Americans need to stop buying into simplistic arguments about gun control. Whenever there is a serious call for stricter gun laws, especially on semiautomatic, automatic and assault weapons and handguns, organizations like the NRA act as if stricter gun laws are first step towards turning the country over to criminals, fascists, and terrorists.
It is astonishing that in the wake of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech few politicians were willing to speak about the issues of gun control. That would be understandable if they were avoiding the discussion of political issues altogether out of respect for the dead. But it seems more likely that even democrats aren’t willing to wade into an issue that has strong election implications.
The right to bear arms hardly seems a mandate for gun laws so lax that any yahoo can walk into a store, get a one minute record check, and walk out with a semi automatic handgun. And there is little argument that gun lobbyists have against the statistics that place America near the top of developed nations for firearm victims.
And don’t get me started on the NRA. Something is wrong with an organization that glorifies guns to the point of celebrating home owners who blast away criminals and holding insensitive rallies in places like Columbine just weeks after the brutal slaying at Columbine High. Americans may have a constitutional right to bear arms but unless they have the stomach to see brutal school slayings continue they should start considering tighter restrictions on guns. Gun control isn’t about breaking their second amendment rights as much as restricting those who aim to break the fifth commandment.
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