Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 23:14:37 -0400
From: Karen Crowell
Subject: I’m not afraid of guns
I didn’t claim to know anything about this subject, but I learned a few things, thanks to some of the more thoughtful comments. As for the rest, chill, why don’t you. I’m not attacking anyone.
And no, I’m not afraid of guns, nor do I hate them. I’m afraid of all the irresponsible people who get their hands on them, legally or otherwise, and pose a serious threat to the safety of all of us. Anyone in their right mind would not go on a shooting rampage and kill innocent people. But it happens often enough to wonder why we don’t take every opportunity we can to do something to prevent these tragedies.
Yes, more money should be spent on adequately treating the mentally ill in our communities but that is unlikely to happen in NC anytime soon. If the General Assembly feels no compassion for the working poor, the unemployed, the sick, or women and children living in poverty, how much are they likely to care about those who are mentally ill?
Someone said that we have good gun laws in NC. I’m sorry, but I have to disagree. Allowing people to carry concealed weapons into bars is just plain stupid. You might have a permit for that weapon, but you don’t have to pass a sobriety test before you use it. And okay, maybe the law says it’s okay to leave a gun in your locked car in the parking lot at school, but locks are no deterrents to thieves. And as soon as that thief breaks into your car and gets his hand on that gun, he’s not just a thief anymore; now he’s armed and dangerous.
Sure, most people who own firearms are responsible. Most of the time. But what do you do about the guns that end up in the hands of people who aren’t? People who are bullies, who can’t control their rage, people who drink too much or use drugs, people who are desperate and think they have nothing to lose, people who want to punish others for the way they’ve been treated, people who think that having a gun in their hands will make other people respect them, or fear them, or give them the attention they think they rightly deserve.
No, I don’t think more people with weapons of any kind in their hands will make this world a safer place in which to live. Maybe if we just learned how to be more tolerant of each other, to settle our differences without hostility, and treat each other with more respect.
Sincerely,
Karen Crowell