Gun Control Is Not The Solution

James Bond's Gun

Social media has gone crazy since the shooting at Sandy Hook. And all my carefully bared down liberal friends are screaming for gun control. They do not understand why I am opposed. It's complex.

The following is a personal message I sent to an internet friend in response to her query of why I am not behind taking guns out of at least the hands of the mentally unbalanced.

It isn't as easy to identify the mentally unbalanced as you think. And they have to be identified to the point that there is a record of that mental problem. At the same time we have restricted mental health professionals with contradictory requirements that make them hesitant to put on the record things that may stick with their patients forever.

I have a friend who is a mental health professional and because of her liability and the chance of being sued sees only patients that can pay her in cash so she does not have to go by insurance demands for reporting. Meanwhile the profession to avoid trouble is coming up with new jargon that is like splitting and resplitting hairs. Lantz's DMI might be disassociative. That can mean anything from does not pay attention in class to excessively shy to serial killer. And will it even work?

The Aurora shooter did not have a mental health record until after he purchased all the guns and ammo. He probably went to a shrink just to see if they would stop him and the wheels ground so slowly that they didn't.

The mall shooter took a gun from a neighbor without permission and this last one used his mother's legally obtained weapons. And you all make it sound as if the guns are easy. And they just picked them up and began shooting so of course they would not take the time to make a bomb from instructions on the internet. The Aurora shooter amassed weapons for months and months and built bombs to booby trap his house. He took the time. The Columbine shooters spent months in their parent's garage stashing ammo and building pipe bombs. They took the time.

I am a liberal. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not ranting about the 2nd amendment. I am just saying that this banning of assault weapons or even a requirement of a background check to own a 10 gauge shotgun will not stop the killing. It will not even slow it down. The Brady Bill didn't work. Taking gun control out of the hands of the state and making it national will not work. Banning guns totally will not work. Mexico has the frame work to get drugs over our borders so they will just start bringing guns. Ooops they already do to those states that restrict gun sales. I live in a border state. I know.

You have a right to your own opinion too but I am tired of the meaningless rhetoric and it bothers me that you and the majority of my liberal friends are buying a "panacea" that will not work. We need to address why there is this much sickness in our society. And how to identify it and how to get those people the help they need before it is too late. 

Every time the United States has rushed to a quick fix on anything it has only made matters worse. My same liberal friends that are fighting to tighten laws on guns are also arguing for legalization of drugs. Two states made marijuana legal this last election. These states are flaunting national laws on drugs. States' Rights rule on guns and any federal action on gun control always runs counter to that. There is a huge difference between New York and New Mexico or Alaska. It is not just the NRA that will fight any move to outlaw or ban guns.

PS while Googling an image for this blog I ran into pages and pages and pages of sites for on line gun and ammo sales. I need a spare clip for my Walther so I book marked a couple. The opening image of the Walther came from Gun Auction.com. I bet if you ask politely they have a source for the kits that can change any semi-automatic rifle into fully automatic too. So are those that want gun control willing to cede internet control at the same time?