Honest Disclaimer.
Before reading this article, please know that I respect everyone and their opinions on either side of the gun control issue (oh and thank you for stopping to read this, and sorry for the length but please give it an honest read to the end). Needless to say, I’ve been hesitant to post this for public view since it is a very sensitive subject, and therefore, for fear of “reprisals.” I’m not too naive to think there wouldn’t be any negative repercussions for writing this. I just hope everyone reads this for what it is, an opinion. Since we all should respect each other’s opinion, I hope no harm comes to me, this site, or any other affiliates. I write it with the hope that EVERYONE would pause for a moment to honestly think the matter through. With the clarity gained, maybe we’ll be able to move past all the commotion so that we can seek proper justice, appropriate rules, and safety for all. So, here I go.
I grew up hunting with guns and respected them as early as I can remember. To me, guns equaled hunting and a means to protect one’s self. When I was young, a neighboring landowner/farm had the brilliant idea to raise “wild” boar for sport hunting. Needless to say, the “wild” side won out and the boars escaped onto our farm and many others. Our farm was more of a family, recreational farm with young kids always around. Wild boar and children don’t mix very well. I remember an adult with a gun would always accompany us for protection when we walked the land until the boars were gone. Also, when the rattlesnakes were particularly bad, my dad would have a pistol with him when we were hiking or riding the trails. I saw this protection firsthand a couple of times – wild boar and snakes. I was also an avid bird hunter myself. So, I definitely grew up leaning to one particular side of the “gun” debate, but as I’ve grown, I’ve found myself increasingly on the fence.
Regardless, I understand both sides of the issue, and there is some good on each side. I do believe our nation’s Constitution provides some basis of protection for the right to own guns. BUT with the increasing number of those killed under circumstances which have included guns, I believe it is time to constructively implement some safety measures to keep us all safer – at home, at the park, at religious gatherings, at the mall, and especially at school for our children.
I know there are people on each side of the issue with honest convictions for their beliefs, and they might be members of different organizations. I’m not “speaking at” or chastising them in this post. I just hope they give an honest listen. No, I’m singling-out those in places of leadership with selfish motives and the means to successfully utilize tactics to distract the general public’s, and even their members, attention long enough to prevent any efforts to change their commerce around guns.
Don’t really think they’re “Cruella de Vil.”
Now, as you read further, I may sound like I believe “those with selfish motives” are evil and rotten, or that I’m trying to intentionally paint them as “Cruella de Vils” whose sole intent in life has been to cause harm to others just to turn a profit and gain power/influence. I assure you that was not my intent, but while I’ve already made attempts to “tone it down,” I realized that this couldn’t be written any other way to successfully explain my opinion.
Those who I lump together as having “selfish motives” likely started out as good people, and maybe outside of their work, are still good people. But humans are fallible and some have succumbed to greed and influence to the point they would do anything to survive and protect their way of life. They might have even fallen so deep that they believe they are doing “the right thing” for themselves and their family because “there isn’t any other way they can live.” I always want to believe there is good in all people, and as hidden as it might be, they all have the chance to realize it and eventually make decisions that are truly best of their “fellow man.” Sadly, some never do.
Uvalde, Texas, Shooter and List of Others.
Anyway, wherever any of us stand on the issue, I don’t think any of us, outside a few, would knowingly support the countless mass shootings over the past decades which have brought a tragic end to our family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. For some context, I started writing this after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas (May 24, 2022) which was quickly followed by other mass shootings in New York and too many others to include before I finished writing this piece. I actually came across a link that does keep a list of these tragedies. It is sad that such a list exists.
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States)
Much like the days right after other mass shooting tragedies in the past, many conspiracy theories abounded about the Uvalde person that held the gun that killed the children. Far too often, history has shown us that these “theories” have thwarted attempts to bring justice to the fallen and to bring reason and balance to our nation’s gun laws.
To my surprise, one of my family members shared, or rather, forwarded me some of these mass-forwarded “theories” emails about the Uvalde shooter’s background. While the shooter had some trouble in the past, the article took many liberties to intentionally paint a very disturbing picture of the shooter. The first few lines I read were enough to trigger my doubts about the validity of the information and its purpose. In full disclosure, I haven’t haven’t asked that family member why they decided to forward those particular emails to me and other family members. I want to believe that they shared them as lamentable examples of the lengths certain people and “media” outlets will go to make one person the scapegoat for which others can unburden themselves of their guilt and avoid persecution. These “others” seek to dehumanize the person who carried out such heinous acts and make that person alone the villain to which the public will turn its attention to seek “justice.”
Agreed, those who kill/shoot innocent people are bad.
To be clear, those who have pulled the trigger to destroy countless, innocent lives obviously had their own issues and were no saints. No doubt that the person pulling the trigger is a villain and one who is disturbed for wanting to kill innocent children, and who must face justice for their crime. However, there are those who intentionally misrepresent the facts and embellish the backstory to such a grand scale to ensure all the attention remains on the shooter.
I’ll pause here to ensure there is no confusion. You and I know that the world is not simply “black or white.” In this case, there exists a fine line between “making” someone “inhuman” (dehumanized) for ulterior motives and a person’s existence as “inhuman” in a society in which a large majority of its people carry out their daily routines without thinking about storming a school or a group of people with the intention of erasing as many lives as possible. Further, I believe anyone intent on mass-murder, especially in cases of children, deserve to be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law possible for which our justice system will allow. Oh, and I hope they spend an eternity feeling the same pain of every single family member and friend of the victims they murdered – pain and anguish as their souls are continuously ripped apart creating an empty void that will never be refilled.
For the families and friends of the victims, I hope they receive and accept the peace and love we all offer them so that they can rebuild their crumbled world using this missing piece as the foundation for a stronger and better world with renewed purpose. BUT, what I am trying to say is that the story shouldn’t end with the shooter alone as it has in the past – a single person not only suffering the consequences of his own actions but also for the greed of those with the means to influence whether or not these tragedies could have been prevented. Hopefully, there will be some kind of consequences bestowed upon these others as well. These are the ones who have developed a scheme to mislead the public and many of their members to prevent passage of legislation which could make these tragedies something they should be – a very rare and abnormal event.
Now to un-pause and pick up where I left off from before. Possibly, my family member was suggesting that these articles or emails were examples of attempts to cloud the issue and obscure the facts to make it too difficult for the rest of us to agree on any meaningful solution to prevent future tragedies. While I want to believe this is the reason, I’m fairly certain they forwarded them to me because they believed the information contained in them. I fear they, like too many others, have fallen victim of the orchestrated “scheme” to obscure and distract them from the truth. This scheme’s simplicity is part of its success: “Tell people what they want to hear,” and it will be easier to convince them that it is the truth. The other part of its success is how often these tragedies have occurred the last few decades have given it time to evolve into a well-oiled machine that kicks-in just after a publicized mass-shooting. It works by flooding emails and articles full of unchecked and/or false information in order to turn the focus onto the killer and away from the real issue – guns.
I’m certain there are many that would disagree with what I’ve written (if they read this far), and may think I’ve “overly dramatized” the situation. They may ask, why, or to what advantage, would “people” or certain media outlets want to paint such a bleak and “crazy” picture of someone that killed our children in a place that should only be a sanctuary of learning and peace? Faster than I can write this piece, ideas keep popping up for ways to address this and make my point, but simply put, they divert attention away from “guns” and towards an “ostracized” person in order to protect their own industry. An industry and commerce system heavily influenced by the NRA.
Why they do it.
Ready for a little plot twist? Guns themselves are not the real reason we find ourselves in this situation where every other week we see a news release about a new mass shooting. No, the real reason nothing has changed to limit these tragedies is as old as time itself – Greed. There is a lot of money at stake, and maintaining at least the status quo of our gun laws ensure the money keeps flowing either from the sell of guns and their “accessories” or from the financial fruit that can be harvested from membership groups claiming to be “protecting their member’s rights” and other lobbying efforts. My proof that this is happening is the fact that no significant piece of legislation to change the status quo has become law in the last 15 years, and in that same amount of time, the number of deaths caused by guns has increased every year. If you have proof there might be a year or two that didn’t show in increase from the previous year, I simply give this answer: overall, the number of deaths by guns is significantly higher today than it was 15 years ago. Proving that those with influence have successfully diverted our attention and manipulated the rules of governance to maintain the status quo – legislative stalemate.
I believe if a realistic group of people from different backgrounds and beliefs on gun laws all sat at a table and made sincere efforts to address the issue of guns, the problem would have been solved years ago. Not only would the right to own a gun remain, but also a system of laws and requirements could be implemented to significantly avert future gun tragedies.
To keep this article on point (too late I know), I won’t attempt to define the financial wealth of the firearms industry and its lobbying efforts. I think we can at least agree that it is a lot. I know there are many who would disagree – again. Based on the information they receive from the NRA and it’s army of conspiracy theorists, they believe any information painting less than a “rosy” picture of the organization and its influence is simply the result of “smear campaigns.” So, there is no point in dragging this post into a tennis match of facts and false claims. Anyway, you don’t need to be fed “facts” from any side to see with your own eyes the ubiquitous media presence of the NRA during local, state, and federal elections.
How to “live” forever.
Also, I’m sure some will remind me that there are plenty of groups out there that influence voters and candidates against what the “NRA stands for.” First, I’d concur. Sadly, there are a good number of well funded, membership groups out there on many issues that unfortunately have undue influence over voters and candidates. I’d also answer with a question, “Do you believe that the largest, most well-funded and influential groups exist only for a single cause and have no other motives?” I worked for a US Senator and Representative for almost 10 years in Congress. There was a well-known saying, ”If you want to ‘live forever,’ then get a federally funded program named after you.” Meaning, once a federal program with allocated funds existed, it would be almost impossible to remove. Inevitably for better or worse, these funded programs create their own ecosystem in which individuals and groups, whether served by the program or provide services for utilizing the program (public or private), become reliant on the existence of the program and its continued funding. Any attempts to later end the program or its funding would be met with stiff opposition.
Another short pause to explain what I mean. There are definitely federally funded programs created to fulfill a legitimate and necessary need. So why would they need to be eliminated? In many cases, the purpose of the programs get rolled into existing and/or complimentary programs so that the Executive Branch (the federal departments responsible for managing the programs) can more efficiently offer a full line of services to the general public or those that need these specific services. At which point, these programs could be authorized and funded by a single program, or otherwise known in the “Hill” lingo of the federal budget as a “Line Item,” to ensure stability and sustainability of important and needed programs. Other times, given the size of our federal government, additional programs might get created that initially either don’t seem duplicative or people weren’t aware of other existing programs to meet certain needs. As a result, once the need no longer required a single, specific program or the functions of the program became duplicative, these extra programs would be eliminated to ensure resources and tax dollars are appropriately allocated. At least that is often the intention of Members of Congress, but inevitably there are those reliant on the program in some way, and they will work hard to rationalize their continued existence so funding will continue.
Un-pause again, and back to the metaphor. Similar to federally funded programs, the same can be said for many “single-issue” organizations. Once they get established and the money starts flowing, eventually after many years, others become reliant on them and will do all they can to ensure the continued existence of these organizations so that they too can “survive.” I’m not claiming that all issue groups or organizations are “bad.” There are many that serve important purposes and do help to inspire important changes to outdated, duplicative, or imputative laws. However, I’ve learned to be mindful of groups that exist around a single issue, especially those that have paid memberships. So in my opinion, grass-roots campaigns are the only ones that stand a chance to actually adhere to legitimate causes for which they have specific suggestions on how to change things for the better without trying to silence their detractors. I said “stand a chance” because, again, not all these grass roots “groups” are for something for the “greater good” of society, but most are at least honest and transparent about their beliefs and motivations. Furthermore, there are very few (if any) single-issue, member-funded organizations that can stand in the same room as the NRA when it comes to funding and finances. So, when followers argue that there are “rich” groups out there, like the “liberal media,” espousing messages that they don’t agree with, they have contradicted themselves. It is the “pot calling the kettle black.” Honestly, what is your first thought when you hear someone say something like, “Yeah, those groups are bad, but ours is different?”
Back to the scheme.
Anyway, back to the “scheme” and its purpose. I’ll start again with another question, “If something is successfully demonized, what happens to it?” Answer: People want to get rid of it, and in this case, enough people will support efforts to get rid of it – more or less. So who is the demon? When you first hear of a massive shooting, the usual report is, “a group of people have been shot, and the shooter is [also dead]/[still at large].” Take a moment and try to clear your mind and read that again. In all honesty, who or what do you picture as the demon in that statement? If you’re being honest, I would say that most would see one word flash in their mind, “Gun,” because of the “shooter” involved.
But, the NRA can’t have the “Gun” be the demon in this scenario. So, what can they do? There is really only one simple option left to choose from in that statement – the “shooter.” What do you think is the purpose of, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people?” It is nothing more than a diversionary parlor trick. The “slight of hand” magic tricks all have one key ingredient – to divert your attention to one hand while the other hand removes your wallet or watch. With most (if not all) past massive shooting tragedies a couple of days after the incident, stories will “come to light” about the awful, sordid, crazy, and “innate evil” character of the shooter. Now, we always want to know the “reason why” the shooter decided to kill, and inside all of us, we probably want to believe that they are reasons that make the shooter less human or drastically different from ourselves.
Deep down we can’t (nor want to) comprehend how someone could point a gun at a small, young, defenseless child and pull the trigger. We want to believe that the shooter IS deranged or by some other means completely alien to ourselves. The NRA and its key supporters have caught onto this. What better way to get people to see your point of view than to “give them what they want?” So demonize/de-humanize the shooter to put peoples’ minds at ease that it was an “abnormal event” and not something that would occur under “normal,” everyday situations. Who doesn’t think their life is “normal” in their own eyes because it is something they know? We are always more comfortable with something we know even if it may not be the “best of situations” for others, but it’s our normal. If these horrendous acts are different from our own normal, then . . . “it couldn’t happen to me.” Sound familiar? We all think it or feel it inside whether we consciously know it or not. It is the innate way we keep ourselves from panicking – after the fact.
Using the “Flight” from “Fight or Flight.”
Panic is a tool of our most natural instinct to run or seek shelter (flight), but if we continued in a constant state of panic after an “extreme” event, we wouldn’t survive. We would either die of exhaustion always over-reacting to any small surprise or from loneliness because our distrust of everyone and everything would seclude us from the “pack.” And many more times than not, that which is alone will not survive for long – “Survival in numbers.” So what better way to influence or distract people than to play to their natural, most basic nature? Divert their energy and mistrust from what actually allowed young, innocent children to perish forever from our sight and our love, but instead towards a demonic, “outside the norm,” ruthless killer that could never exist in our normal way of life. Obscure the issue as a distant threat from us something that will lead us to fully disconnect from the event and pay it no more mind.
Without a connection to those involved or affected from the event, without those sick feelings and anger at the situation, we eventually become docile again and return to our own immediate, normal life with no desire to expend any energy or thought on what might “shake the boat” or potentially disrupt our way of life – no matter how simple or mundane those actual changes might actually be. So to the glee of those that diverted our attention, the whole thing is forgotten by the time it could matter to their own “constituency” – before the next election, or the next piece of federal legislation which could get a fair chance of passing into law.
Wheels of Democracy.
Those that wish to divert us have artfully picked up on something else that is a constant in our country, part of our way of life – the wheels of democracy churn slowly and deliberately by design. Now the next phase of the diversion “scheme” begins. To ensure there is enough time for people to become disconnected and docile again, the NRA goes to work among state and local politics, and the halls of the U.S. Congress. They remind those that have benefited from its past financial support and membership to keep “their eye on the ball.” Don’t let “a flash in the pan” lead them to a decision that would upset “such a long and great relationship.” They threaten that any action otherwise would most certainly lead to their downfall, and they’d face the “other end of the barrel” carried by its money and voting membership. In the beginning, these diverters would introduce just enough dis-information to confuse the committees and to fan the flames of distrust just long enough to delay any legitimate agreement to become a bill on the floor of Congress for a final vote.
Of course now with a long history of success they are more brazen. They’ve gotten away with it for so long, they think they are unstoppable. They think they can throw out any batch of lies to “their” masses which will become fuel to the fire of hate and mistrust to fight the “enemy” to their “God given rights!” Unfortunately, it appears they are right. Just by adding another skilled “magician” or two to their team, the fires they start can compliment each other to the point of a full-blown forest fire, strong and hot enough to potentially destabilize the foundation that has held our democracy together for over 200 hundred years through “thick-n-thin.” Hot enough possibly to lead followers to storm their own nation’s Capitol.
There is hope.
But there is hope. Humans have also evolved with the power to think, reason, and seek logic. Although it is wired in the “new brain” and only represents the most recent thousands of years of our evolution in the grand scheme of things, it is a power that has gotten us to where we are today. With the proper attention and exercise, it can continue to evolve and lead us to a better tomorrow.
I guess at some point one or a few of our far-removed ancestors asked themselves, “What are we running from?” – especially after it had happened a few thousand times before. Then, as the mind grew in reasoning power, they started to put some things together, and finally thought, “What if we could stop whatever it was that caused us to run?” So, during the next “panic,” a few didn’t necessarily run away like crazy but tried to study what it was that caused them to panic and run. Granted, maybe a few lost their lives, but thanks to evolution, we don’t have to sacrifice anymore lives because we developed ways to safely study these instances. Then if it were animals, our brave and curious ancestors followed and studied them to see if they could find a weakness. If it was a “natural event,” the ones still alive would “take notes” – i.e. stories, legends, and cave paintings what have you. Eventually, they figured out how to keep themselves safe from most of the things that caused them panic and harm. They built special tools like spears and knives to defend against animals. They built structures to keep things away like walls and fences. They built things to give them safer shelter like reinforced homes or forts. Along with these developments, they also found ways to take care of the injured or those affected by the danger.
Skipping forward a few millennia, even though still somewhat in its “infancy,” our powers to think, reason, and seek logic have progressed fairly well. So, in the spirit of our ancestors, let’s continue what they started and keep utilizing these abilities so that we can evolve even more. Of course, not everyone evolves as quickly as others. Time and procreation eventually help evolution spread to other groups and civilizations. That takes a lot of time. However, I think we have enough of us now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t the majority of us in this country at least, that are evolved enough to focus on what it is killing our young children – our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandchildren and cousins, and friends and neighbors. We have the tools at least to limit the death and danger haunting our children in school, our groups in churches, our people in malls, and ourselves at home. I think we’re evolved enough to implement these tools with precision to ensure we’re all protected and all our rights are maintained.
Guns aren’t going away.
Like it or not, guns are here to stay. Furthermore, I personally want them to stay, but to the extent that it’s possible, they stay only in the hands of those who pose no harm to other fellow human beings and who have had some training to know how to properly and safely use them. Most kids I knew growing up took some level of “Hunter Safety” training in order to get a hunting license. As a start, a modified version of that would be a good precursor to owning your first gun. After that criteria is met, you don’t have to repeat the training or courses each time you buy an additional gun.
Sorry, I’ve got to take another little sidebar here. I know “hunting/gun training” isn’t necessarily required in each state and usually only for getting a hunting license when you are below a certain age. But, take a minute to think about the irony of what I just explained. Granted this is taking a little bit of liberty to make this metaphor. In a sense, you need to receive training to get a license to hunt and kill an animal with a gun, but there is no such requirement pertaining to humans. Yes, there are “background” checks, but hopefully it is becoming more apparent that those aren’t working – not on their own at least. Also in its current form, there are several ways around those background checks. I won’t go into detail about these loopholes now, but I’m sure most everyone is familiar enough with the issue to understand they do exist. I’m also not going to go to the depth of requiring a “license” or some certification before purchasing a gun – although it might not be such a bad idea if established correctly. I often hear the “comeback” about gun laws. “Cars kill more people than guns. Why aren’t you creating more restrictions on that?” I have a list of things to say about that statement, but I’ll keep it simple, you still need training and a license to legally drive a car outside your home or private land. Also, there are a lot of restrictions on cars and driving. Sure, you don’t necessarily need a license to buy a car, but if you are able to get it home without driving it, you can’t legally take it off your private property – if you own any. I’m fairly certain that you will eventually get caught driving without a license. Again, this still isn’t perfect because you can’t put a wall around someone’s home to prevent them from driving their car off their property, but as soon as that unlicensed person leave’s their land and starts doing anything that looks like a threat to other people or property, someone, if not the police immediately, will notice and the police will eventually stop them – hopefully before any harm is done.
Anyway, back to this post. I own guns and I hunt. I also have them with me in my home for protection – safely locked away from any unauthorized access and separate from the ammunition as a precaution. Granted, if my home was invaded by someone with bad intentions, it might take me a little while to get it all together to use, but while I intend to do everything in my power to protect my loved ones and the sanctity of my home, the first step should always be to call the police. Unless your guns are locked in the front door closet (where a criminal might enter – remember, it’s jus a metaphor) and you sleep in the back of the house, there should be relatively enough time to take action to protect your family.
Needless to say, I don’t want guns to be banned nor any unnecessary or unmanageable rules imposed to purchase a gun. However, I believe there should be appropriate and better rules to keep those with otherwise questionable motives from purchasing a gun. More so, if we can have the Internet, movies and TV, a phone, a camera, and “an app for that” all in one device, I’m sure we could create some appropriate safety mechanisms into guns – like fingerprint locks, etc.
Another reason it is important for us to take action and see it through, while certainly open to interpretation, there is a Constitutional amendment that provides some form of protection to the right to own a gun. Other than ratifying a new amendment (no easy lift) the only people that can change that “interpretation” is a majority of the Justices of the US Supreme Court. The US Congress can only pass laws to create rules and regulations to implement safeguards while protecting Constitutional rights. Those laws are still subject to the will of the Judiciary branch because there will always be groups, on either side of the issue, that will file a lawsuit against the law in one form or another. Ultimately, those laws will either stand or be struck down by – you guessed it – the US Supreme Court. So instead of the dog chasing its own tail or the hamster in the wheel that never reaches a destination, it serves all our best interests to put forth sincere efforts to come together on legislation that protects all of us.
Quick mention about mental health.
As I start to wrap this up (much to all our relief), I can’t finish without mentioning the importance of including mental healthcare in any solution attempting to minimize gun deaths. Changes on how we handle, deliver, and perceive mental health is paramount for society as a whole, but it too plays an important role in helping to prevent these tragic events. The only reason I haven’t discussed it yet is because I chose to focus this blog post on the manipulative, diversion tactics which have occurred in shootings up until now. Before we can find a solution to these tragic events, we have to recognize and resist the manipulation tactics in order to give us an honest chance to sit together and begin discussing real solutions. I believe that mental health and its treatment must play its part to help keep guns out of the hands of severely troubled individuals while at the same time removing the stigma associated with mental health so that more of us won’t hesitate to seek help. How to incorporate mental health into a solution must be discussed in the proper setting with assistance from doctors and others in the field of psychology. Thoughtful consideration must be given to ensure that proper controls and oversight are included.
In Conclusion.
Well, I got a little more off track than I wanted (“duh”). While I’ve got my own ideas and suggestions on what rules or other precautions can be implemented to keep us all a little safer while ensuring the ability to own guns, I’m not going to present them at this moment, nor do I claim to know or have the answers. It wasn’t my intent for this post. The objective of this post was to make people aware of potential tactics that successfully distract us from taking action to address the root of these heinous shootings – guns as well as those using them with disastrous intentions. I wrote this post with the hope of inspiring people to utilize and maximize their power to think, reason, and seek logic for solutions to keep us all safe. One person, one family, nor one group can do it alone. It takes all of us from all sides to honestly work together to find solutions. We always lose when one “group” has the means to influence the ground rules of any discussion. Only together can we evolve as humans and as a society. Use your mind, heart, and soul to see past the noise and distractions to discover truth. Whether it is good or bad, truth will always be the seed from which something meaningful can grow.