Monday, April 30, 2007

guns guns guns!

The USA is bent on keeping guns in the hands of whomever want them. They are so strong on this belief that they lay down their lives for it (literally). In the space of about two weeks, they have had three gun related public incidents that have resulted deaths. The first was the tragic happenings at a University, it was followed by the strange incident at NASA, and finally today, was the open fire in a shopping mall.

The Christian community have always been adamant that their members must be willing to lay down their lives for personal beliefs. The belief that guns (of pretty much any make and model) are to be available to the average person is a strong belief in America. Almost as much as the belief of a Christian god.

Its has become a disturbing thought that one day these two beliefs could become intertwined.

The belief that guns should not be taken away from the individual is juxtaposed with the tighter laws on freedom of speech, right to assembly, and personal privacy. It seems that America is willing to trade all their rights as long as they get to keep their guns. For some reason the belief in guns to protect the individual far outweighs any fear of them.

am i the only one who feels a bit confused?



5 comments:

Lindsey Lou said...

Here's my take on it:

The threat of terrorist attacks doesn't justify taking away our Fourth Amendment protections just as getting a warrant before wiretapping.

The threat of terrorist attacks doesn't justify holding enemy combatants at Gitmo without due process.

The threat of some unstable person going postal doesn't justify taking away guns from all law abiding citizens.

I like to think I'm consistent in taking the view that liberty shouldn't be sacrificed for security. Maybe I'm crazy for considering owning guns to be liberty, but that's the way I see it.

Lindsey Lou said...

Oops. First paragraph should say "such as warrants before wiretapping"

kris said...

i have no problem with allowing citizens to hold guns. But i think they should be required to go thru gun safety training and only certain types of guns should be allowed for the average citizen.

Lindsey Lou said...

Oh yeah, I'm with you. I don't understand why some people want no restrictions whatsoever, either. I don't agree with anyone on the extremes--big surprise!

Jenni G said...

i really think some parts of the constitution deserve serious critical review. it is, after all, only a document reflecting the values of its time (excuse my blasphemy). nowadays if we were to write a constitution, a driver's license might be an inalienable right. times have changed. i don't think we should ban guns altogether, but, just as a driver's license, gun ownership s/b a privilege subject to qualifications and restrictions - limited to those who are properly educated and capable of responsible use.