Email exchange between me and an opinion writer at the Kansas City Star

It is amazing to me how the narrative against guns stands upon an argument of need. We have a local attorney here in Louisiana who has begun the "need" argument. When you apply their argument of new to everything else in life they back up a little but then continue with "I just don't know why we need (name the firearm or characteristic)". It is like they are programmed to continue responding regardless.
 
Well done. I especially like this part.

Before you tell me that guns kill people, please recall some of the things that votes and speeches have brought about. In fact, I'd claim that without Hitler's speeches, the Nazis guns would never have been enough.
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A whole lot of truth to that. Blind influence over people can be far more dangerous than any gun.
 
Still no response, but then it was a weekend.

Meanwhile, some friends and I had an online discussion going via group email. One, a police detective, gave me her permission to use an essay she had written for that exchange, so I sent it to the opinion writer and the editor. Curious to see if they respond to that, either.

For background, I met my friend through martial arts. She's an instructor out east, small but extremely tough. Her husband is equally tough, but a fair deal bigger than me. Nice couple, and both pro-RKBA cops.

Here was her take:

I would like to add to [another friend's] commentary. I'm up with my dog who I will probably have to put down today; just found out a month ago she has heart disease and she's having such a hard time breathing that she woke me up at 1:30 this morning. I apologize and forewarn you that this has ended up being more lengthy than anticipated. Probably not well written and more than likely full of spelling and grammatical errors.

I am a first time mom at 40yoa (14 month old son), a police officer of 10yrs (6 1/2 working prescription drug diversion) and served 12 yrs in the Army (crewed a chinook) fresh out of High School. I tell you this so you have a better understanding of where I get my thoughts/ideas from.

I'll start with the "mom" aspect. I have read that the first couple years of a childs life is when the trust bond between a child and the parents are formed. It seems to me that most people are raising their children backwards (this is based on things I've had people tell me I need to do as a parent...observations of people's children and how they are raising them....and from being a cop and being shoved into people's lives for 15mins at a time). They are trying to make them self-sufficient/independant when they are young (thereby not establishing the trust bond) and then trying to make them dependant on their parents when they are older (thereby making them incapable to succeed or want to succeed away from the "nest").

I listen to the stories of how schools now give out awards to every student. As in, schools are making up awards to give to students so no student will left out or feel bad for not receiving an award. Heaven forbid we would actually push our kids to excel and earn an award. Heaven forbid we teach our kids that we don't always win, we don't always succeed, life isn't always fair,...etc..etc. What they are failing to understand is what those hard lessons teach; right from wrong, morals and ethics. Concepts that are no longer being taught in schools or in homes.

Kids are also more empowered now than ever. Our local DSS (Department of Social Services) has actually gone into our local schools and told kids that no one is allowed to touch them; not even their parents. I wouldn't be surprised if you find that the same thing has happened in your areas. I can't tell you how many households I have gone into as a police officer and have had to say "Corpreal Punishment is allowed in the state of NC as long as you do not use undue force or leave a permanent mark". This usually causes some type of verbal altercations between myself and the child about whose right; DSS or the law.

Plus, we have a generation of parents who will believe their child over another adult. I see it all the time as a police officer. I've had parents lie to me right in front of their children. Caught the kids red-handed and the parents still lie. If that doesn't empower that kid I don't know what does.

Our society has become centered on instant gratification. I don't consider myself a religious person but I read an article on how lack of religion has made us that way and it made sense to me. Religion teaches us that we have to wait and earn the good stuff at the end...that we don't just get what we want when we want it; that there are trials and tribulations we have to go through to earn our reward at the end.. Knowing what I do about the law, it is interesting to remember that religions were created to keep societies under control. The first laws were derived from religion. Is it any wonder the most Americans are no longer religious?? Is it any wonder that being religious is also under attack these days?? Is it any wonder that our society is so out of control??

Because of all this we now have a generation of youths that don't know how to deal with failure, how to deal with being bullied, how to deal with someone that doesn't like them, how to do deal with things that don't go their way,..to put it bluntly, they don't know how to deal with anything that is negative. Parents blame the schools for not teaching their kids core values when back in the day; society held the parents responsible.

We have become a society where lying and cheating is acceptable and working hard and telling the truth makes you a pariah.

We have become a society where anything that causes you pain or stress; there is a pill for it. As if any amount of pain or stress are bad things. "They" say that pain is the most under treat "disease" in America; yet the US consumes 80-95% of the worlds Opiates. Prescriptions for pain killers are up...1,200% since 1991....Jesus!! Under treated my ass!

If that doesn't give you a snap shot as to why things are the way they are I don't know what will. Gun control is following the same premise as everything else in our society, it is only treating a symptom. People don't want to face or deal with what is really wrong with this country. Remember when Bill Cosby made his commentary on black society and put the blame where it goes?? What happened with him??? Pariah!! So, politicians will give the average American its "dog and pony" show. The average american wants someone else to fix their problems for them; make the decisions for them, etc, etc...if people really wanted to changed and fix their issues we wouldn't have a prescription drug problem in this country, we wouldn't have an obesity problem in this country, we wouldn't have jails and prisons full of drug users or people getting rich on other peoples addictions. But fundamentally people don't want to face their inner demons and change and so you get the "symptom" fix.

Thanks for reading.....
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Very good post--As normal,No one is responsable for there actions. It is always someone else's fault. Some of use that are aged well:D,We remember what a licking was And it ain't no lollipop i am talking about. The tree in the back yard was for more than shade:D. You learned right and wrong very well back then.

I have to say coming from the age group i am in. This whole story is very true and yet very sad that we have come to this. Our Grand parents are rolling over in there graves right now with shame
 
Excellent, M.

I, too, wish I could be optimistic about effects.

Many gun-control advocates are either making or responding to an emotional argument. Many, quite literally, don't know how to respond to or to conduct a rational discussion or how to deal with facts/data which run counter to their "feelings". I believe every human past a certain age is capable of rational thought. For too many, however, it's just too much trouble.

I think we RKBA types are missing the boat, in a way. We really would be better served to find a way to help the undecided and uneducated (about our issue) "feel" good about gun ownership. (This is the gun-related part, mods:)).

On a related note, we are all victims of a constant onslaught, from the federal government and from the MSM, designed to convince us all that liberty is just too dangerous to keep and we should turn all our decisions over to those who know better than we how to manage our lives.

God help us all.

W.
 
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