gun control

Was It All A Waste?

Posted on by kkwrites8739

Thoughts and prayers to all the people of color who are used to violence and discrimination. Thoughts and prayers to all the GLBT+ population who are used to violence and discrimination. Thoughts and prayers to all the people living with disabilities who are used to having few rights, few jobs, no money, and little understanding. Thoughts and prayers to all the women past (and PLEASE not future) who have had to go in secret, hide in shame, and even die from childbirth because an entitled few want to police their bodies. Thoughts and prayers to all the families who lost loved ones during a pandemic because a select few politicized protections. Thoughts and prayers to yet one more incredibly unnecessary and preventable mass school shooting.

I wonder if my life has been a waste? My time. My morals. My strong beliefs. All a waste? Since age 18 I’ve been attending (even creating) protests against those who would take away the rights of others. I strongly believe in advocating and helping those who need tools to get a fair share. It’s been a grueling, time consuming, financially consuming 30 years of standing up to the one per-centers, the extremists, the religiously fanatic.

And now our country is going in reverse.

So. Do protests do any good? Do petitions do any good? Do letter writing campaigns do any good? Does personally speaking with my supposed elected leaders do any good? Cuz the way things are headed, I think not. People in government don’t speak my wants and needs. People in leadership positions haven’t lived the life of those whose rights they limit. If something doesn’t affect them personally, hit them in the gut, they simply don’t care. The bottom line? Whose gonna pay them the most to vote in which direction?

Do we really have to get as bad as living a Real Life “Handmaiden’s Tale?” Do we really want to go back to the time of our Founding Fathers when women, children, people of color, people with disabilities, GLBT+ all had to hide and/or run for their lives? When all of those populations had NO rights and the world was ruled by men? Only men. Only rich men. It sounds like communist Russia or the current horror movie in theaters, “Men.”

I’ve done my fighting. I’m tired. I live in physical chronic pain and I simply can’t “fight the good fight” any more. I felt like it was time for the new crop of youth to take the stage and continue the fight. We NEED the actions of the 1960’s and 1970’s. We NEED real revolution. I don’t see it happening. I’m feeling fear and sadness for our future.

I almost lost my son once. It was the worst 24 hours of my life. If he’d died I don’t think I would have lived through it. I simply can NOT imagine anything worse for a parent. My brother died of Covid-19. We are still trying to figure out how to mourn. With my son’s accident I was able to be there. Hold his hand. Try to take pain away. I was THERE. With my brother’s death; it’s still not real. He was alone. No one held his hand. Family couldn’t be there. He died in so much pain. My parents; I don’t know how they can handle it. I know my mother’s not handling it well.

It’s got to be the same when a loved one, a child, is gunned down. Family isn’t there to help with the pain and fear. They are alone.

No thoughts and prayers are going to help. I feel so empty. There’s nothing I can do. Protests, etc, haven’t helped. Government refuses to respond.

36 Mothers lost a child just today: 5/24/22. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/charts-and-maps

143 lives have been lost to guns in the last 72 hours.

With 25 lines per page listing mass shootings since 2014, on 80 pages, that equals 2,000 mass shootings in the US in 8 years!!!!!! “Mass Shootings are, for the most part an American phenomenon. While they are generally grouped together as one type of incident they are several with the foundation definition being that they have a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident.”

“Before the Uvalde rampage, there were 26 school shootings resulting in injury or death in the U.S. in 2022, according to Education Week, which tracks shootings at schools in which there are any firearm-related injuries or deaths.”

“As of December 2021, 693 (of which 303 resulted in zero deaths) fit the Mass Shooting Tracker project criterion, leaving 703 people dead and 2,842 injured, for a total of 3,545 total victims, some including the shooter(s).”

“How do US gun deaths break down? According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries of all causes during 2020, the last year for which complete data is available.”

“The Small Arms Survey stated that U.S. civilians alone account for 393 million (about 46 percent) of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms. This amounts to “120.5 firearms for every 100 residents.”

“While many U.S. residents own no guns at all, many others own multiple guns—the end result of which is that the U.S. is home to more guns than people. An ABC News article about the survey pointed out that the U.S. has “less than 5% of the world’s population, but 40% of the world’s civilian-owned guns.”

“More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record, according to recently published statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That included a record number of gun murders, as well as a near-record number of gun suicides.” “Though they tend to get less public attention than gun-related murders, suicides have long accounted for the majority of U.S. gun deaths. In 2020, 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (24,292), while 43% were murders (19,384), according to the CDC. The remaining gun deaths that year were unintentional (535), involved law enforcement (611) or had undetermined circumstances (400).”

As you can see in this research article, statistics prove that states with harsher gun laws and magazine laws do actually have much fewer gun related deaths. It’s also surprising to read that the majority of federal gun laws have only been made when a sitting US President has had an assassination attempt.

So, does that mean the lives of every day average “Joe” citizens are not as important as our leaders?

I am disgusted. I hope you are too.

Save Lives Not Guns

Posted on by kkwrites8739

Just have to say it, again. For those who don’t get it. I still haven’t heard a politician say they are going to come and take away the guns from law abiding citizens. I HAVE heard that they and over 75% of the law abiding citizens in this country want to ban bump stocks, semi-auto, and automatic weapons from anyone but the police and military, instill background checks for purchasing a gun at ANY time a gun is purchased by ANYONE, make it more difficult if not impossible for people who have been convicted of any violent crime (including domestic violence or rape) to be able to purchase a gun weather or not they SEEM to be a law abiding citizen now, have a person who has HAD a diagnoses of an emotional or behavioral disorder be tested prior to purchasing a gun, but nowhere have I seen or heard that anyone would be coming into anyone’s homes to take away anyone’s guns that they legally have now. THAT would be illegal and unconstitutional and only people who don’t understand jurisprudence think that way.

The police already have voluntary programs where people can come to places, usually police stations, and hand in weapons/guns with no questions asked. This could take place if/when new gun policies ever happen. OFTEN these programs also give money to those who hand in the weapons. Also, many countries that have already done what people in the US want with these new gun policies, is to grandfather in the people who already have those types of weapons, but make sure they are registered to law abiding citizens. They are already supposed to be, right? Now all you have to do is tell the people you register with that you’ve added the bump stock, so IF the weapon is stolen they know it was already altered.

So, no. We don’t want to ban guns for law abiding citizens. Knowing who has altered their gun, who has guns, and knowing only the police and military have the correct heavy-powered weapons to fight the heavily powered bad guys seems OK though, doesn’t it?

The gun nuts keep telling us that they “know how to use their guns.” So why would a legal gun owner need an automatic weapon to protect their home? If they are such a good shot and SO good at using their weapon, if someone broke into their home and they never get nervous and are just as trained as the cops are in such a situation wouldn’t they be able to shoot as well as a cop and handle the situation accordingly the same way with just the same weapon as a street cop and hit their target?

I see no reason for every day Joe’s to own semi or automatic weapons or use bump stocks. No, not for hunting either. What is sporting about hunting with them? Either you can make your shot without them or you are a shitty shot, dude, and have one small penis. Don’t try to come at me with “what do you know about guns, liberal piece of shit.” Last time I shot a 22 caliber was about 5 years ago and I’m still an expert marksman. I’ve got the trophies to prove it. Just don’t own a gun. Don’t want one in my home. I do enjoy shooting though.

If I had one in my home, it wouldn’t do me any good if someone broke in to attack me. They would already have a gun IN their hand. How would I have time to go get mine? Duh, I’d already be dead. Really, IF you store your guns the way you’re supposed to; away from the ammo. The gun is supposed to be either locked in a cabinet or the ammo is, and/or stored up high away from any children. How would you get to it if you are about to be robbed?

If you are storing a loaded gun in your nightstand while you sleep, well THAT’s how the robbers in this country are getting away with suing the people they are trying to rob!!!!!! Because you were breaking the law! That’s also why so many youth have guns available to them for accidents, school shootings, and suicide; loaded guns in desks, closets, and drawers.

Even IF you have a license to carry, that does NOT mean everyone in your family does. When you take that weapon off it is supposed to be LOCKED UP. If it’s not and it’s used by any family member in an accident, school shooting, or suicide then I hope you feel like shit, because you are shit.

We need to fight the people who have guns illegally, not each other. Get it? We need to save lives. Get it?

Now, does anyone else want to send me a meme on Facebook about “They can take my guns out of my cold dead hands?” or “They want to take our guns away!”