The Good Guys with Guns

 

POV: Concealed weapons license holder with multiple guns in my home.

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. I am emotionally just spent and there are not words adequate for what is going on. We are still in the midst of a pandemic that some still refuse to believe is true. Some still refuse to get vaccinated and/or wear a mask. On top of that, we are still allowing our children to be murdered at school.    

I am appalled, but not even a little surprised, by the “pro-life” and “pro-family” party blaming absolutely everything and anything except the weapon used. The only other weapon, besides a gun, that is effective in mass casualties would be a bomb. Arguments of “it’s not the gun, it’s the person” would be much more convincing and effective if they were actually followed by actions to address the person behind the gun. According to Statista.com, 86 of the 127 guns used in mass shootings between 1982 and 2022 were legally obtained. Another 24 were undetermined.

There is a clear conclusion from this that not everyone should be allowed to buy guns. The second amendment was written when many of these guns did not exist. I can’t see a reason that a civilian needs a military style/grade weapon. Why do Americans feel they have a right to have whatever they want? If you say that you need a gun for personal protection, a hand gun is all you need. If you hunt, a hunting rifle is good enough.

If we’re going to blame it on mental illness, where is your fight to have better and easier access to mental health resources? When are we going to start listening to teachers, friends, and others that are telling authorities about people who are dangerous and a threat to others? Therapy is one of the most expensive things that not all insurances cover and those that do, do not often pay much. Psychiatric medications can also be expensive and not covered well by health insurance providers.

The biggest issue of all, is how easy it is to get guns, ammo, and a concealed license. While you won’t hear me often say that Florida is better at anything, their process for a concealed weapons license is definitely superior to Pennsylvania. (I haven’t had one in any other state to compare.) In Florida, you have to take a class, show you can fire a gun, be fingerprinted, and have a background check. In Pennsylvania, you fill out a form online and (for me) it takes less than 2 days to get the approval to go get your picture taken and get the license. As far as being able to buy a gun? We don’t allow people to drive without getting a driver’s license, many places don’t allow you to fish without a fishing license, but you can buy a gun without any evidence of being able to use one.

Where is the disconnect? When will it be enough to say that not everyone is entitled to own a gun? Why do we view healthcare as a commodity, but owning a gun is a right? If someone isn’t willing to submit to a background check, mental health screening, and if the states/facilities do not check references, this is where the blame lies. Make it more difficult to buy a gun than it is to buy Sudafed. Kids at school now can simply tell an authority figure that someone else said they have a gun and that kid is no longer allowed at the school. While I can appreciate and understand that they have to take it all seriously, this is one more weapon being used against our kids and one more way for them to be bullied.

And as far as the “good guys with guns”, when they stand outside of a school while children are being killed inside, what good are they?!? If a security or police officer isn’t willing to put their life on the line for the children they’re being paid to protect, how much of a “good guy” are they? What exactly is the point of having them on a campus when a shooter knows they’re not coming in for them? Certainly not much of a deterrent and not making our kids feel any safer at school. So, spare me the “they have a mental illness” or “if there were more good guys with guns” because you’re doing nothing about the first and the second are doing nothing to show they’re good guys with guns.