Gun Control Is Overblown, by Todd Lester

Contrary to what is commonly reported, gun-owners do not have a problem with rules. In fact, the National Rifle Association has three basic rules one should follow when handling firearms. The first rule is to always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Second, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot and third, always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. Firearms are admittedly dangerous and therefore sensible, mature rules are necessary and strongly encouraged by gun owners.

When new federal gun laws are proposed the NRA typically lobbies against them. That makes perfect sense when you think about it. If you, for instance, were a member of a union and your organization needed to rewrite its bylaws, would you hire someone who has expressed outward hostility toward unions to help you with this important task? Of course not. You would demand proper representation.

That is how gun owners feel when laws and regulations affecting their behavior are proposed by people who have never shot anything more dangerous than an angry look. If gun laws need to be addressed then gun owners should naturally have a significant level of input. Firearm legislation should be proposed under an air of fairness and reason, not fear and desperation. If you grew up without firing a weapon you probably don't see a need for them. If you grew up without unions, ditto.

Unfortunately, gun laws are oftentimes proposed after tragic shootings. That too makes sense on the surface but laws should be written by sober, sensible representatives. Fear and desperation are emotions that typically lead to poor choices. We are shown videos of the children who lost parents to gun violence in an effort to convince people to choose emotion over reason. But what about the children whose parents are alive because they had a gun available for protection? Aren't those lives just as valuable?

Recent mass shootings have understandingly stirred up emotions in people. Hopefully they bothered you too. However, even as gun ownership reforms are being introduced, the very people pushing for new regulations are already admitting that the rules would not have stopped any of the shootings. It is unfortunate that dead children are being as used as human shields in order to push forward political agendas. Every day, four children die in the U.S. from abuse. That too is horrific but yet goes unreported. The media apparently considers some deaths to be more tragic than others. National tragedies need to be addressed but asking criminals and unstable people to complete and file government forms will not stop gun violence. Gun crimes are ultimately about mental capacity, not magazine capacity, and gun laws rarely address the true issue.

Statistics reveal that gun-free zones are where the most lives are lost. If it is especially egregious to engage in violent acts against the weak and the unprotected then why would we not then arm the weak and unprotected with the tools to protect themselves? If fences make good neighbors then guns make safe neighborhoods.

One tongue-in-cheek solution would be to arm all of the women who are interested in carrying a weapon. We as a nation are concerned about protecting children. Where clusters of children are found their mothers are typically close by. Why not provide for them the tools needed to protect their own children?

An additional benefit of such action would be the immediate drop in domestic violence cases against women. Attempting to rob an elderly woman may net you sixty-eight dollars in cash or you could end up with a thirty-eight caliber slug in your abdomen. It could go either way. Let the criminals worry about that for a change. Inexpensive revolvers are easy to use, lightweight and would serve such a purpose very well. As my U.S. Army officer sister-in-law puts it, "just point and click."

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