So, this is what happens when I look at the news online. I get all in a huff.
Not sure if you've seen the headlines, but some Iraq war vet came back, shot at some people at a party, went on the run, then shot & killed a Ranger while she was trying to stop his vehicle inside a Washington National Park.
So what happens when any crime involving a firearm happens? People start blaming the inatimate object for the crime. Not the person. Not the circumstances that may have lead to this horrible crime (he was said to have post-traumatic stress disorder). It's all about the gun. Can you hear the wardrums drumming "More laws, more restrictions, more laws, more restrictions....boom, boom, boom".
I'm waiting for another news clip to say "Ranger killed by a Midnight-Special Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle with Night Sights, High Capacity Clip and Expresso Attachment". Because you know that gun just got up and started shooting by itself.
And this is what some dim-wit had to say about it:
"The many congressmen and senators that voted for the legislation that allowed loaded weapons to be brought into the parks ought to be feeling pretty bad right now," Wade said.
Wade called Sunday's fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. (Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.)
Uhm, so Wade actually thinks that this guy would have stopped his vehicle, disposed of his weapon, THEN continued into the National Park because if there WERE a law that outlawed firearms in National Parks (by us "normal" people, not the "special" people like Rangers or Police) he would have adhered to that law?
Really? Really??
Yes, Wade, this could have been prevented. Say, if this man didn't go through hell in a warzone in Iraq and come home mentally scarred. Say, if this man was willing to get help or go through consuling. Say, if he made a half-dozen other choices in his life, this may have been prevented.
But do NOT say, or even insinuate that having a law that prevents firearms in any particular area prevents shootings. It only prevents the law-abiding, gun carrying citizens from protecting themselves or those they care for. There are laws preventing the posession of firearms in courtrooms. How many stories have you read where there is a shooting in a courtroom? Too many, unfortunately.
A man brutally shot and killed at least one person, and I hope he pays for his crimes, here and in the afterlife. But it was a man who commited this crime, not the weapon.
Rant done. And to show you how scatter-brained I really am, you'll have to compare this blog post to tomorrow's Girly-Girl photo shoot of the progress in Rhiannon's Room!
Well, you were more willing to entertain it than I was because I saw that headline last night and refused to even click on the link. I KNEW it was going to be some moron talking about/suggesting a law, because CLEARLY (rolling my eyes HUGELY) that would have made the difference here. Oh, there's a law that I can't carry a gun in here. I've already shot some other people and am on the run, but, oh, OK, I'll stop and get rid of my gun before continuing.
ReplyDeleteRight.
My prayers for all of the families involved.
I just read that story... Wow... Guns don't kill people, People kill people... That's all I got. 100% opposed to more laws and restrictions regarding firearms. And NO I dont think he would have stopped if he had seen a small little sign posted on some tree somewhere, No Guns in Park! What was the sign gonna do? Stop him in his tracks? I highly doubt it.
ReplyDeleteToday, I will spend time thinking about both families, and how enraged they must be over the loss of not just one child, but two. That man has some serious problems, and if he ever gets out of jail, he will need some serious help.
You are right, there is NO law that would have prevented this guy from carrying a weapon, I know personally several friends that carry all the time since coming back from IRQ/AFG, it's painful to watch, some of them freak out and turn the car around if they are on a regular neighborhood street and there is a piece of garbage or a bag lying near the road. My own brother had to retreat to the basement during a 4th of July fireworks display at a cabin up north. We need more preparation and decompression for these guys when leaving and returning, and if there is any sign of this type of stress they should be kept on active duty until treatment is successful instead of expecting them to acclimate back into civilian life immediately. Ultimately, these incidents are the result of the person's actions and not the weapon itself. Gun laws in my opinion only serve to take defense away from innocent people as an option. I'll stop ranting :)
ReplyDeleteThis subject deserves a rant. What the he!! are lawmakers thinking of when they keep passing these asinine laws that have nothing to do with common sense? Take guns away from the common man? Yeah, well, lots of luck taking guns away from criminals, drug dealers and any others who choose to live under a different moral code. We've all heard the expression, "Outlaw guns and only the outlaws will have guns."
ReplyDeleteI live up here...we spend a lot of time in the parks and would NEVER stay in one without a weapon. Because of budget cuts, there aren't enough law enforcer's to keep the drug-making, illegal firearm toting, tweekers out of the parks. And I guarantee you, not 1 of those idiot lawmakers has EVER stayed a night in one of these parks...they're too busy spending our tax dollars at luxury spa's & fancy hotels. If the gunman didn't respect the commandment of "Thou shalt not kill", what makes the lawmakers think he would've respected "Thou shalt not bring a firearm into a National park?"
ReplyDeleteBy the way...the gunman was found. Chest deep in a snowy creek. How's that for justice?
TG, If I'm not mistaken, he killed himself at the end. The last I'd read yesterday they'd seen him face down from a helicopter but it was going to take hours to get anyone on the ground to where he was to confirm.
ReplyDeleteAmen to everything you all said!!
ReplyDelete