The second amendment to the constitution of the United States of America, as part of the Bill of Rights, was placed in force on December 15, 1791. 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.
I agree with that premise. We should all agree with that statement. We, the people, should have the right to defend ourselves from those who wish to do us harm. And there are plenty of those out in our society who wish to steal from us or overcome us. Our governments are sometimes too weak to protect us. Sometimes our governments become overbearing, unduly punishing us. We are sometimes unjustly accused. There is still inequality of opportunity and racism in our societies. There are multiple opportunities for other persons to take away our lives and our quality of life. We deserve the ability to protect ourselves from these assaults on our lives and loved ones, when negotiations fail. But like all rights and all truths, this basic right to bear arms becomes evil when carried to excess. All truths, when carried to excess, become falsehoods.
The National Rifle Association carries this basic right to an insane, destructive, extreme result. They insist that this means all citizens have the right to buy and use any bullet projecting device without impediment. They believe this includes weapons of war, meant to produce the greatest amount of killing in the shortest amount of time. They are opposed to any age restrictions, background checks, red flag laws, mental health assessments, bans on war armaments and waiting periods.
They are wrong on all counts. Only these measures will bring sanity back to our society and save our children, minorities, from slaughter. The right to bear arms does not mean the right to bear all arms. Those nations which have placed laws into effect restricting the type of gun ownership that its citizens are allowed have been able to return to a stable nurturing society, without daily gun massacres. Canada and Australia are prime examples. In this country, the slaughter continues. Congressmen and Senators, who are heavily supported by the gun lobby, vote in favor of guns, in favor of the money, rather than in favor of our children. They should not only be voted out of office, but should be banished in shame.
The result of this mass psychosis, produced by the gun lobby, is a nation which has five firearms for every citizen. There are 400 million firearms in the United States today. Of those 400 million, 20 million are AR 15 assault weapons, the favorite weapon used for mass murders. We have, so far in the year of 2022, had over 200 mass murders, producing 400,000 deaths. Guns are now the leading cause of death for any young adult or child, below the age of 24. The gun lobby has been telling us that the answer to gun violence is more guns, more lenient gun laws, arming our teachers, and making our schools guarded fortresses. We have proven, beyond any doubt, that the opposite of that premise is true: the more guns there are, the more guns will be used to shoot and kill; the more assault weapons there are, the more our minorities and children will be the subject of mass slaughter. In other words, our senators, congress men and women are voting for inequality. They are voting for the slaughter and terrorization of our children. They are voting against democracy. They are voting against a peaceful and nurturing society. They are insane.
There are some who say that raising the age required to purchase a gun to 21 should take care of the problem. Perhaps that is a step in the right direction, but it is inadequate. The human brain is not fully developed until age 25. The prefrontal cortex, which is primarily the processing center for long term planning, is not completely operational until that time. Young men and women are not able to see the future consequences for actions taken today, until after age 25. As those consequences become apparent to us, we are able to see what effect our actions will have on other people’s lives in the future. We become more compassionate. It would be better to limit all adults from purchasing any firearm until age 25. It would be better for no one use firearms below the age of 25, unless under direct supervision.
Weapons of war have no place in a civilian population. Guns with high velocity and rapid fire, meant to cause the greatest amount of human destruction in the shortest amount of time, have no place in the hands of civilians. Many of our school children, slaughtered by AR 15 fire, have been unrecognizable. Is that what you want for our future, Mr. Senator?
No one should be able to purchase a firearm without completed background checks.
No one should be able to purchase a firearm without an attestation of mental health.
All firearm purchases should be accompanied by a waiting period.
Australia, Canada and Great Britain have already accomplished these measures. IF we do not establish these measures above, it will be the ultimate hypocrisy for a nation which professes to be the champion of equal opportunity.