Wrong about gun control

So I might be wrong about this whole gun control thing.

Typically I like to remain open to the possibility that I'm wrong about things. I know I've said before that I'm not so completely sure of many things in life.

I know that my reaction to these school shootings has been to encourage people to consider gun control of some sort. It hasn't even been that specific, just some general concepts. The gun people draw the line at the very extreme. While many of our "rights" are considered with a certain amount of flexibility, in a "pick your battles" sort of way, the gun people refuse to flex even the littlest bit. Any semblance of trying to make our country safer in connection to guns is met with zero tolerance. That's scary. There is A LOT they are not telling us.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I need to stop looking at it like someone who believes we should relinquish this gun right and is looking for ways to communicate that. Maybe I need to look at it from the other perspective. And I have to do that without sarcasm. I have to genuinely see things from that perspective. Everyone has a right to own a gun, and they should continue to have that right. Now, the left side of me wants to know, "why?" Why? Because it's our right. Cyclic, isn't it. Okay, try again: Everyone deserves the right to protect themselves and their families by any means necessary. I agree with that. The problem is, the only reason we have anything to fear is because of the limitless availability of high-killing-capacity weapons. I haven't ever needed a gun to defend myself or my house, but I've had one. It's nice to know it's there, just in case.

Alright, seriously, let's do this.
I'm not a hunter, but if I want a gun, I should and do have every right to own one or many. I reserve the right to protect myself... did that one.

I'm all for responsible gun owners owning and using guns. Guns are not the problem. Availability is the problem. Yes, truly troubled and violent people will find ways to commit horrible crimes regardless. The thing is, we don't have to make it so easy for them, and at the same time make less-troubled and violent people find it easy to also commit horrible crimes, who might not have otherwise.

I really did go into this with the intent of ascribing my perspective from the "gun rights" side, but my honest feelings keep coming back to "it's not worth it."


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