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In the past month there have been a number of shootings with multiple casualties, the most recent is the grocery store in Buffalo, NY and the school shooting in Uvalde, TX. There have also been multiple casualty shootings in Chicago, IL, but such incidents are a weekly (sometimes daily) occurrences but only seem to get national attention to illustrate that strict gun laws will not work!
When these incidents occur my thoughts are with the victims’
families as well as the first responders who must suppress their feelings and
complete their work, processing the scene, collecting evidence, notifying next
of kin and watch their pain, and other things that come up during the
investigation. I also think back to my
experiences throughout my 38 years in law enforcement, including my time as a
Peer Support member of a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team (later
changed to Critical Incident Stress Management), helping first responders (and
in a few occasions family members of victims that arrived on the scene)
The next feelings I experience is anger and
frustration because politicians will begin using the tragedy to push an agenda
(often even before the bodies of the deceased have been removed from the
scene). They choose to hit talking
points to take advantage of the tragedy for their political advantage,
especially if there is an upcoming election.
I’m not only angry with politicians, I’m angry with us as a society
because we allow politicians to use our emotions for their own purposes/
advantage. Of course I also have anger
because I know what’s coming and to be honest I am tired of hearing it, I am
tired of gun rights advocates as well as politicians.
Think back over the years when there has been a mass
casualty, active shooter incident, what do you hear? One side says we need to do more to provide
mental health, we need to restrict firearm purchases, we need to tighten and
expand our gun laws! The first time you
hear these statements you may agree with some or all, you may be willing to
work on those efforts. However, the
second, third, fourth, fifth, and more times you hear it you realized that
there is no sincerity. If you actually
look at what is being said you become angry because you realize that the only
concern is to gain a political advantage over one’s opponent.
We’re told that the loophole for online purchases has
to be closed to ensure that background checks are conducted on those making
online purchases, realizing that because of the emotions people are feeling
following an incident they won’t realize that this loophole doesn’t exist. When a purchase is made online the firearm is
not mailed to the person, it is sent to a local gun dealer where the purchaser
must go and complete the federal paperwork as part of a background check and
wait to take possession of the firearm.
There is the talk of doing more for those suffering mental health issues
to prevent them from committing such an act, again realizing that because of
emotions over an incident people will react based on their emotions instead of
fact.
It's not just politicians and anti-firearm advocates
that anger me during these times, gun rights advocates anger me as well because
they are no better, they play on emotions as well. They yell about the Second Amendment and how
any gun control is an infringement on “our” constitutional rights. First, if we’re going to argue the Second
Amendment, not just one section, lets discuss the entire article, especially
since it is not very long;
“A well regulated
Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the
people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Those
arguing for more strict gun laws argue that the Second Amendment grants the
right to bear arms for a “well regulated Militia” and ignore the part that says
the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.
Conversely, those advocating against more gun laws only argue that the
amendment says that the government shall not infringe on an individual’s right
to bear arms. Both sides ignore Supreme
Court rulings over history related to the Second Amendment. They will also
argue about the number of active shooter incidents that were stopped by “law
abiding” gun owners. Another argument
that is made against similar and other “gun” laws is that gun registration laws
will allow the government to come and seize citizens firearms, just as Stalin,
Hitler, Mao and others did when they took power and transformed their countries
to a socialist government. The problem
with that argument is that should the Federal Government ever get to that point
they will come into your home to search for weapons regardless of any
registration.
Before you assume you know which side I’m on let me
share this with you. I own firearms, I purchased my first handgun in the late
1970’s when I was working as a security guard and applying to become a police
officer. At the time the city where I
lived had a requirement that all citizens that lived or worked in that city had
to register their firearms with the local police department. I could have ignored that ordinance, however,
I went to the police department and registered my firearm. I did not have a problem doing so, it was not
infringing on my ability to possess that weapon.
I would really like to see more sincerity and a
genuine concern for finding solutions.
In the early 1990’s laws were passed increasing the confidentiality of a
person’s health records, physical as well as mental. At the same time laws were passed making
schools “gun free zones” and there were arguments to remove police officers
(School Resource Officers) from schools.
“We” needed to remove armed law enforcement from schools because they “scare”
kids and inhibit their learning, removing officers would also make students
feel safe. Officers were removed and
then when a shooting occurred there were cries demanding to know where officers
were, why weren’t they at the schools.
Of course those cries were after demands that more needs to be done for
mental health treatment. Officers were
eventually put back in schools, then beginning in 2015 when anti police movements
spread throughout the nation demands returned to take law enforcement out of
schools.
Unfortunately, none of the proposed actions will stop
these mass casualty incidents! Why do I believe this, I believe this because
when past incidents occurred investigations revealed current laws were not
followed. Those that failed to comply
with current laws seem to go unpunished, or by the time they are punished
people have moved on to something else to be angry about, there is no political
advantage to praising the punishment of those that failed to comply with
current laws.
The other problem with calls for greater mental health
treatment is that they are not sincere!
If you think I’m wrong I would challenge you to just look at this
country’s homeless population! This
country has pushed people out of treatment in part to reduce the cost to
government! Treatment cost money and those
in need of treatment have been pushed out onto the street to reduce costs!
Until we start to care about and for those suffering
mental health issues everyday, without these individuals being involved in a
violent incident, nothing will change.
Until we make up our minds about minor children and stop sending mixed
messaged, such as at the age of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are old enough and mature
enough to determine which gender they should be BUT at 18 years old you’re not
mature enough to know right from wrong when handling a firearm!
There is an old saying, Put Up or Shut Up! This can apply to mass casualty/ shooting
incidents, until we are willing to Put Up and hold those that violate current
laws we should Shut Up! I say “we”
because “we” are the ones that elect those politicians that use our emotions as
their personal toy to play with.
That’s My Opinion, What’s Yours
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