I’ve often wondered about the slogan “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”. I actually agree with that statement. Guns don’t kill people, just as automobiles don’t, or drugs. But unlike heroine and Harleys, our laws regulating guns are lacking in common sense and logic. Try getting a bag of cocaine in a pharmacy. A license, a helmet (in some states), insurance, and rigorous safety classes are REQUIRED by our government to feel the freedom of the open road on two wheels. Yet, an eighteen year old can purchase an assault rifle and bullets at a box store in many states around the country.
Often, people die because of human misuse of these things. But, could you imagine if some things weren’t highly regulated. Some drugs are considered by government to be dangerous, and even lethal. Why not apply the same common sense to guns as medication. You can’t just go to the emergency room and buy some morphine. You have to register your car so government can keep track of the VIN number. Every person has a drivers background check to receive a license, which, on the back, clearly states it’s a privilege and not a right that can be revoked for everything from seat belts to speeding to DUI.
We have common sense laws for nearly all aspects of our lives, and the overwhelming theme I witnessed up and down Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan during the “March for our Lives” rally was just that. Most people don’t want to take away others rights or property. What people want is common sense laws that protect all citizens. What the signs said was we love our children and want them to feel and be safe.
Granted there are extremes on both sides of this, and every, topic. But those extremes don’t represent common sense. I know a guy who won’t ride his motorcycle in any state that requires a helmet. So on trips, he trailers his bike across those states instead of riding. I also know a woman who’s life was saved by a seatbelt, which isn’t a fancy option on your car. It’s federally required. It wasn’t always, but when it became obvious that it was a major safety benefit decades ago, government required them in all vehicles. Manufacturers have for years improved and marketed safety. (Except school buses curiously.)
The constitution has it right. We should be able to defend ourselves. We should also be able to use guns as hunting and recreation tools. But our children are dying in schools, and movie theatres, and concerts, and on and on. Americans have to demand common sense regulations. Why should so many aspects of our lives be strictly regulated after people die, yet guns remain the deadliest and least regulated.
Mike Ramer Photo 