On the fence and I am not coming down.......

I am on the fence.

There has been so much fanfare about the recent failure of the senate to pass gun control legislation. Facebook was all over it last week. The people on the left side of this argument are angry with the NRA for exerting its considerable influence over the senators. The people on the right are angry that legislation is being considered as a “feel good” measure only.

First of all, I want to be as safe as the next person, but I don’t like… hate… abhor guns in my home. They scare the beegeezus out of me and I want them as far away from me as possible. As for hunting rifles, I could no more shoot an animal than I could streak naked down the street. I have no use for them and I fear them more than I fear an intruder will some day appear in the darkness of my home, CSI style.

I also completely understand another person’s fascination and attraction to guns. Not all gun owners and wannabe gun owners are crazy. As much as I abhor them, I can see why some people find them fascinating and cool, much like cars, computers, and rockets. I think they can serve a useful purpose and I admit, I have imagined trying one out at a gun range.

I have just a couple of problems with this gun business and they illustrate quite nicely why I am on a fence…..

I am not sure why individuals need to own guns that can fire several hundred rounds per minute (and that number is conservative). I just double-checked the calendar and it is, indeed, 2013. The British, Spanish, and French are long gone and currently, no country is attempting to expand its empire, north, south, east or west. I think the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself…So, defending ourselves against foreign (or domestic) interests seems far fetched, at least to me. I am decidedly all in favor of limiting and perhaps even banning assault weapons. No fence needed.

I am also very much a sister to those who would prefer people who are not of sound mind or who have broken some major, bad ass laws be kept as far away from guns as possible. Good idea. For sure. The only problem I see is that these types of people are not the ones walking into gun stores and shopping around. They get their guns from people who have passed those safeguard checks. Expanding the background checks will not make me feel safer, even a little bit. The bad people are bad people. They steal, trespass, lie, and shoot at the good guys. So passing a law that only tightens background checks seems like a law to make everyone feel better even if it won’t actually make them safer. Personally, it feels like a waste of time.

So what to do? Clearly, we have a big problem in this country. A lot of people own guns, too many. I do admit cheering for the storeowner who, when a bad guy tries to unlawfully grab his money, deftly procures a gun and says, “Make my day,” aka Clint style. Love those stories, they never get old. Yay for guns!

Then there are the tragic stories of children examining a gun they have discovered and it goes off, maiming or killing someone - heartbreaking episodes that leave me filled with anger and grief for that child.

I would like to think that gun owners keep guns in secure, locked locations, far away from children, and would be thieves. Some do, but far too many do not.

A few months ago, I read that locally, some children found a gun and one fatally shot the other by accident. It turns out that the father owned several guns and he kept them hidden in very clever places all over the home - in a basket of laundry (it was in the basement, so it was all good) in a duffle bag in a closet (dark, so that for sure, is safe), and under his pillow (completely safe) and that one was loaded, ready to go for God knows what…I don’t know what to think of this guy. Kids explore everywhere, they leave no stone unturned, nothing is secret (they get it from looking for the Christmas presents, duh). The guy was grief stricken and I wanted to throttle him.

Here is what I suggest:

1. We should require IQ tests, in addition to background checks because stupid people should not own guns, period. Sadly, there are a lot of stupid people out there.

2. We should check the level of testosterone in a candidate’s blood. The higher the level, the smaller the gun. Period.

3. We should punish, in the harshest way, any gun owner who does not lock up his or her guns. If they are stolen because they were available, then that owner should be held responsible for the subsequent consequences from that gun. If an innocent misuses it because it is not locked, then the gun owner gets in big, bad trouble. Grieving is NOT punishment enough.

I believe in the right to bear arms. I also believe that those arms do not need to be sufficient to wipe out a village. I think we should limit the amount and type a person should own and should be able to legislate how they must be stored.

I am just not sure how to do all of that. Until I do, I am staying on the fence.