Rant..again!

Another mass shooting with an AR15, and while banning this killing machine along with thorough background checks is the only solution I can accept, some still sing a different song. McConnell and his crew start up the familiar rhetoric that it is not a gun problem-it is a mental health problem. This infuriates me.

My first thought is that many can have a mental health issue that has absolutely nothing to do with violence. Statements like his is stigmatizing and harmful. Those suffering with psychiatric disorders and mental illness need help and support.

When it comes right down to it, anyone who murders must not be in their right mind at the time! I would like to know how many of the mass murderers in recent history had been previously diagnosed with a mental illness that is manifested in violence? If that was the criteria for denying someone access to guns, how many people would that even be? We can’t just say someone is dangerously mentally ill.

The brother of the man who just killed 10 people in Colorado said he thought maybe his brother had a mental illness. He was paranoid. He had a hard time in high school being rejected and bullied for being Muslim. He got in a fight in high school and pummeled some kid in a classroom. Does this all prove mental illness? Maybe, but he was not diagnosed or treated for that. It does prove that he had pain, and it also proves he had a temper. If someone close to a person suspects they may have a mental illness that would end up in extreme violence, that is not enough. 

I suspect many of us know people who we believe are capable of violence. I do…but what can you do about it until the violence had been committed? Society cannot just deny someone’s rights based on a feeling or assumption. If we could, I know several who qualify just for being assholes. These people qualify just fine to acquire guns and other weaponry.

People resort to violence for a multitude of reasons. One does not have to be deemed mentally ill.  There are people with short fuses, bad tempers, chips on their shoulders. There are people who are immature,fearful, angry, entitled, bitter, stubborn, self-righteous, greedy, lustful, selfish, and vengeful who commit murder-they are not mentally ill. All of these people also would be able to own guns, and use these guns to harm others.

There are also those who walk amongst us, the true psychopaths, who one might never suspect. They might be a pillar of the community, a family man, a respected businessman. Who could stop them from buying guns and using them?

This is a gun problem- not a mental illness problem. Guns, especially weapons like AR15’s have one purpose, and that is to maim or kill. Some give the argument that more people get killed by car accidents and we don’t ban cars. Cars have the purpose of transportation. One needs a vehicle (not necessarily one that goes 200mph, but that’s another topic). One does not need a gun, unless you are in the police force or military.

To those hunters out there who choose to carry on the macho tradition of killing animals for any other reason than needing food, I say you do not need a gun either. If you are supplying your family with food, then fine…keep your rifle and your shotgun. I personally do not under-stand how someone can bring down a living creature like that, but I also know that many hunters for food are humane and respectful of the animals. More so than in meat plants, I suspect.

To those that say shooting is a sport or a hobby-fine. Join a rifle or gun club. Lock your weapons up there. They do not belong in a home, locked up or not, where they can be accessed by minors, or by anyone who could act impulsively or emotionally.

For those that think they need a gun for self-defence, I say ask yourself if you really want to kill another person.  I have been in situations several times where if I had had a gun, someone would be dead right now.  If you brandish a gun, it may serve as a warning. It may scare someone off, but I fear there are other serious options. There are many cases where a person with a gun might escalate the situation, or the person with the gun might end up having it used on themselves.

Lastly, I have heard the argument that a person determined to kill even if they do not have a gun; they will find poison, a knife, a rope, a brick…That may be true, but there are differences. Other methods may take time to organize. Other methods may not work as effectively. Other methods may not be easily accessible in the moment. When it comes to a mass murder such as we have seen in the last week in the USA, only a high-powered weapon that is capable of repeated shots will do the tragic damage.

We are seeing progress in Canada regarding gun legislation, and I can only hope for more in the future. It begins with the people, not the politicians. If enough people speak up, then the politicians will act. That is democracy.