Blog#155- 4/22/23
WHAT’S NEXT
By Richard Davis
Americans with guns are becoming more creative in their pursuit of killing and maiming people. It is an inevitable progression that will only get worse because lawmakers will never enact legislation to put limits on gun ownership. In fact, we may see this country go in the opposite direction as long as minority rule by right wing Republicans rules the day in the courts and in congress.
This year, to date, there have been 160 incidents where four or more people were killed or injured. Last year that number was 647. These numbers have no effect on the people who have the power to change this horrific situation because of the way that our political system works. If you give politicians a lot of money they will do what you want. That is why the gun lobby is so powerful.
I don’t see any hope for there to be any kind of legislation to control guns in this country. All we get is words of sympathy for the victims and their families and a mountain of excuses for not enacting forceful legislation.
I saw something on Facebook recently that drove this point home forcefully. It was a picture of a check made out to Senator Lyndsey Graham. Instead of a money amount where that should be the words “thoughts and prayers” were written.
Just when you think things can’t get any worse than mass shootings and lack of action we now have a new rash of shootings of people because they went to the wrong house by accident or tried to get into the wrong car. People with guns have been emboldened by the attitude of the gun toting faction of this country as well as by the toxic rhetoric of racists and homophobes.
Perhaps the best we can do to avoid gunfire is to live in a place where it is less likely that you will be shot. That is a low bar, but I can’t figure out what else a person can do to protect themselves. Too many people have guns and too many of those people think they can use those weapons in any way they see fit.
What’s next? My fear is that when the far right wing of the republican party tries to assert itself by changing laws it will have little resistance from the Supreme Court or from congress. As long as we continue to have minority rule there are no limits to how much danger our lives will be subjected to.
It might not be too crazy to think that we will see legislation that will change the definition of murder as well as the punishment for crimes committed with firearms. We might even see a push for an amendment to the constitution to bolster the second amendment so that all Americans will be able to hide behind new federal stand your ground laws.
These new laws could allow people to kill someone if they feel their life is in danger simply because of words that were spoken to them. I can almost see the scene in the courtroom where the person who killed someone uses a defense stating, “Well, he called me a racist and I knew that meant that he was going to come after me and try to kill me. I am white and he was black and I needed to defend myself against him.”
Or we could see new laws that create such a narrow definition of murder or homicide that it will be impossible for judges and juries to find people guilty of a crime when they shoot someone for one of the 50 new reasons that it is OK to protect yourself with a gun under new laws and constitutional changes.
Matters will only get worse when it comes to mass shootings and firearm mayhem. I have given up any hope for change based on a code of ethics or a sense of what is morally right.
" little resistance from the Supreme Court"
Ethics? Morally right? That’s so… 20th century. Get with the times Richard – it’s lie, cheat and steal time!
I tease, but it is because I share the frustration. We’ve reached a point where going to the wrong door, or pulling into the wrong driveway to run around, is seen as a super-threatening behavior worthy of shoot-first-ask-questions-later. That’s dangerous for all of us!
I has someone I didn’t know come to the door the other day. I had my normal sense of safety around a stranger. Didn’t feel any need to attack, and after a while we were having a good conversation about trees, old machines, and yard work. And even after we got talking, I had no desire to use any weapons. : )
Was I wrong? Was I too trusting? Should I have stood my ground and defended my property?
…
And that Supreme Court… ugh: “I’m a Justice so I’m ethical. Put the money in the envelope. Which cases are yours?”
There is a place for self-defense
At the very least, it is prudent to learn and be prepared with self-defense techniques. It is an awful feeling to be completely at the mercy of an assailant without any means of protecting yourself and your loved ones.
If, instead of engaging in conversation, the person at your door had pushed in for a home invasion, what would you have done?
Over and out
IF…. In that case I would likely have been injured or killed, and the home invaded.
BUT… that didn’t happen.
I do have street smarts from living in big cities, and I’m a big guy able to move and react. We have a door and a lock… None of that would stop someone with a gun that wanted to be shooting’ at me through the window. Even if I had a gun, the likelihood that I’d have it at the front door, loaded and ready to go on a random day in the springtime is pretty low. (I do know some who carry all the time….)
I generally think people who buy guns to protect themselves are buying a lot of things but not actual safety. Rarely do I see stories that say “person with gun stops intruder with gun”… almost never happens. Fantasyland. Much more likely to see a headline of ” child finds gun and kills sister” or “person shoots themselves…”
What exactly is self defense when someone is shooting a high powered weapon at us? Armor? Missiles? : )
Safety is an Illusion
At any moment, your own body can kill you.
Meanwhile, police don’t even go into sites where “active” gunmen are anymore.
Living in NYC for 3 decades I saw, and was the victim in, lots of violence. Rarely does the mythical hero emerge, often witnesses are frozen in place. When someone is full of intent to harm, whether that’s violence against themselves or another, there is no stopping them. Having guns available so freely means more opportunity for the unbalanced to use them.
All you can think of is guns?
Self-defense is not a code word for firearms, although it can include preparation and training in the use of lethal force.
Perhaps the most important (and most overlooked) element of self-defense, is situational awareness (steering clear of potential danger as much as possible). I see so many people in public spaces, who do not seem to be present, even to the extend of walking in front of a car stopped at an intersection, head down staring at the ground not making eye-contact with the driver, assuming that the driver will not also have a lapse of attention.
When I suggested self-defense preparation, do you realize that this could even include carrying a device which if triggered blares out a loud siren to attract attention — a totally non-violent means of self-protection.
The type of self-defense preparation and training which would work for a particular individual varies, but I cannot endorse the fatalistic “what-can-you-do: if the’re-gonna-get-you-then-there-no-use-trying-to-protect-yourself” expressed by Annikee and Grotke.
Totally Off the Mark
Where did I say there is no use? Just stating facts. What, in my post, is untrue? Sorry you have to read into things and take them so personally. Richard’s post is mainly about the gun issue, hence the reference. And lastly, it was not a reply to your comment.
Wow! (Take it easy :-)
Annikee, did you not write: “safety is an illusion?” If safety is an illusion, why do we use seatbelts in an automobile?
Of course life is uncertain and there are no guarantees, but prudent decisions can shift the odds more in your favor.
Wow! (don't tell me what to do :)
It’s a fact. Your body can shut you down in an instant out of nowhere; so “safety” is a concept, an illusion, like much of life.
Which doesn’t mean you should court disaster, just have perspective.