It’s Time for an Honest Conversation About the Second Amendment

I don’t think I am one to talk. I lived in a house where mom and dad despised guns, to this day. Yet, I went the other day shooting at a range here in Charleston, and they seemed to be happy for me that I got to have some fun trying something I’ve never done. How could that be possible? Now the real question stands, can we have a healthy talk about what’s tearing our country apart?

The Side of Anti-Rifle Activists

We’ve seen it over the news about the tragedies in Parkland, FL, and over the years the countless other tragedies that have taken place since Columbine, which today is also the anniversary of that fateful event. I don’t want to draw more pain from these atrocities, but it must be said: they are becoming more and more occurrent. Do people really need semi-automatic guns or attachments that make them automatic? Do they need guns at all? Are more stringent checks the answer? Banning weapons all together? It’s sad that in this day in age, we’ve lost so many to incidents at schools and churches, what some would consider off limits to violence but have since been marred by atrocities.

Anti-Gun Control’s Argument

(I’m not saying any one race of people in this country wants guns more than others, nor am I implying anything by the above picture. I just thought it captured the amount of attention this issue was getting from this side of the gun control argument). Guns are the go-to defense in case of emergency, someone breaking into your house or trying to harm you or your family. You have a right to defend yourself. There’s also the second amendment, which says we are allowed to bear arms, so if I want to stockpile on weapons for collective purposes or for defense, I should be able to, right? Besides, the people who commit murders are the ones that kill, not the tool. If someone goes on a stabbing spree and kills 30, and it becomes a repeat instance where people use knives as assaulting devices, will we ban those too?

The Bottom Line

First and foremost, I am not entirely focused on which side you’re on. The fact that these tragedies are being denied by some, or being made to be “fabricated,” is horrendous. People of all races, all of all backgrounds have lost there lives in these tragedies, and if you are willing to discount the loss of life to achieve your agenda, you have fundamentally disrespected all those who lost their lives. Whether it’s teachers, students, parishioners, children or adults, men or women, a loss of life should never be taken for granted. While it is painful to admit, we have a problem in this country and we need to join together to not only heal from these terrible events, but prevent them from happening altogether. Banning guns won’t solve anything, in my opinion, as those who shouldn’t own guns (criminals of varying levels) have found a way to procure them through black markets, and perhaps we should focus on how to stop the flow of weapons to those who shouldn’t own them. To those who own weapons, there should be a way that you can help educate those around you about what owning a firearm is about, and the responsibility and care you should take to do what’s truly right in a situation where you may have to use it. As citizens, we all have a responsibility to one another to look out for each other, albeit difficult at times because we all don’t know each other or may not all like each other. We’re all Americans, and despite our differences, we should come together to do our best to prevent those who wish to cause harm, from following through with those intentions and helping one another live to see another beautiful day on this wonderful Earth 🌏. Let’s work together to make our country, our states, counties, cities, towns and communities a better place, a safer haven for all who live here and call this land their home.

To those who read this, thank you for going through this post, and please understand I do not mean to diminish or downplay one side over another. I wish to be as neutral as I can while providing the arguments of both sides to have a healthy conversation about this topic. These tragedies have really left me in a place where I wish to mediate conversation and I seek to bring people together more than anything. Thanks again,

-TJ