American Dirt: June 2016

Okay. I’ve heard enough liberal arguments about guns and limiting the rights of a certain group of people. Haven’t you spent years trying to keep rights from being taken from or limited to a certain group of people? Yet now you’re demanding the same be done to a group you don’t agree with, and I don’t think you understand the ramifications should your demands be met. So this article is my breakdown on a strong pro-gun stance in America. Feel free to comment, all I ask is you remain civil. If you can’t, not only will your thoughts not be considered, your thread will be deleted without hesitation. There’s been enough yelling back and forth on both sides.

Why are Gun Rights So Important?

The simple answer is this- we lose gun rights, America loses the Bill of Rights. Let me show you how these two ideas can possibly be related.

First and foremost, there are not many Americans who fully trust the American government. Even you, the liberal, have taken great strides in proving the corruption which exists in America’s politics, this should not be something we argue about. America’s government has a history of making laws which they do not stay true to the spirit of, merely the word. If you don’t know, or need a reminder, look back at the Patriot Act. Originally sold as a purely anti-terrorist solution after the 9/11 attacks, it was reauthorized twice, each time amended to add more ability to several federal agencies to spy on and record all Americans. Eventually the NSA had nearly unlimited power to look at anything you, the average American, might be doing by way of email or phone. At least, that’s what Edward Snowden told us before escaping the country. Conspiracy theories aside, it’s clear the government did not stay true to the spirit of the Patriotic Act.

So let’s come back to “updating” or ratifying the 2^nd Amendment: the right to bear arms. Given our government's past, how likely is it, really, that they will stop with a single amendment? The fear is that they will move to “update” the rest of the Bill of Rights, including illegal search and seizure, and even the Freedom of Speech which you, my dear liberal, hold just as dearly as I.

A corrupt government does not want a people who can defend themselves. And here you are, asking them to take protective rights away from you. Yes, you. Just because you decide not to own a gun, you have the right (at the moment) should you change your mind. Many in the Orlando LGBT community decided to take advantage of this protective right after the Pulse attack. I don’t blame them.

Speaking of rights, let me ask a question of those of you clamoring for guns to be banned, or limited further. Most of you seem to feel that if you’re successful, your life won’t be affected (aside from being arguably safer). Guns aren’t in your home, you don’t hunt, and you don’t shoot. What if it DID affect you in an immediate fashion? What if someone did want to take away the freedom of speech? Yes, I realize the notion is ridiculous, but stay with me. If it were a right that would affect you right now, change how you live your life, would you fight against it? I’m betting the answer is yes.

Who’s Supposed to Keep Us Safe?

A corrupt government will whittle away our Bill of Rights as more groups demand it deliver safety. This government won't bother to explain that, in making things safe, more rights must be taken away. And the punchline? No matter how many rights they take away, no matter how many laws are made, your safety still is not assured. All the government can really promise is a false sense of security.

Here’s a law of nature. Nobody, nothing in this world, can be guaranteed 100% safety. While it may be unpopular, the truth is each individual is the final bastion in how safe they are. Some people have guns, some learn martial arts, some find safety in numbers, and some find it best to be alone. As I stated above, the government cannot truly do anything to guarantee your safety, at best it can create laws that people will hopefully follow. The rest is up to you.

I choose to have a gun in my house. I chose to learn martial arts. I have yet to shoot a single soul, or even break a bone. I did bruise one gal’s abdomen with a side-kick when we sparred in the Missouri state championships many years ago. The people who know me know both about my gun and my training. The person who doesn’t, I hope, will be unpleasantly surprised should he or she attack me or my family. My point is, I took it upon myself to learn how to use these tools. How to use strategy and tactics.

That’s my way of finding safety. You are responsible for finding yours. That is not man’s law. That is nature at its most raw, and no amount of civilization has been able to deny this truth.

The Argument for Mental Health Evaluations

I recently had a spirited conversation with a liberal friend of mine. One of the things we agreed on insofar as solutions, was mental health evaluations. In our conversation, my friend made it sound like everybody should receive one. I later discovered that this friend’s intention was that only gun owners or would-be gun owners should receive these evaluations.

Why do you want to separate out and make another group different from everybody else? Again? No, if we’re going to go for mental health evaluations, everybody in America goes through the ordeal. We are equal. And since the 2^nd Amendment is in place, and any of us could possibly become gun owners, we all need to be checked out.

Bonus: We may even prevent would-be mass shooters from ever legally touching a gun. We might even find the guy or gal who might have killed people with a knife, or machete, or gasoline, or by strangling, or any number of other deadly weapons.

Possible Solutions

It wouldn’t be fair to not suggest solutions considering I’m taking a strong pro-gun stance. So, here is my shortlist for making America a marginally safer place:

· Mental health evaluations for EVERYBODY, but not conducted by government officials.

· Require all students to pass a detailed gun safety course before graduation, whether that be through the school, a shooting range, or other licensed educator.

· Direct several schools of science to determine if there are consistent factors leading to shootings, especially (?) mass shootings. If we discover a factor, determine if it can be controlled or eliminated altogether.

· If nothing else, you can still arm yourself.

James Neal is the author of these stories:

Of Blood and Blade; a dark fantasy novel on Amazon

Paints the Invisible Eye; a dark fantasy novella on Amazon

Divine Right (linked to Smashwords); a free fantasy short story available on Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and other digital bookstores.