1y, Posted for: Whole Community

Owning a gun

{"ops":[{"insert":"Of course there has been a lot of talk about the right to own a gun in this country especially since the mass shooting of the school children. The Second Amendment is always brought up to justify this right.\n\nBut, of course, the Second Amendment does not give anyone the right to own an assault weapon. Only the right to bear arms in order to protect yourself.\n\nI don't think any logical minded thinker would assert that an assault rifle is necessary to protect oneself. Unless you're in a war, of course, but then the majority of Americans are not fighting a war.\n\nWhen you look at the results of surveys asking about gun rights, in some polls a majority do not want any limits on what kind of guns an individual can own. \n\nSo I would draw this conclusion: It appears that a majority of Americans are willing to sacrifice several thousand people each year in order for them to own any kind of gun they want.\n\nAm I wrong? \n"}]}

Comments

Posted by: michelle wada

{"ops":[{"insert":"I believe a ban on assault rifles is in order. There are 300.000 schools in our country instead of giving our money away spend money on security for our children right here in the US. If you are 't defending my country then you do not need a assault rifle. \n"}]}

Posted by: Kathy Goddard

{"ops":[{"insert":"When looking at this issue through the perspective of my older brother, I realize how difficult it is to discuss a multi-system question such as gun control. He has over twenty guns in his collection which includes two military-grade assault weapons. I think that one reason we, as Americans, cannot come to any thoughtful discussion, much less consensus, on this issue is partly because we not are arguing with a clarification of what the topic is: 1. Individual rights (to own weapons, without limitations), 2. The publics right to be safe. Our country seems to value the individual right over the community's right.\n\nThe Pew Research Center adds to the complexities of this issue with research on gun-related deaths that include suicide, those by accident, and those by law-enforcement. You might be interested in their statistics for 2021 with 45,222 gun-related deaths: 43% of these were murder; 54% were suicide. \n\nI have been frustrated listening to gun rights arguments pertaining to mass shootings, in schools in particular, with the focus shifted to mental health. If the majority of gun-related deaths are by suicide, let open up the mental health discussion.\n\nI confess, I feel hopeless about any significant change in American's love affair with guns.\n"}]}

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