Take ALL the Guns!* (*But only from law-abiding citizens protecting their families and property)

I don't need a gun, but at this point that is my choice.  I live in a large metropolis where police are only seconds away (an NYPD precinct is less than 5 blocks away). At one time I lived in a small town--in a rural area--where the police were 10, 15, 30 minutes away.  I needed a gun to protect my family and guests in my home for which I was responsible.  What about those that live in a border community where it's dangerous to walk your property at night?  I would be especially troubled and would want a firearm in my home or on my person. Here's a difference: my firearm (like my friends' and families') is obtained legally and responsibly. I follow the law.  I don't mind getting my weapon(s) licensed.  I don't mind taking a certification or safety training course.  After all I license my car, I have insurance, and I pay my taxes.

As of today, their are multiple supply lines for illegal weapons that are unimpeded.  The border is not secured and the flow of illegal firearms, drugs, and dangerous elements continues into and out of this country. But yet enforcing borders, isn't part of this conversation.  Those speaking for gun bans are those who don't give two thoughts about securing the influx of illegal weapons and contraband across porous borders.  They only seem to want to take away the legal right to have protection.  They want to leave open the illegal weapon traffic-ways and close off the legal purchase of guns used by law abiding citizens for protection and sporting.  These advocates overwhelmingly live in larger cities, like I do, with adequate and speedy protection from local law enforcement.  For the most part, we have a highly trained and deployed army (in our case, the NYPD) for our protection. But what about the rest of America? In some areas of rural America (where I came from), there is a single deputy and one State Trooper per 50 square miles.  There were nights when an alarm would go off at my business, and the Deputy Sheriff or State Trooper would arrive 30-45 minutes after I did.  

More gun laws are not going to help this situation. It will only leave a large part of the responsible American population reliant again on government.  It will leave them reliant on local authorities that may or may not be able to respond quickly to the real dangers that affect those who living in small towns and rural communities.  

There seems to be a common factor with all of these horrific and senseless acts of school violence.  It is that these young men are having societal issues that may be exacerbated by mental illness.  The weapon is the means and the medium.  It is not the cause.  If they don't use a gun, they use a knife.  If they don't use a knife, they will use a car, or a poison, or a baseball bat.  What is next, Nerf only baseball bats in our schools and MLB?  Knives banned in all kitchens across the country?  Pest control companies that only employee cats?  

I am not advocating the rescinding of gun laws.  I think it is good that you have to have a license to drive a car.  I think it is good that some substances are limited and tracked (explosives, poisons, and controlled prescription medications). Should there be controls?  You bet - but within the guidelines of the Constitution.  Should some of these high-volume clips and assault weapons be readily available?  I don't think so, but that is my opinion and should be addressed by state and local legislators, Congress and the Supreme Court of the United States.  I think that we can make some common sense laws without stripping away rights of protection.

But until ban advocates get serious about how guns are controlled in every aspect--especially at the border, and until they are serious about taking them out of the hands of criminals--a ban does only one thing: they disarm the responsible populous and leave illegal weapons in the hands of criminals.  They limit protected and legal sporting.  They give confidence to the heinous, and throw out the last line of defense of the lawful.

It's time to look at the cause instead of the means.  It's time to have a safety net for our mentally ill.  For our sons, brothers, cousins, nephews and friends.  For the boy who isn't able to understand the difference between social and anti-social behavior.  Help for the mom and dad that don't know how to help their troubled son.  This is only going to get worse and more frequent.  Not because of the availability of guns--but because these diseases are becoming more common and less is being done to help them.  We have runs for Cancer, relays for Cystic Fibrosis, and telethons for Muscular Dystrophy.  Where is the help for Eric and Dylan?  Where is the help for Adam and his mom?

I read the following over the weekend and it made a profound impact of my thoughts on this topic.  It is from the "Anarchist Soccer Mom" blog and has made the rounds on Gawker, Huffington Post, and other outlets.  Please take the time to read this mom's story…  In some circles the title has been printed as "I am Adam Lanza's Mother." 

Thinking the Unthinkable  http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2012/12/thinking-unthinkable.html