The meme above is not meant to be taken seriously. It, written with obvious sarcasm, was created to prove a point.
Nearly every day I read a comment on the news, social media or on various blogs written by someone who believes that guns should be banned. That no one should be allowed to own one; not as a concealed carry or in their own home. That, without them, the world would be such a better and safer place to live. I somewhat understand their viewpoint.
I for one, would love to take a midnight stroll and feel perfectly safe, knowing that there was not a single person alive who walks around with evil intentions. I’d love to sleep in the comfort of my bed without hearing gunshots down the street. I’d love for my son to be able to go to school without the risk of a shooter entering the building. What a great world that would be!
So, I understand why they make these arguments…to a point.
What I don’t understand and often question is; what kind of life experiences have they had, that have caused them to feel this way? When I read comments from those who are adamantly against the ownership of firearms I always wonder, “Have they ever faced a threatening situation? Have they ever had to call the police for help?”
I don’t know their answer, but I know mine. There have been a few times in my life when I’ve had to call the police for help. From stalkers, to people trying to kick in my front door, to an ex who wanted to kill me.
He wanted my dead…
He, my ex, tried as hard as he could to get through my door. All he wanted was to see me dead, or at the very least, seriously hurt. Immediately, when he first knocked on my door I called 911. My ex was yelling through the door, banging, kicking on it, trying to get in. The dispatchers could clearly hear all of the commotion through the telephone line. There was no denying how serious the situation was and how much danger I was in. Even so, when did the police show up? Nearly 30 minutes later.
Thankfully, my ex wasn’t able to get through the door. But, had he? I probably wouldn’t be here today.
Tried to kick my door down…
Fast forward to a few years later…Late one night, while I was home alone, someone came to the door. I was quickly made aware of their presence when they started repeatedly kicking my front door with great force. Again, I called 911. The person finally gave up, I assume, because the kicking eventually stopped. I paced the house and waited…and waited. Finally, more than an hour later the police arrived.
Hiding, waiting to pounce…
A few months ago, during the day, I was at home working. There was a knock on my front door. We have outdoor cameras, so if someone is standing in front of the door I should be able to see them on the surveillance monitor. I looked. There was no one. Oddly, although there was no one visible on the monitor, no one walked away from the door either. The person had to still be there. So, very quietly I peeked out the far corner of the blinds to where I could get a clear view of the front door. Still no one. Puzzled, I put my face even closer to the window. That’s when I saw him. A man was snug as could be, standing against the door. The only visible part of him was the back of his hoodie.
Had I opened the door, he would have been inside. The only thing between him and the inside of my house was the 3 inch door that he was practically glued to. Had he succeeded into deceiving me and I opened the door, there would have been no time to call the police, and certainly no time to wait for them to arrive.
What needs to be controlled? People or guns?
It’s not just me in my home. I have a family to consider. Although, I understand that in a perfect world we shouldn’t need guns to protect ourselves, I can also admit that this is not a perfect world. There are bad people out there who do want to harm others. Those people will always find a way to get a firearm, whether guns are legal or not. The only way to prevent that, is to destroy every single gun in the world.
Then, if they don’t have a gun, they’ll just use something else. Evil people are just plain evil. They don’t need a gun to commit crimes or to fulfill their sick desires. They’ll use whatever they need to. It’s not the guns that need to be controlled. It’s the people.
When the people overcome their evil desires and no longer want to harm others, then perhaps I’ll consider giving up my firearm. Until then, I’m going to do all that I can to protect me and my family. I’m certainly not going to pace around for an hour and hope for the best, while waiting for the police to show up.
My own life experiences are what formed my opinion on this matter. Now I’m curious, what personal life experiences have caused you to feel the way you do?
(Note: This is not an attack on anyone. Rather, it is meant to be a conversation. A conversation about different perspectives and the roads that have led each of us to where we are. It is commonly said, “Have an open mind.” But, how can we do that and understand where others are coming from, if we refuse to see beyond our own opinions?)
Daily Post Prompt – Perplexed
Me - Who am I? 
My home was broken into 3 times when I was a kid. At one of those times, we were all home sleeping!
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Wow…. that is terrible. How terrifying that must have been!
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Thank you for a good blog.
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My pleasure. Thank you!
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Reblogged this on darlenescorner.
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Thank you!
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Well said. I often wonder about people’s life experiences, too. Like, where is easy street and how do I move there?
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Thank you. Yes! I’d like to know where it’s at too.
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I agree, we are the products of our experiences, especially when we are growing up. But there are still some places in the world where people do not arm themselves to feel safe. That doesn’t mean nothing bad ever happens. Bad things do happen, but the percentage is very low. In these cities, the police are valued, and do a good job of protecting the citizenry. Basically, the crime rate is low. What is happening in some countries, America in particular, is that distrust has escalated, and the more guns people have, the more weapons the bad guys have too. It is a lose, lose situation.
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I completely agree with you. Distrust (and division) is a major issue in America and is seemingly getting worse every day. If those two factors would improve, along with morals, then we would be much safer and would not feel the need to have weapons in our home. You are right about the crime rate and if ours was lower here in the US, then this probably wouldn’t even be a topic of discussion. One thing is for sure, we need *real* change in America.
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This is a very interesting post. I admit I’m one of the people who thinks you need stricter gun laws. Just because I know it can be done from growing up inSwitzerland and living in Australia where you can’t carry. Ido see your point and I think it’s shocking to have to deal with such a ridiculous response time. Glad you wrote this. Lots to think about…
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I don’t know much about those two places, but I assume that the gun laws have probably been in place for many years, if not many generations. If America would have began that way, then I think we’d be much better off, but taking them away at this point (from good folks and the bad) seems nearly impossible. Yes, the response time is absolutely ridiculous! Thank you for your comment.
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Switzerland it has been a while but Australia changed their laws after a mass shooting only “recently”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Australia
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Thank you for the link. I’ll check it out.
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I’m not anti-gun at all. Personally, I’d like a ticket to Utopia. I assume in Utopia, one can reason with yellow jackets and talk down a tornado as well, yes?
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That sounds fabulous! Sign me up when you find out where it’s located.
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I haven’t lived in any country, where it was allowed to carry weapons or to have weapons to protect yourself at home. I do understand, that it can be necessary to protect ourselves, I have needed many times in my life too, but too many weapons among all people is too dangerous.
I agree so much, that it is the people, who need to be controlled, but what about raising kids in the right way, so they learn to defend themselves without weapons? First with words, then they can learn to protect themselves physically too, if they get attacked.
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You are right about raising kids right. That is the number one step to solving this issue. They need to be taught to have morals and as you said, to use communication as their first line of defense, rather than jumping straight into attack mode. As with most things in life, it begins at home. I also agree that too many people with weapons, especially the wrong people, is very dangerous indeed.
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Excellent post and I can thoroughly empathize with your concerns. And unfortunately no easy solutions. Over here in India, guns for personal use are not allowed and police are of course late. So we are quite inured to the situation. Without detracting from the seriousness of the topic and in keeping with your meme, I would like to share two pieces – once a little boy came back home after being roundly thrashed. He attacked his mother. All your fault he shouted. Why what did I do? didnt you count to 10 like i told you to? she said. I did the boy said, but his mom had asked him to count to only 5.” And for other one please visit Soul gifts post https://soulgifts.com.au/2016/09/17/saturdays-smiles/ The last one is the one I am referring to but the others are good to cheer anybody up!
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Thank you for the link. I can imagine how in India the police response time would likely be very delayed, primarily because of the high population count and traffic. However, I’ve also heard (but could be wrong) that the overall crime rate is rather low there. If so, that would certainly help matters as well.
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Difficult to compare crime rates I think…
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Yes, with the differences in population, I agree.
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I would love for guns to be banned and wish no one should be allowed to own one. I would love it, but only a fool thinks it could ever happen. I’m sure there are some who would love for the government to somehow collect all the guns, but I suspect it’s a very small number. Studies show that most Americans do want stiffer gun control laws, but that’s a far cry from banning them all together.
Pandora’s box has already been opened and the guns are here and likely to stay. I mean who is going to take on the job of going door to door and tell people to hand over their guns. That’s certainly not a job I want. The attrition rate would be astronomical. lol
I’m glad you feel safer with your gun. Our second amendment guarantees your right to own one (though I would argue that it doesn’t allow for any and all kinds of guns.) As for me, in my 52 years on this earth, nothing…absolutely nothing has made me feel a desire or need to own one.
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Bradley, that you for visiting and commenting. It’s wonderful that you’ve never felt the need to own a firearm. As you said though, taking them away from the people now would be an extremely difficult and time consuming effort. Like you, I wouldn’t want that job either. I agree that they are likely here to stay and also as many people feel, that the laws should be more strict when it comes to purchasing them. Background checks are great and here where I live they are mandatory, but that still doesn’t mean that the ‘bad guys’ aren’t buying guns from private sellers. As long as the bad guys can get them, then the good guys need to be able to protect themselves…in my opinion.
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I’ve never been in a situation where I needed a gun. But I’m not convinced I want all guns removed. I don’t trust the world at this point. The good guys give up their guns? Seems it would make it easier for those who have no moral compass, and guns, to do whatever they want. The problem isn’t in just making more gun laws, it’s enforcing the gun laws that exist. AND restricting more who shouldn’t have them. It’s sure a hot topic. Good discussion MWIA
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I completely agree with you. If the guns are taken away from the good guys, that leaves the bad guys with a clear, wide open path to do whatever they want. No thank you. I’d much rather be able to at least try to stop them. About the gun laws, I agree. The background checks should be required for all gun sales, private sellers included. I’d go as far as to say that drug tests should be required prior to purchase as well. Guns are not toys. They should be sold responsibly.
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Amen.
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I have had one person try to get in our front door. I was afraid, but I could see that the neighbors had their eyes open to this strange person in our neighborhood and were already on the phone with police before I called. I think life experiences create how we react. I can remember how safe I felt as a kid but maybe it wasn’t all that safe? Interesting topic.
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That’s great of your neighbors to keep an eye out. Good neighbors are such a blessing to have! Like you, I remember feeling safe as a child. That is, until we moved to the city. At 11 years old, a 40’something neighbor of ours spent months stalking me, lurking behind bushes, watching from his truck… No one believed me until my brother finally witnessed it. One call to the cops and he moved out of state. What’s sad, is that seemingly the people have only gotten worse.
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That’s so sad to have happen at any age, but it must have been terrifying to 11-year-old you. I was just thinking about the television shows that seem to be popular….along with movies. So much violence, why do we watch them?
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I appreciate your vulnerability in writing this piece. Though I can’t agree with your decision to have a gun in the home, I can understand more where you’re coming from, and that’s important.
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Thank you and I really appreciate that even though you disagree, you still read it and commented. I agree, it’s important to know where others are coming from. With that said, I believe that I understand your viewpoint as well. With the many different opinions, I wonder if a middle ground could be found and decided upon, where everyone could agree.
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I’m so torn on this issue myself. My dad was police and wore his gun to work every day. My brother in law is military and has his own, as do other close family members. But these are the responsible people who won’t let their kids near guns. I’ve know others I wouldn’t trust with a paring knife. We also lived in a realatively middle to upper class town. But even there…I had handguns pointed at me twice, both times because I lived in the Deep South and had the audacity to be in a mixed-race relationship. Those two men shouldn’t have had guns to point at a 15 year old girl. No, I was not shot or fired at, and I didn’t run either. They failed, but it could easily have been me dead instead.
Now I live in Ireland. No guns. It’s a shock to see the special armed police escorting the armoured truck to the bank in town. But Ireland is TINY and everyone knows everyone, it seems. My town is about 1,500 people on a good day and even still, someone was stabbed to death here a few years ago. (Not locals, as if that makes a difference). Another stabbing of two men just last month here. Banning knives isn’t going to help, either – as you said, those that want to will find a way. I guess it is the ability of guns to kill many so quickly that is horrifying. And the people… There surely isn’t a quick and easy answer to the question.
I for one think you should be armed, yourself, as long as you take every precaution to keep it away from anyone but yourself, and know how to use the weapon. And can get to it ASAP also, which can’t be an easy set of rules to follow. And hardest of all, be willing to use it.
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You had me laughing over the paring knife comment. I feel the same way! I must say, that with the small amount of crime and low population of Ireland, you’ve almost convinced me to move there. I agree that only responsible people should be allowed to own a gun and those people should be trained how to operate them properly and use every precaution necessary to prevent others from accessing them. It is certainly a tough issue to find a proper solution for.
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I largely agree with you, but won’t you also agree that it’s silly that people who are not allowed to get on an airplane because they show up on some FBI list can go and buy a gun without any hassle? Buying a gun is easier than getting a driver’s license. Don’t you think that a background check and a firearm safety class should be required to buy a gun?
I’d even say that teaching gun safety at schools is not a bad idea, just like they teach children about drugs and birth control these days.
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I completely agree with you. Although universal background checks are required when purchasing guns through licensed firearms dealers, they are not required from the majority of private sellers. Only in 8 states, do private sellers have to do background checks. Unfortunately, it is from those unlicensed sellers where the ‘bad guys’ get their firearms. Obviously, that doesn’t cut it. Gun safety at school…that’s not a bad idea, especially since a kid could have access to a gun without us knowing – at a family member’s home, friend’s home, etc. Thank you for this comment!
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Hmm… Read the ATF requirements for federal license to trade firearms. There is so much open for interpretation. If you trade arms for profit, you need a federal license, but if you occasionally sell firearms from your personal collection, you don’t. But in the second case, nobody knows who buys the gun. A criminal can always buy a gun from a “private seller” selling a gun from his “personal collection”. To prevent that, it seems to be necessary to account for all guns and to require each transaction to go through a government authority, much like the government licenses the vehicles. IMO, not a bad idea. After all, the job of DMV is not to prevent people from driving in general, but to ensure that cars are safe and the drivers have basic driving skills and knowledge of the rules. But I can see why gun owners oppose it. Who wants another network of DMV’s set up with lines to wait and fees to pay? That would definitely fall into the “gun control” definition.
It’s still strange why people put up with registering vehicles and oppose to registering guns. Freedom to move around using public roads seems far more basic than the freedom to own a firearm and used by far more people.
There is a long way between totally free unlicensed gun ownership by anyone and a total ban on gun ownership. There are various degrees of requirements and restrictions that can be implemented to guarantee public safety. But, for some reason, this question is seen as black-and-white. It seems like pro-gun people oppose to all and any kind of regulations as a matter of principle. Quite an interesting problem. I wonder how it plays out in the U.S.
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For most gun pro-gun people I know, this issue is not black and white. Instead, it is commonly said among them (and myself) that there should be more restrictions on who and who cannot purchase a firearm. There should always be a background check, regardless of who the seller is. Likewise, no one should be able to purchase a gun without having it registered. After all, the primary reason that many pro-gun advocates own guns in the first place is to protect themselves from the bad people who also have them – whose guns are usually unregistered. We’d (most of us) would shout with joy along with everyone else if *everyone* was required to have their guns registered and pass a background check. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are those on the pro-gun side who are black and white, but I haven’t met or heard of any personally. However, I have met anti-gun people who are very black and white. In summary, I completely agree with you and your ideas.
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If most gun owners support gun registration and licensing, then why is there so much noise in the right wing media every time this issue is raised by the president which usually happens after yet another mass shooting? What do you think? Doesn’t NRA represent the interests of the gun owners? I’m not trying to argue, I’m trying to understand the situation here. I’m not a gun owner, but I know that this is one of the major political division lines.
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I think that what most people hear when these tragedies happen, is not only “gun-control”, but with that also the need to strip people of guns once and for all. Most of the ranting includes, “if people weren’t allowed to have guns, then these things wouldn’t happen.” Rarely ever do I hear it said that there simply needs to be more background checks and registration requirements. Perhaps what we hear from the media and our peers is being misunderstood, but the banning of guns certainly seems to be what most people point to in times of tragedy. It is a major division and I think if people could communicate in a calm, mature and clear manner, then both sides would be more capable of understanding each other and an agreeable solution could be found.
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