February 17th - The Streets of Heaven

Just over a year and a half ago, a man walked into a movie theater and opened fire. Five months later, it was an elementary school. Since then, it seems as though every few weeks we hear about another gun being drawn and used to cause terror, pain, and, all too often, death.

At the 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama made a bold statement that something had to be done to prevent this kind of violence from tearing the country apart. He punctuated his speech by inviting the families of shooting victims to the speech and honoring the memories of those whose lives were cut so mercilessly short.

It turns out, one year later, Obama’s bark was worse than his bite. Congress did little to nothing to prevent such acts of violence, and killings didn’t stop. This year alone, in 48 days alone, there have already been several incidences of killings at the hands of gunmen. In fact, the number and frequency of public gun violence has increased, rather than decreasing the past year.

And Obama relented. Little to nothing was discussed during this year’s State of the Union to address the growing issue. Obama asked for legislation, Congress said no, and Obama backed off. A year after his initial call to action, Barack Obama’s second State of the Union of his second term barely confronted the notion of any form of gun control. It just didn’t make the list of things to discuss that night.

Here is the scary thought: maybe the violence is perpetuating itself. Copycats see others successfully (or at least what they believe to be successful) spread fear and create havoc. Some even may look at the attention a killer “earns” in a glorified way. All of a sudden, the notion of using violence may be implanted in the mind of someone who otherwise would never have considered it.

Although I don’t encourage the ownership of guns, I do understand the notion that the government shouldn’t be able to tell me what I can and cannot own. The arguments in defense of the second amendment grow more tired, though.

At its inception, the second amendment to the constitution was created for the purpose of allowing citizens to own muskets to maintain a militia in times of need. At the time, it was imperative for national security and defense.

Times have changed in the past 200 plus years, though. So too must our understanding of gun rights, and the right to bear arms. Those who use second amendment arguments fail to understand that the right to bear arms originates from the necessity to do so, which truly doesn’t exist. It is also important to note that very few people are arguing about the right to own a 18^th century musket. The weapons have grown far more terrifying.

This gets very well to the next argument which most gun carriers hold to: that carrying a gun makes one feel safer and allows for self-defense. There’s a fundamental error in logic. How can more weapons lead to less violence? Clearly people are still using their guns; it doesn’t appear as though concealed carry is being effectively used as a deterrent. And if you’re so worried about your safety, wouldn’t it be safer to eliminate the guns, rather than make everyone carry one?

I carry a pocket knife with me most of the time. I like having it with me. I use it to open boxes, cut through packaging, and other simple tasks. Could it be used as a weapon? Sure. But its purpose is to be used as a tool. The same cannot be said for a gun. The gun, especially the automatic weapon, was invented for the sole intent and purpose of killing. Even when used recreationally, it is still a killing tool. There is no ability to assume good will. A gun can be used for nothing but harm, or at the very least, intimidation and fear.

We had our chance to fix the problem. For 18 months, Congress has sat back and allowed things to continue with no significant gun control reform. But now, as each day of inaction passes, the blood is not only on the hands of the attackers, but also the bystanders. Congressmen and Senators are elected to serve the people of each state. They fail if their inaction leads to the unnecessary murder of those citizens.

We need to take away guns. We need to make them nearly impossible to buy. We need to make ammunition difficult to attain. We need to make things tough. I respected your right to carry a weapon right up until someone ruined it. And we ruin it when we continue to allow our peace of mind to lead to the destruction of human life.

The streets of heaven are too filled with angels. And we can keep those angels on earth. It’s our job to figure out how.

--Follow us on Twitter at @ZootPerspective for even more great content