By Aaron Simmons
simmonsaa@mnstate.edu
In light of the recent mass shootings, here are my final thoughts.
I am filled with immense sorrow after the news of what happened in Las Vegas. It should never happen anywhere or on any scale, but it continues to. God bless those who rose to the occasion and saved lives; the police officers, first responders, hospital staff and those who gave blood. Tragedy truly does bring out the best in us.
Now, I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I am human. Taking away all of your guns is not my goal. I just want to present some facts.
- Since the Orlando shooting, almost 600 people have been killed and almost 2,200 people have been injured in mass shootings alone. In 477 days, there have been 521 shootings. (New York Times)
- 29.7 firearm homicides per million in the United States. The next highest is Switzerland at 7.7. (UNODC, Small Arms Survey)
- The US plays home to 42 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns. (UNODC, Small Arms Survey)
- Over 96 percent of firearm suicide attempts are successful, as opposed to 5.1 percent with cutting. (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health)
- Between 1983 and 2013, 66 percent of the world’s mass shootings occurred in the United States. (The Conversation/CC-BY)
Believe me. I know the vast majority of gun owners abide by the law and are 100 percent responsible. This is not some deep-rooted vendetta against gun ownership and taking away your second amendment right.
This is about facts. This is about realizing what is actually happening in this country and what we can realistically do about it. This is about trying to minimize the chances of early and tragic deaths.
I like to think of us all as a team working together as one. The American Dream Team.
Growing up, I learned one of the most important parts of being on a team is accountability.
If Greg was late to practice, or if Tom mouthed off to a coach, the rest of us had to run sprints. I was not a fan of it, but I understood. It was the sacrifice I had to make to right my teammate’s wrong to settle the situation.
Well, we are now in a time where there have been wrongs happening over and over across this great country I call home, and nobody has had to reconcile the mistakes. I truly believe the time to act is now.
When 9/11 took place, what was one of the first things done? Bolstering airport security. There was a problem, and it was fixed, swiftly.
The same should be done now.
I’m concerned for my brother’s life, who may accidentally be in the wrong place at the wrong time over the next few years. I am concerned for my parents’ lives, who have both been educators for over 20 years and are in harm’s way every day they step in the classroom.
I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned for my life. I attend music festivals. I attend university. I go to clubs on the weekends. Being at a mass shootings is well within the realm of possibility, and it scares the crap out of me.
I shouldn’t have to be on alert in every public gathering downtown, but I am.
I shouldn’t have to constantly scan the crowd for any sign of havoc when I’m at a concert, but I do.
I shouldn’t be able to tell you what items in our classroom could be used as self-defense in an active shooter situation, but I can.
We shouldn’t have to do these things, but I would bet I’m not the only one that does.. That’s tragic.
We need to live our lives without. Our whole lives.
We need to take action.
It boils down to this. We live in a land that gives us the right to bear arms. but in some places like Church Weddings and the Alaskan Wilderness going sleeveless is not a good idea. Then again with the states all up in arms (no pun intended, hun) about not wanting nobody to have a gun, you better some arms fit for a Bear, cause they will eat you. If you got no gun, then your better look like the Hulk cause a sling shot ain’t gonna do it.
After you get over your emotions, face facts. The firearm death rate in this country including all “mass shootings” compared to the population and the amount of firearms out there is statistically insignificant.
Oh, lovely. That old Prussian notion of “collective punishment” is back.
No. Your move.
Over 200 people have been killed by drunk drivers since Las Vegas and yet we are not calling for more restrictions on car ownership or beverage control
Reminds me of my favorite story in the Bible where in Genesis Abel asks his brother, Cain, “Crikey, mate, where’d you get that Glock?”
The common meme among the leftist gun grabbers is that “no one is going to take away your guns”. But it has always been obvious to people who actually think in any rational and sane manner that that is the ultimate goal of all Democratic party politicians, and, sadly some Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and several others we all know about….chip chip
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Our willingness to restrict firearms possession in response to such attacks should be the same as our willingness to restrict the practice of Islam and the import of Muslims after a jihadi terrorist attack. The First Amendment is no holier than the Second, and the prohibition on Congress’ establishment of a national religion is actually less explicit a protection of freedom of religion than the Second Amendment is on the right to own and carry weapons.
That said, this attack, from the security of a hotel room 300 yards overhead, could have resulted in just as many deaths if not more, had the killer used scoped single-shot bolt-action hunting rifles and taken the time to aim carefully at one individual at a time instead of spraying the general area. That is why even Senator Dianne Feinstein, sponsor of the 1994 “Assault Weapons” ban, admitted that on gun control law would have prevented this..
It’s not the only option, it isn’t EVEN an option, at all. The Second Amendment exists precisely to foreclose what you propose, and it isn’t a suggestion. It is a command.
And there’s nothing you can do about it, so NYA.
This author either lies or has a very strange definition of “mass shooting”.
So, I should get more guns? I think that’s the author’s actual point.
OK !
PLEASE go to the southside of chitcago and start SEIZING everyone’s weapons! THE BEST place I can think of ? Take a bull horn and walk down the street telling these fine upstanding citizens to hand them over. I SURE they will comply?
Wow! This is even whinier than the usual liberal drivel! Here’s some handy self-defense advice, Aaron…lock yourself in the bedroom and never, ever come out. Nail the door shut from the inside, except for a slow for delivery pizza. Cover the windows with plywood. You’ll be in your Safe Space…
Want to get rid of GUNS? First…you will HAVE TO KILL ALL GUN OWNERS.
Two…. The rest of ALL CONSERVATIVES are NEXT.
Three…. WHAT are you going to do with ALL THOSE GUNS?
Now…WHEN are you going TO START? Nov. 4th perhaps??