When our children were learning to drive, we had a clear understanding with each of them. It went something like this: "Junior, you're about to take on a serious responsibility. Not only are you responsible for your own life, you're also responsible for the lives of others in the car and on the road. If you opt to drive dangerously, to break the laws, and to break our trust in you, you will pay. Oh my, yes, you will pay dearly."
Along with the driving privilege came other expectations. Juniors and Juniorettes were expected to keep their grades up. They had a curfew that if broken, had an established, painful consequence. If they received a ticket, they paid the traffic fine, in addition to the surefire 'hell to pay' at home.
Now, where am I going with this? What does this have to do with government regulation?
A car is a great blessing if used properly. It's also a tremendous responsibility. Without regulation, a car can become a volatile weapon, a tool of destruction, and an indiscriminate killer. A split second in a car can change the lives of families and friends forever. How silly would it have been if we, as parents, had meekly handed over the keys to our children without setting a standard of proper behavior? Who would have called that decision wise? Who has children who would have governed themselves in a mature way, even teaching themselves to drive? If so, send your children our way. We had terrific children and they all needed to be taught, tried, and tested in the furnace if affliction before they became fully trustworthy and responsible drivers.
As I have closely followed the great debate surrounding gun violence, I have noticed a clear pattern among gun rights enthusiasts. The majority are adamant in their refusal to be regulated, yet they are the very people who have made government gun control and gun regulations necessary. How have they done that? Through irresponsible gun ownership on the part of a few. How is it responsible to purchase a deadly weapon online, from a private home, out of the trunk of a car, or at a gun show without a background check? What does it speak of one's character when just days after the massacre of little children, he is trumpeting his "constitutional right" to bear any imaginable kind of deadly weapon and ammunition magazine, completely ignoring little children's constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Those 'pesky' gun registration laws aren't for the arrogant few. It cramps their style. Our big, bad government has no choice but to step in and teach gun owners that along with ownership comes a singular obligation to register firearms, lock up firearms, and demonstrate an adult responsibility regarding gun ownership. It was sickening to see the sight of empty shelves and the news of booming ammunition and gun sales before the little Sandy Hook children were even buried.
Government regulation is in our lives because as a people, we have amply demonstrated through our lack of self restraint and good sense that we need them. Regulations on Wall Street were steadily eroded and ignored until in 2008, we stood on the abyss of a depression that would have made 1929 look like a walk in the park. Power Brokers and Hedge Fund Managers were given the car keys without a commensurate accountability and they nearly drove our financial cars off of the cliff. Many of us will never have the time to recover from what we lost in that debacle.
From the pollution of our rivers and streams by the "Don't Tread On Me" types, to the pollution of the air we breathe, there is a vocal minority among us who insist on behaving like selfish little children. Their world encompasses the narrow clutches of their own demands, their own needs, and their own arrogant, ignorant, paranoid world views.
So, why do we need government regulation? Because we lost the right to govern ourselves when we believed that our personal stampede in the pursuit of personal freedom trumped the personal freedoms and rights of others. If we don't want to be treated like children, then perhaps we should stop the bellicosity and put on our 'big boy' hats. That will, of course, involve a recognition that we're all in this together.
Along with the driving privilege came other expectations. Juniors and Juniorettes were expected to keep their grades up. They had a curfew that if broken, had an established, painful consequence. If they received a ticket, they paid the traffic fine, in addition to the surefire 'hell to pay' at home.
Now, where am I going with this? What does this have to do with government regulation?
A car is a great blessing if used properly. It's also a tremendous responsibility. Without regulation, a car can become a volatile weapon, a tool of destruction, and an indiscriminate killer. A split second in a car can change the lives of families and friends forever. How silly would it have been if we, as parents, had meekly handed over the keys to our children without setting a standard of proper behavior? Who would have called that decision wise? Who has children who would have governed themselves in a mature way, even teaching themselves to drive? If so, send your children our way. We had terrific children and they all needed to be taught, tried, and tested in the furnace if affliction before they became fully trustworthy and responsible drivers.
As I have closely followed the great debate surrounding gun violence, I have noticed a clear pattern among gun rights enthusiasts. The majority are adamant in their refusal to be regulated, yet they are the very people who have made government gun control and gun regulations necessary. How have they done that? Through irresponsible gun ownership on the part of a few. How is it responsible to purchase a deadly weapon online, from a private home, out of the trunk of a car, or at a gun show without a background check? What does it speak of one's character when just days after the massacre of little children, he is trumpeting his "constitutional right" to bear any imaginable kind of deadly weapon and ammunition magazine, completely ignoring little children's constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Those 'pesky' gun registration laws aren't for the arrogant few. It cramps their style. Our big, bad government has no choice but to step in and teach gun owners that along with ownership comes a singular obligation to register firearms, lock up firearms, and demonstrate an adult responsibility regarding gun ownership. It was sickening to see the sight of empty shelves and the news of booming ammunition and gun sales before the little Sandy Hook children were even buried.
Government regulation is in our lives because as a people, we have amply demonstrated through our lack of self restraint and good sense that we need them. Regulations on Wall Street were steadily eroded and ignored until in 2008, we stood on the abyss of a depression that would have made 1929 look like a walk in the park. Power Brokers and Hedge Fund Managers were given the car keys without a commensurate accountability and they nearly drove our financial cars off of the cliff. Many of us will never have the time to recover from what we lost in that debacle.
From the pollution of our rivers and streams by the "Don't Tread On Me" types, to the pollution of the air we breathe, there is a vocal minority among us who insist on behaving like selfish little children. Their world encompasses the narrow clutches of their own demands, their own needs, and their own arrogant, ignorant, paranoid world views.
So, why do we need government regulation? Because we lost the right to govern ourselves when we believed that our personal stampede in the pursuit of personal freedom trumped the personal freedoms and rights of others. If we don't want to be treated like children, then perhaps we should stop the bellicosity and put on our 'big boy' hats. That will, of course, involve a recognition that we're all in this together.
Well, Betty I'm afraid that while I agree we should do something about mass murders etc. I must disagree with what you suggest. As you say, it is only a few who have created that problem so I oppose punishing all gun owners.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to see a problem, almost as easy to propose a solution. the difficulty is proposing a solution that a) is effective, and b) does not create other, perhaps worse, problems. In fact Mexico has gun laws very similar to what you are proposing and those laws hardly stop the country from suffering several times as many mass murders as the US does. What those laws do accomplish is allow the Mexicans to incarcerate US citizens who usually accidentally violate those laws while crossing the border. In fact they can arrest someone for carrying a pocket knife. They also prevent the good citizens from protecting themselves against some of the nastiest criminals in the world.
Gun registration is an example of legislation that can cause problems while not helping solve the problem. I cannnot see how it will stop anyone bent on murder. If someone is willing to commit murder, especially if he intends to die in the process as most have, registering a gun will not stop him. However, as demonstrated by recent events in New York, such registration can provide information to criminals on which house to burglarize if they want to avoid guns, or where to go to steal guns.
Most other proposed regulations are equally ineffective, usually aimed at cosmetic aspects of guns. A pistol grip or bayonet lug changes the effect of the bullet not a bit. Outlawing them is a feel-good measure which will have no real effect.
The one thing which would be effective has been little discussed except by a few on the right. That is keeping guns out of the hands of those with potentially violent mental illnesses. I think pretty much all the mass murderers in the US of late have been mentally ill, and that was known before they committed their crimes. The problem is how to identify those with such mental illness while not falsely accusing those unlikely to be a hazard to themselves or others. I do not have a good solution to that problem but it would be worth doing good research.
Hal - I'm sure you're familiar with this scripture - "And they did arm every man, woman, and child . . . . And thanks for your comments. I appreciate your reading my blog.
DeleteHi Betty, I think you are referring to the Jaradites who became totally obsessed with killing each other. I regard the obsession as the problem, not the tools they did it with. In fact there is a new article on the Sandy Hook crime that rather indicates a similar problem. If you have the stomach for it, you can read it at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lupica-lanza-plotted-massacre-years-article-1.1291408?localLinksEnabled=false
That is not pleasant but maybe someone can use this information to help prevent such heinous crimes in the future. Clearly violent video games played a part though of course lots of people never take their violent gaming to real life. If the article is true, it is also clear that the guy was totally obsessed and his mother was complicit in ignoring his problem and helping him acquire his guns.