I was asked on another forum, If it was my opinion that no changes were necessary. Here was my response. Please let me know if there are inaccuracies, or if there are any holes in my thinking. Curious on the more "educated" members opinions of my response as well. Its a long read and I apologize.
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I am a firm believer in what our forefathers wrote when drafting the Constitution. It is our RIGHT to defend ourselves against tyranny or bodily harm any way that we see fit. Does that mean I should own a Nuke? Of course not, I don’t know how to use it properly and with the least amount of collateral damage.
I am 100% against the government telling me that I no longer have that RIGHT, or limiting my choices in using that RIGHT.
Any limitations set forth by the government to do so, is not only unconstitutional it is detrimental to our society and the freedoms our nation was founded upon.
The way I see it is this: If you tell me that I can’t legally purchase and use a semiautomatic hammer, and you base your laws off of what John Doe did while mentally unstable, you are not only taking away my rights as an informed and law abiding citizen, you are dictating the way I should live my life. I vehemently disagree with even the thought of the Government telling me what is and isn't good for me.
As of this minute, "Assault Hammers" are legal, and there are hoops that you have to jump through to obtain one. I jumped through those hoops, registered my hammer, and have lived up to my end of the "responsible hammer owner" agreement. I have also purchased numerous nail holding devices that make my use of the hammer more efficient. I now can hammer up to 30 nails without having to stop my work and refill, costing me time and possibly my livelihood. Limiting my ability to hammer 30 nails without a refill only causes me to refill more often, it will not stop me from finishing the task at hand. And to be honest, I have practiced refilling and swapping nail holders often enough that I have learned it is far more efficient to have more than one nail holder filled and ready. So you see, the only thing limiting the amount of nails my nail holder can hold is going to do, is require me to purchase more of the lower capacity nail holders and train with them to be as efficient as the originally legal 30 nail holders.
Now, you asked if I wanted "anything to change" and the answer is yes, I do. I want there to more armed citizens. I want there to be armed (and trained) teachers to protect our children. I want there to be more awareness about guns and their uses in self-defense. I want there to be a chance for my children to find the joy of shooting all types of weapons responsibly. I want our Congressmen, Senators, POTUS's and CEO's to understand that the security guard they hired to protect their arse, is actually just a regular Joe, and like me, has a desire to be well educated with weapons and the ability to defend oneself, or the lives of others.
I want those that are truly mentally "ill" to get the treatment they need and deserve. Current standards imply that 70% of our children have some form of ADHD. Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's what you get when the world has taught multi-tasking and the go-go-go mentality to every single person alive. You have to be able to balance this and that and don't forget about this. As parents, we do this on a daily basis, and our children see us bouncing from one thing to another, and "No Johnny, Daddy doesn't have time to throw the ball, he has to finish up that report for work tomorrow, pay the bills, and fix the leaky roof..." We as a society are constantly moving. Why is it that our children are given drugs when they can't stay focused on one thing longer than 10 minutes, when adults are called excellent "Multi-taskers" working solutions to 5 different problems all at the same time. Furthermore - Why aren't the teachers that mold our FUTURE paid well enough so that they CARE enough to slow Johnny down, get him back on track and either explain the issue he is having or recognize that it is flat out boring him, and find something more challenging for Johnny to do while the others catch up? Our teachers should be making 100k a year. THEY ARE THE ONES MOLDING OUR FUTURE.
One last point on children. That includes stopping the current practice of "babying them" or sheltering them from the truths of society. If you lost the football game, you lost. Try harder next time. Stop playing video games, facebooking, or tweetin and get in the gym, the field, the court. Whatever it takes for you to win next time. Telling children that it’s okay to be 2nd or last is bull****. Our fathers were told "You don't have the skills to get this job". Do you think they went home and were consoled by their wives or parents? Hell no, they went out to find a job they WERE skilled enough for and worked their asses off to put food on the table. The kids today say "What do you mean I don't have the skills? I have a such and such degree that PROVES that I know what I am doing, and I deserve that position". When the Boss still says no due to no actual hands on experience or a more qualified candidate, they go and sue the company for discrimination.
Back on topic - Do I think our current laws are enough to stop more mass shootings? No. Do I think more laws will help? Absolutely not. Do I think limiting magazine capacities and certain styles of weapons will help? Absolutely not. You know why? Because that would imply that criminals follow the ****ing rules. Ask Dennis Klebold or Eric Harris whether or not they saw the "No Weapons Allowed" on the glass door as they walked in. Ask them if that made them stop and think "Damn, I really shouldn't take these weapons in there, the sign says they are illegal here."
Gun free zones only act like a beacon to those that want to do harm. Limiting mag's will only make the criminals find them on the black market. Limiting the weapons will only do the same. The only thing these laws are going to affect is us. Those that obey the law and do not wish to be found guilty of being a law abiding citizen.
Now, with that rant finished, here are the things I am okay with:
1) Stricter enforcement of the CURRENT laws.
a) Background checks, while a nuisance are there for a reason. This law stopped the CT shooter (and certainly countless others) from buying his own weapons.
b) It is illegal to make a straw purchase. We need to find a way to enforce this at local gun shows. I am not sure how to solve this problem. It is out of my lane.
c) Find a way to stop the illegal sell of firearms to criminals
d) Find a way to educate those that wish basic education about weapons economically.
