guns

An Open Letter To My Gun Nut Friends

So I just watched Gangs Of New York for the uptenth time. You ever see the ending of that movie? Nick Hanauer once said "The pitchforks are coming." When I saw him say those words on his Ted Talk, I remembered that ending of Gangs Of New York

When the pitchforks do come, it's not going to be pretty. It will not be rational. It will not be fair. It will be ruthless, it will be ugly, and it will be as unfair as it gets. Women? Children? It won't matter. If you are the enemy, your throat will be slit. No one will be able to save you. For this to happen, people will have to snap. They will be brought to the point were their minds will not be in a good place. The people will have been driven to insanity. 

Please don't take this as a threat. It's meant as a friendly warning, because I am a liberal that thinks you do have a right to own a gun. I don't want all guns taken away. I'm an American who puts a very high value on the rights of fellow Americans. This article is about avoiding that extremely dark situation. No good can come of it. The victors will be filled with regret for crimes they never thought they were capable of. You ever hear the saying "Brink of insanity?" That's where we are at now. But we can avoid it.

Remember when you could smoke a cigarette in a bar? Remember when you could smoke a cigarette in a restaurant? There was a smoking section just for people who smoke. Small problem though. Smokers ticked enough people off that they lost it all. If they would have been more polite about it, maybe they could still have a smoke after a meal without standing in the rain.

Gun nuts are about to have done to them, what the smokers had done. The problem is that they're so damn paranoid that they can't see what level of deception they've bought into. They were told for almost a decade that Obama was coming to take all their guns. Then look what happened? More guns were sold during the Obama administration than ever in history. There was not a single move to take anyone's guns. Yet they still think us liberals are trying to take all their guns. Some of my best memories are of going out shooting with my father. I know many fellow liberals that own guns, hunt, and are even collectors. We're not coming for your guns. Many of us have our own. 

But things are getting irrational. Before things get irrational, you gun nuts might want to think about the word placate. It's kind of a negotiation without having to sit at a table. It's looking at a situation and knowing that you need to make a sacrifice before you lose it all. In a recent poll 66% said that they wanted stricter gun regulations. Sure we can debate if those stricter regulations will make the difference us silly liberals think they will, but I have a different point to make here. 

The tides are turning. Each time people get pissed enough to speak out about gun control, they get a little more irrational. Each time a school gets shot up, they demand something is done. It's time to think about the word placate. Start supporting common sense gun control or there might be a time where they do come for all your guns. Give a little, before you have to give it all.

Right now we want the CDC to be able to get funding to research statistics, be allowed to do their research, and let that information be as available as any pundit on cable news. We want it to be against the law for minors, criminals, and the mentally unstable to possess guns. We want it so that the more efficient a weapon is for killing, the harder it is to legally obtain (or possess). We want gun ownership to come with a paper trail so that we know a person has made it through the proper steps to purchase and possess that firearm. Yes, that will mean a gun registry, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made before things get irrational. Think this is too far? Then go ask the smokers what it feels like to be left out in the cold. 

Things keep escalating. The sooner you placate, the less you will have to give up. The majority of your countrymen want this. You are the minority in this. You rationaly should have the right to own a gun. This is a country of freedom. Protect that freedom and placate with a bit of common sense gun regulations. If it doesn't work, you get to have the high ground. You can say "I told you so!" But until then, the regulations will only get more intense. Before you know it, you won't be able to stroke your gun after a good meal. 

A story from my church days about thoughts and prayers

Back when I was a very passionate Christian, I went to church more than most sane people would. There was many times I would go to a church function 4-5 times a week. There was one story that the preachers would love to return to. It was given as a modern parable. Even though it wasn't in the bible, it was used by more than one preacher. I heard this story in a sermon by preachers in three states. So it must be a story that is pretty important to them. What is this great story? Well, it's been decades but I will try to remember it the best I can. 

A man is sitting on his roof as the floods are coming in. The water is only 3 feet high, but using a ladder he was able to climb up to the roof to keep dry. 

A man on a jet ski comes by and sees him on his roof. The man shouts up to him, "Jump on down and I can take you to dry land."

The man responds with passion, "No, you go on. My lord and savior will protect me."

So the man in the boat moves on to rescue others in need. 

A few hours later the water reaches six feet high. It is almost above his door. The man keeps praying. A motor boat comes by and asks him, "Come on into my boat and let me take you to dry land."

Again the man replies, "No, you go on. I've prayed to Jesus and he won't let me down. I trust in him."

The man in the boat shakes his head and drives away. 

After a few hours more the man has had to move to sitting on his chimney. A small aircraft drops a ladder down and tell him to climb up. Again he refuses. "I have prayed to God and he will save me."

The ladder goes up and the helicopter flies away to save others. After a few hours the man sadly dies. 

When he arrives in heaven he confronts God. "I prayed and I prayed, but you never rescued me lord. Why not?"

God shakes his head, looks down at the man, and asks one question. "I sent you a jet ski, a boat, and a helicopter! What more did you want?"

The moral of the story is that sometimes God gives us the tools and hopes that we get up off our lazy butts and do some work. 

I remember this story when I think of people who offer up thoughts and prayers. Our children are dying. God has given you the tools to stop it. 

Now I'm a godless heathen now, but maybe this story will help some of my Christian friends rethink how we can stop children from being shot to death several times a month. 

The image above? Democrats that should know better! CLICK HERE for more info.