There are some Americans who pretend to be of medieval stock and act as if they are hunters and gatherers of yore, and they insist on gun ownership to enable them hunt ducks, turkeys and deer, for lunch as the natives did 400 years ago! And as a result, these Americans vehemently oppose and fiercely resist gun control laws.
Advocates of gun rights insist that the Second Amendment of the US Constitution guarantee the right to bear arms. This so-called gun right have been extrapolated as justification for the vehement opposition to every efforts geared enthroning gun control laws. Opposition to gun control laws are most strident, even in the face of repeated cases of gun massacre and increased spate of gun violence. All over America, gun violence is responsible for the sudden, untimely and tragic deaths of thousands of Americans every year. Last year alone, 20, 000 Americans were killed with guns. Some in homicides and others in suicides. This is ten times the number of American soldiers who have died in the war in Iraq which began in March 2003
Democracy in certain respects, is unwieldy. Individual freedoms and rights, are the price or costs democratic societies pay to sustain democracy. Concerning gun laws however, a very big disproportion in detriment to the society, flowing from gun rights. America as a democratic society, is certainly paying too much for gun rights extended to certain segment of the population. This is, in the sense that it enables groups such as the National Riffle Association to advocate gun rights. The NRA loudly and vociferously advocate gun rights as if, they were in effect, successors to the Malthusian theory of population control, in which Thomas Malthus, in an essay, in about two hundred and eleven years ago, debated various ways of population controls through wars, natural disasters and sundry catastrophes etc. American gun violence has reached catastrophic proportions.
In America, homicide remains the second cause of death of young people and guns are the weapon of choice in these homicides. There are many gangs in many cities across America and guns are their alter egos. There ought to be a more vigorous conversation about gun violence and strong opposition to the National Riffle Association which remain insistent on gun rights, despite repeated occurrences of massacres committed with guns, needless violent deaths, which are inflicted on American families every year.
America suffers from pervasive level of gun violence, and yet, the National Riffle Association in ostrich like manner, continues to bury its head in the sand, hiding in plain sight and in delusion and deceit, willful deceit of itself and deceit of gullible members of the American public. It is willful ignorance for anyone, including the National Riffle Association, to pretend that there is not correlation and causal connection between owning a gun and actually using it, versus not having a gun and not using it. Criminals use guns to rob and to commit murders. Many Americans commit suicides yearly, with guns as well.
Clearly, a gun must be seen for what it is. Gun is not an instrument for peace. Gun owners in America do not hunt or gather or kill their lunches or dinners similar to what obtained in most societies a long time ago in human development. Gun is not bread or butter, guns are not essential to life, not even to rural dwellers or the average American farmer.
President Obama and other American politicians who have expressed concerns about continuing gun violence, are being excoriated by the National Riffle Association. The NRA, have in recent times, become more aggressive in their pursuit of anyone in support of gun control, particularly, since the election of Obama as president.
The Reverend Al Sharpton, renown political activist and leader, has thrown his usual exuberance into efforts at gun control. And as a result, November 23rd 2009, have been declared as National Day of Outrage against gun violence by Reverend Sharpton’s Action Network. There are frequent news reports of gun violence and this day of outrage could not have come any moment too soon. In New York City recently, a 92 years old woman was killed through gun violence, she was killed in her apartment while she watched television, bothering no one whatsoever. And soon after that, a fifteen year old was shot to death as well.
The National Riffle Association have adamantly insisted and continues to insist, that guns are okay, it is just the criminals who we need to worry about. This spurious argument is similar to saying that heroin, opium and cocaine and other narcotics should be readily accessible and available to anyone who asks and that the American society should leave individuals to their own devices or self-policing to do the right thing. As it can be argued that human beings are reasonable and would act appropriately and would not resort to narcotic abuse or use
But how can anyone in America make this argument, even in the face of increasing incidents of drunk driving fatalities or cell phone distractions as a major factor in road accident fatalities, which clearly demonstrates the absence of reasonableness and self-restraint by those who drink and drive and all those who are voluntarily distracted by cell phone use in conversations or the distractions of caused by text messaging, while driving?
Some Americans have argued that annual auto accident deaths which is over thirty thousand, is greater than gun deaths. This is completely nonsensical. Automobiles have immense human benefits as auto facilitate commerce, recreation and everyday efforts in the general pursuit of wealth, health and happiness. How can anyone rationalize the utility of guns in the creation of modern day wealth, health and happiness in America? Additionally, a ban on automobiles will be immediately detrimental to any society, whereas, there are no discernible disadvantages which might result as a consequence of more rigorous and vigorous gun control or even a complete ban of guns.
American law enforcement agencies and the armed forces should be the only ones with the necessity to be armed and for society’s common good. After all, it should be clear to everyone, that there is a direct relationship between the availability of guns to the general populace and resulting gun violence. Gun ownership by private citizens is actively discouraged in many nations, hence the death of homicide, and in particular, homicide with firearms. The nations of Britain and Japan for instance have no gun violence, because of the absence of guns in the hands of private citizens. But in America, gun manufacturers and sellers, continue to insist fatuously that criminals are to blame for gun deaths. But how about those who accidentally shoot themselves or others? How about those commit suicides with guns? And what if guns were unavailable in the first place, unavailable to all?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City, Mayor Cory Booker of City of Newark in New Jersey, and many other political leaders of American cities, and President Obama himself, support gun control laws. I wish there was a law which will put guns out of reach for any Americans. Guns should be made inaccessible to private citizens, except hunting riffles and never semiautomatic or AK – 47 or Uzis. No American require RPG or grenade launcher to shoot a deer or ducks for lunch. Opponents of gun control are keenly aware of this. And yet, the National Riffle Association have targeted these political leader with NRA’s bazookas of blistering criticisms as leaders who seek to abridge citizens’ “fundamental” constitutional rights to own semi automatic guns. But guns for what?
There are surely no modern day Americans whose lives are patterned after the Maassai ethnic natives of old, who have had to rely on spears and guns to hunt and gather breakfasts, lunches, and dinners! The fixation by the NRA and some other gullible Americans, on the imagined value of gun ownership is unfathomable, inexplicable and it is clearly
not beguiling at all to contemplate
The NRA frequently expend untold quantum of resources into targeting those public officials, such as Mayor Bloomberg, who are proactive in efforts at curtailing gun proliferation in America. It is reported that Mayor Bloomberg of New York City, built a gun control platform, of 15 mayors which has now bloomed to 526 mayors all over America. These mayors and other political leaders, are in the crosshairs of NRA and the NRA is targeting them for with vindictive advertisements, seeking to unseat these political office holders, in revenge for daring to courageously advocate gun restrictions.
Mayor Bloomberg ‘s coalition of Mayors against illegal guns, and other gun control advocates have been winning elections and this annoys the NRA. Mayor Bloomberg has reportedly spent more than $3 million dollars of his own money to curb gun proliferation and he should be applauded for his courageous efforts. Crime reduction in New York City is proof and a benefit which have arisen from these concerted efforts. Sadly though, President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg and other political leaders in favor of gun control laws, are being portrayed by the NRA, as a threat to fundamental rights of some sorts, the right to own instruments of death, and instrument of violence! The NRA is nervous, and they should be! But their actions which is motivated by their discomforts at the prospect of good gun control laws, is really a disservice to all Americans. A spike in the spate of gun violence in recent years, makes gun control and an imperative for America.
America does not need another Columbine High School type shootings. America not need another Virginia Tech University massacre. Why do we need another Binghamton type massacres and why do we need another Fort Hood type massacres? Why do some persist in the so-called constitutional right to peddle this instrument of death? In the face of these massacres, it is a case of imbecilic infantilism for some Americans to continue to insist on gun ownership, as if owning guns is similar to having food and shelter or such essentials of life.
Guns are not essential to life. Guns are not life’s essentials in modern day America. Guns are worse than useless to American lives. Guns are, in real terms, actual threats to thousands of lives in America, year in, year out. The “right” to own instruments of death, should be reexamined in the face of gun deaths, pervasive gun violence and the national crises spurned by the phenomena of too many guns in too many American hands. Enough!
