The tragedy in Florida this past week that left 18 students dead in a high school brought the gun debate back into the limelight. The debate is fervent on social media, and I think I might have a solution, but it will take both sides working together.
First of all, we live in a society that glorifies violence and killings. All the blockbusters in entertainment are based around violence. Music that is popular with the younger generations is violent. Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead rule the small screen and violent video games are being played by kids starting at a young age. It all combines to dilute our perception of what a life is worth. Collectively they erode the VALUE OF LIFE!
We don't have a gun or mental health problem, we simply have society that constantly teaches it's youth to value life less and less. Take away all the guns and there will still be violence in America.
So here is my solution...
The right concedes and develop some common sense, gun regulations. We need to make it harder for people to get ahold of some weapons for sure. I am a big fan of the 2nd Amendment, but in order to unify as a nation, everyone will have to give in a little to start creating something more valuable.
We have to find a way to say to our children that we as a society value life. In order to do that, the left is going to have to give up something too.
The left concedes to develop some stricter abortion laws. We cannot teach our children that life is important when we allow ourselves to abort a living child. I respect women's rights 100%, but we have to find a way to show we value life. This is a little piece that the left can give up to balance things out.
The one thing that all engaged Americans have in common is our frustration at our government. Ironically, the government is in the hands of the people. We have to do a better job of electing people. If you are frustrated, vote out every single person up for re-election and put the power back in the hands of the people.
There are too many people who have been in Washington too long. It is time to make some changes. It doesn't matter what side of the isle you are on, we all have the responsibility that the people we elect are actually going to do what is right, and not what is most personally profitable.
These are just my thoughts. Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear why in the comments below.
Thank you for reading.
@walkingkeys
Great idea to put forward a solution instead of simply complaining about the problem. I personally wouldn’t support the trade off you suggesting, but it’s refreshing to see someone actually suggesting a compromise rather than just yelling insults from the bleachers!
"I am a big fan of the 2nd Amendment, but"
The word "but" is a negation, it essentially voids whatever comes before it in the sentence.
I see what you are saying, BUT to live in a civilized society we must find common ground. I don't think this idea will ever work. Notice I was very careful in how I described the changes to gun laws. At the end of the day, I'm just trying to get people to think in terms of finding common goals and common ground. The point isn't the guns or the laws, but the real problem in my opinion, we are not teaching our kids to value life. I appreciate your comment!!!
Thank you for making this comment @walkingkeys because before it, I thought you were going in a totally different direction with your post.
I agree wholeheartedly that not enough of us are teaching our children to value life. That is ultimately where the battle is fought and won, isn't it? In our homes, within our families, with our children against all of what others would sling at us. It certainly includes doing what we can to provide our children with alternatives to the "death" culture that pervades media, entertainment, video games, society in general.
But that's also the hard way, isn't it? The way that requires everyone to somehow come to the same conclusion and then act upon it, without compulsion. Because government only needs one bad actor, or even someone they can portray as a bad actor, to justify their own usefulness and bring down the law.
Ultimately, morality can't be legislated. You can pick a side and then reward or punish accordingly, but then it will be those who are already inclined to live their lives the same way without the law that will follow, and it's those who are not, that will ultimately find the way to get around the law.
It's why just people will rebel against unjust laws, and the unjust will kill, plunder and pillage with greater impunity because of the 'just' ones.
The problem is that both sides are completely wrong that you want to compromise with. We should have fewer restrictions on guns and abortions, not more. Perhaps there could be a compromise in that direction. Indeed our media and games and music all promote violence, in media a gun is always a plot device. If you see one in a movie it will always be used for gun violence and that violence will advance the plot. So people whose experience of guns comes from the media will have an irrational fear of them because they have been conditioned their whole lives with that. People whose experience comes from real life have not been conditioned to have that irrational response.
I totally admire the idea of both sides coming together to make this world a better place to live in; however, I just wish everyone had the same mindset and motivation to make change.
Gun deaths total including suicide and anything else you could think of equals about 0.1 % of the unborn babies slaughtered each year. The left doesn't get to lecture me on my guns that have NEVER harmed anyone while they are over there selling baby body parts and killing unborn children on a genocidal scale. Every time a shooting happens they screach from their false moral high ground that is built on the bodies of millions of dead kids that have been ripped out of their mothers body under the flag of "choice" .
downvoted me huh ?
I didn't downvote you!!!! It wasn't me at all. I am just seeing this. What happened?
Some account -dcj. I am truly not worried. It goes with the territory of having an opinion. No worries my friend.