closet worship of Khrushchev as a shiny bald idol.
I don’t care what the NRA says, it doesn’t take a machine gun to hunt ducks. (please read notes regarding machine guns) It works well when slaughtering dozens of humans though.
True, it will be possible to acquire a machine gun no matter what regulations are put into play. I draw your attention to the numbers. Compare the statistics of countries allowing machine gun ownership, The United States, with those who do not, i.e., everyone else. Get it?
Restricting ownership and availability of machine guns DOES make a difference. What in hell is the argument against regulating ownership and availability? “It’s our right to own them. An interalieniable right guarendamnteed by the Constitution by gumption.”
OHHHH! You mean the document that was so precise we had to set about amending it almost immediately? Hell, we were still amending it two hundred years later and are proposing amendments to this day. It’s hardly something set in stone. No, it’s certainly a document that is quite pliable in nature and open to interpretation and re-interpretation.
According to the numbers, it’s high time to re-interpret the right to bear arms. The rest of the world has. We are the only nation on Earth who arms their populace. We are the only nation on Earth whose citizenry murders children by the thousands every year.
Now, you tell me, what is the reason this should stand?
The time has come to get rid of all of these guns. I’m sorry if it costs some profits from people who are preying upon the misery of others for their income. That’s too damn bad. I’m sorry if anyone thinks their precious rights are being violated.
Let’s consider the rights of the 17,499 children who are shot every year in this country by guns. I’m willing to step on some toes and ruffle some feathers to consider them. I’m even willing to make a few enemies. I’m sure I have already.
Remember, this is only ONE point. There are indeed others. I don’t think I need more than the one. The following statistic contains much more to support my argument:
As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting, or murder/suicide.
Here is my bottom line:
I condemn the policies in this country contributing to the shootings of 17,499 children per year. At this point, the opposition is welcome to state their reasons for defending these policies.
 Recognized |
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Please feel free to insert whatever the proper term should be where I'm using "machine gun". That's just hyperbole on my part, I admit. But whatever was used to kill all of those people in New Orleans, that's the type of weapon I'm referring to. I'm no weapon's expert. I'm for doing away with those.
I hope this sparks debate. I DO understand there is more than one side to this issue. However, THIS side is one no one seems to truly want to simply put out there. I suppose it isn't all that popular. :))
Some sources:
(Article site)
CBS NEW Special on Gun Control
Another article of interest:
"The Trace"
15 Statistics That Tell the Story of Gun Violence This Year
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