Whose Cold Dead Hands?

In Hauppauge Long Island recently there was a rally to protest New York’s new and tighter gun control law.

That law is Governor Cuomo's so-called Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement so named so that the acronym can be SAFE!

Take your pick from this pack
of packing pickled peckers

The attendees of the rally were members of different groups all with one common objective, to preserve the second amendment and protest any infringement on their rights to own fire arms.

The group argued that government officials in DC and particularly New York should stop violating their second amendment right to own weapons. They should instead be addressing the issue of overall gun violence in America.

They also claimed that the only reason the massacre of so many innocent 6 and 7 year old children in that Connecticut school remained a hot topic in the media was because it was a rarity!

This last statement was made by the president of the "Shooters Committee on Political Education" based in the upstate town of Colden.  (His groups does not have a cool sounding acronym so in many ways he loses!)

These groups only want their rights protected and all the amendments of our Constitution upheld.

We all want laws to protect us and applaud the fact that our Constitution is a living breathing entity that has rightfully been amended through the years as changes in society dictate.

In fact the very first amendment written to that centuries old document allows for just the type of demonstration the gun advocates held.

Freedom of speech in our country is a fundamental right but I would put forth that so is life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

However without digressing too much I would like to address the two main points made by the Long Island gun owners during their rally.

First point is I believe most of us have evolved past the point where we can actually do more than one thing at a time. In other words there is no reason to stop seeking tighter gun controls and institute better background checks on prospective gun owners while at the same time addressing the underlying cause of gun violence in America.  We could probably also chew gum at the same time.

I believe the poor economy and high unemployment numbers teamed up with the ever widening gap between the profits taken by owners of businesses and the wages they pay the workers who enable them to make their money has caused severe frustration.  And frustration leads to some people feeling the need to strike out and strike back at anyone and everything in their way.

Frustration or the feeling that you are no longer in control of your situation is the same as backing a tiger into a corner.  How long will the beast stay in place before lashing out?

As for the latest school massacre it was most certainly not a rarity in America.  Anyone who says or feels that it was has either a very short memory or a card showing them to be faithful NRA member.

And the weapons used to commit the awful crime were obtained legally by the mother of the mentally ill perpetrator.

Perhaps a background check might have turned up the fact that she was incapable of securing her unnecessary arsenal away from her soon to be homicidal offspring!

Tighter regulations could have allowed the now deceased woman to still buy her weapons but also mandated a course or two in safe and secure storage.

Of course we’ll never know what kind of safety procedure she followed since she was her son’s first victim.

Guns may not kill people but they sure as shooting help.  Imagine someone walking into a store without one, aiming his finger at the clerk and shouting “Bang!”  He may not come out with stolen goods but he will also not have a rap sheet.

It's funny that the rallying cry of the National Rifle Ass has become, "From My Cold Dead Hands!"  Funny because they are always the ones still standing and the cold dead hands are those of their victims!

The bottom line here is an old one.  No one, not the U S Government nor especially President Obama, is coming to take away your guns although in many cases the country would be a far safer place if it would.  And anyone who believes they need a gun to stop the government from intruding or trespassing on their property should seek immediate help!

First of all no amount of hand guns or personal weapons could stop the United States armed forces from getting to you if it so desired.

Secondly there is no reason why the United States armed forces should want to waste their time coming after you!  Or is there?

We are a nation of diverse cultures and even more diverse beliefs and needs.  There are a tremendous number of personal pressing issues we deal with every day but not everyone’s list has these issues in the same order.

Personally I go along with our nation’s founding fathers when it comes to my wishes.

I strive for life, continued health for me and my family along with liberty and a successful, fruitful pursuit of happiness.  And I believe we can seek that future without the need of guns.