For as long as I can remember, I’ve said and believed the same things as any other mainstream liberal regarding gun control. I’ve rolled my eyes at overly defensive conservatives and assured them that nobody wants to take away their guns. I’ve acknowledged the importance of the second amendment. I’ve insisted that we’re only looking to compromise on common sense regulations, blah blah blah….
And I meant it. I wasn’t lying. It’s just that my opinions have evolved…
For the last few weeks, as I’ve listened to the latest round of reminders that the second amendment is a key element of our democracy and protects us from tyranny and oppression, something shifted in my thinking…. If that was the intent of the second amendment, then it’s been an epic failure. As noted in this screenshot that’s been making the rounds….
A right to arms made sense in the 1790s, at least in theory. But look at the legacy of oppression that the United States has upheld throughout our entire history. How has the second amendment protected us against any of it? (Yes, I consider every group of people listed above to be part of “us,” not a bunch of “thems.”) Obsession with guns is one of our defining traits as a country, and we’re certainly not using them to protect the oppressed!
Conversely, we do use guns both directly and indirectly to continue oppression. Think about how many people were “uncomfortable” with Trump’s long list of blatant -isms, but let them all slide because they were afraid that a Democrat, any Democrat, might limit their access to firearms. “Here, government, let me hand you this blank check to do anything you like to other people, as long as you leave me and my guns alone.”
In other words, exactly the opposite of the original intent. We aren’t using the second amendment to keep the government in check. They’re using it to manipulate and control us. Getting us to oppress our neighbors.
I’m over it. If the second amendment doesn’t do what it was designed to do, then I no longer support it. And no, that doesn’t make me unpatriotic. It’s ok to reevaluate ideas that are over 200 years old, and come to new conclusions now that we live in a different context.
So, in a surprising turn of events, it seems that conservatives were right about me–I do hope that we find a way to come around to every single household in the US, and take away all the guns. I hope the conservative nightmare comes true. I hope we’re completely stripped of our second amendment rights.
I understand that most guns are used responsibly. And that makes no difference to me. Most people use their guns mainly for sport, and generally don’t harm anyone. But to protect their sport like a right on equal footing with freedom of speech? To prioritize their right to play with guns above our fundamental right to safety? Nope. I’m out.
As far as I’m concerned, obtaining a deadly weapon should be the single most regulated pursuit a person can undertake. We regulate all kinds of activities that are significantly less lethal. Responsible regulation doesn’t make us un-American; it makes us a civilized society.
Do you have any idea how many bureaucratic hoops I have to jump through just to receive the “privilege” of getting out of bed in the morning? (When people tell you that healthcare is a privilege, not a right, just remember what that means–some of us don’t have the right to get out of bed in the morning. Read that sentence a couple times. Let it sink in.) Getting a deadly weapon should be one hundred times harder. You should have to work a hundred times harder to get access to firearms, than I have to work to get out of bed in the morning.
Do you have an idea how many bureaucratic hoops there are to legally enter the United States and pursue the American dream? If you don’t already have the right kind of status, money, and/or connections, there aren’t even any hoops; there’s just a closed door. Getting a deadly weapon should be one hundred times harder. You should have to work a hundred times harder to get access to firearms, than a single mom fleeing from violence and poverty has to work to become a tax paying citizen and give her children a chance to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. For many people, there shouldn’t even be a hoop; that door should be closed to them.
If you want your death-toys so badly, fine. But you should have to work for them. Your head should be spinning from all the processes and red tape. You should be thoroughly and comprehensively evaluated to make absolute sure you’re a fit gun owner. And that extremely lengthy process should be repeated at regular intervals, except a little different each time, because it shouldn’t become anywhere near the realm of easy or routine. Your privacy should be intensely violated. Getting access to a gun should be the hardest thing that you ever do in life.
Or, you could just get a new hobby.
Am I sounding extreme? Maybe. I don’t actually expect to get my way, at least not any time soon. But I can dream. If ridding the country of deadly weapons, improving my kids’ chances of living to adulthood, is an extreme stance, I’ll own it. Because I’m a teacher living in an age where saving my students’ lives is part of my unwritten job description. I can’t throw my body in front of all the kids at once. But I can use my voice and hope somebody listens.