Children
Thanksgiving Tragedies
A 5-year-old. Critical Condition.
A 14-year-old. Critical Condition.
What do all these horrible tragedies have in common? In each case, the victim was “accidentally” shot by a friend or relative. ‘Accidentally’ is in scare quotes because while the youths who discharged the guns didn’t understand the lethal nature of the weapons they were using, the parents or adults who owned these guns should have fucking known better than to leave guns–loaded guns at that–lying around.
This is 6 more examples of why we need stricter gun control laws. The adults in all these cases were irresponsible gun owners and should never have been allowed to own a firearm.
This is 6 more examples of why people need to be properly trained in the use and storage of guns. The adults in all these cases did not demonstrate responsible handling and storage of guns. To own a gun, people should be required to show that they know how deadly firearms are, and how to properly store them. Especially in a household where children live. I’d say potential gun owners need a lesson in empathy too, but I think if they did, they might not want to own any firearms (that’s one of the big reasons I don’t own one and don’t plan on ever doing so).
This is 6 more examples of why this country needs to have an ongoing conversation about guns. Far too many people who own guns are irresponsible, not handling them with the requisite care. Guns are treated as toys…as things to play with, rather than tools of death and destruction that can shatter lives if handled incorrectly. Fake guns are marketed as toys for children, fostering a sense of guns as playthings. Guns are touted as something a “real” American owns (and in many cases, something a “real” man owns), as if you’re not a true citizen if you don’t own one. Nevermind that people in other countries get by just fine without guns (and also don’t have the levels of gun violence we have in the United States). Firearms are treated as sacrosanct. They’re revered in this country as much as fucking Christianity. Any attempt to have a discussion on firearms, or gun control is met with significant resistance from gundamentalists, Second Amendment worshipers, the Religious Right, and the NRA. These are people who are so divorced from reality that when they read of the aforementioned tragedies, they respond with:
How do you engage with people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions? They’re literally blaming children for the reckless behavior of adults. Children, who don’t understand the lethality of firearms. Children, who don’t understand the responsibility that accompanies ownership of a lethal weapon. God, let me off this planet.
(h/t Addicting Info)
