Guns
I did not grow up around guns. At all. It wasn't part of who my parents were. I had that youthful innocence and faith in my parents that they would always protect me. My childhood was very Polyanna-esque. I'm thankful that the life they led allowed me to enjoy my childhood and not grow up too fast.
I remember vividly when Columbine happened. I remember watching the TV aghast and what was happening. I couldn't fathom the reality. I was only a handful of years out of high school, and I know people who (some friends even) that were similar in appearance to the shooters (minus the actual shooting part). They were decent people. Mostly I was part of that "misunderstood" group in high school. I had friends who were in the "in" group, but the friends I hung out with were definitely an eclectic group.
I remember Columbine with fear and anxiety and a feeling of "what is happening to our world?" I remember believing that because I had no desire to own guns and refused to have them in my home, that I couldn't wrap my brain around why someone would want to own guns. Okay, fine. Hunting. Sure. There's the only reason I could see to own guns, but why would you need semi-automatic or automatic guns? That seemed like overkill (no pun intended). It wasn't a necessity. In my eyes. But I had friends who were gun owners and/or hunters and I never felt like I had a right to tell them what they could or couldn't own. A lot of that had to do with my own ignorance of guns...and I'll say it...fear of guns. Guns have bullets. Guns shoot. Guns shoot people. People get hurt and die from bullets. The logic for me was that I didn't want to be around something that could kill a person. That's all I saw when I looked at a gun...a dead person.
I will tell you that my political views are varied. I hate using the terms liberal and conservative, but for the sake of being understood, I will use them. There are issues that I feel very strongly about on the liberal side. One big hot button issue is gay marriage. I firmly believe that if you love someone and want to make that commitment you should be able to marry whoever that consenting adult is and have it be acknowledged by the government. I won't get into the sides of this argument because I could write for days on any of these issues and my opinions of them.
On the other side of the coin, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to education. I live in the state where we are ranked 49th in the nation for education. My local school district was just awarded a $10 million federal grant...because that money is going to give the kids here a better education. Eh. I don't buy that. Now, I'm not going to bag on teachers. At all. Because they are amazing people and the vast majority do an amazing job. I schooled my kids at home for 5 years. I know how hard it is to manage 2-3 kids, having a classroom full of kids and trying to manage them AND teach them is amazing to me . What I question is how the bigger picture administration has gotten involved and dictate how teachers teach. I also question the traditional classroom setting and how it may not be properly prepping kids for the up and coming world. In Nevada I don't see enough critical thinking going on. It's a lot of regurgitation and that doesn't provide a sound education in my mind. I take grades with a grain of salt. I want to hear from my kids what they are learning and talk with them about it. So here, I believe that throwing money at or more involvement from government does not lead to better...which is a very "conservative" viewpoint.
In the last year of my life I have learned a lot. I have experienced many things I never thought I would have to experience. I have been asked by perfect strangers and friends alike whether I am armed. The first time I was asked this, I was taken aback. Why would I need to be armed? If I felt scared or needed protection, that's what the cops are for, right?
In the last year I have had a shift in thinking which has been empowering. I have educated myself and taken the fear of the unknown out of the equation. I know that I can't rely on someone else or an institution to protect me. I've watched the system fail. Repeatedly. And that gives me little comfort. It actually makes me very distrustful of the system and government that I always trusted in to do the right thing.
It's very bizarre to sit here after reading and hearing about what happened at Sandy Hook. I have a first grader. And it is sobering to consider that kids her size and level of innocence had to endure such a horrendous act. Many families are devastated and their lives will never be the same. Last Friday I didn't have the girls. They were with their dad. I had to stop looking at twitter and facebook because everyone was saying "hug your kids!" And I couldn't. And someone very close to me couldn't hug his kids either because of the failing of the system that was designed to protect.
My viewpoints on gun control have drastically changed in the last year. My opinion...and if you don't like it, that's fine...I won't hold it against you. :) My opinion is that the only thing that will make us safer from the lunatics who will get their hands on weapons that kill regardless of the laws - including guns - is making a stronger presence with guns. My belief is that we take the stigma away from "guns = evil" or that "guns are for law enforcement only", then you can empower the average citizen to take control. These shootings happen at one of the few places that there are laws against carrying a concealed weapon. Why do they happen there? Because the shooters know they will have no resistance in the form of what they are carrying.
I think guns in the hands of anyone who is unsure of themselves or doesn't practice regularly is dangerous. I'm not advocating everyone going out buying guns and then carrying them around. That's irresponsible. If you are going to own a gun, you need to practice and know your weapon and be confident in using it. What I'm advocating is that we stop demanding that other people/institutions protect us and then get upset when the system fails.
Responsibility. We do our best to teach our children to be respectful and honest and decent human beings. We attempt to impart our knowledge to them so they can learn and grow. We give them tools to learn, books, computers, life experiences. Why not add in a self protection option that doesn't involve 911?
I'm turning off comments. I don't want to debate, I just wanted to voice my opinion on the topic.
I remember vividly when Columbine happened. I remember watching the TV aghast and what was happening. I couldn't fathom the reality. I was only a handful of years out of high school, and I know people who (some friends even) that were similar in appearance to the shooters (minus the actual shooting part). They were decent people. Mostly I was part of that "misunderstood" group in high school. I had friends who were in the "in" group, but the friends I hung out with were definitely an eclectic group.
I remember Columbine with fear and anxiety and a feeling of "what is happening to our world?" I remember believing that because I had no desire to own guns and refused to have them in my home, that I couldn't wrap my brain around why someone would want to own guns. Okay, fine. Hunting. Sure. There's the only reason I could see to own guns, but why would you need semi-automatic or automatic guns? That seemed like overkill (no pun intended). It wasn't a necessity. In my eyes. But I had friends who were gun owners and/or hunters and I never felt like I had a right to tell them what they could or couldn't own. A lot of that had to do with my own ignorance of guns...and I'll say it...fear of guns. Guns have bullets. Guns shoot. Guns shoot people. People get hurt and die from bullets. The logic for me was that I didn't want to be around something that could kill a person. That's all I saw when I looked at a gun...a dead person.
I will tell you that my political views are varied. I hate using the terms liberal and conservative, but for the sake of being understood, I will use them. There are issues that I feel very strongly about on the liberal side. One big hot button issue is gay marriage. I firmly believe that if you love someone and want to make that commitment you should be able to marry whoever that consenting adult is and have it be acknowledged by the government. I won't get into the sides of this argument because I could write for days on any of these issues and my opinions of them.
On the other side of the coin, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to education. I live in the state where we are ranked 49th in the nation for education. My local school district was just awarded a $10 million federal grant...because that money is going to give the kids here a better education. Eh. I don't buy that. Now, I'm not going to bag on teachers. At all. Because they are amazing people and the vast majority do an amazing job. I schooled my kids at home for 5 years. I know how hard it is to manage 2-3 kids, having a classroom full of kids and trying to manage them AND teach them is amazing to me . What I question is how the bigger picture administration has gotten involved and dictate how teachers teach. I also question the traditional classroom setting and how it may not be properly prepping kids for the up and coming world. In Nevada I don't see enough critical thinking going on. It's a lot of regurgitation and that doesn't provide a sound education in my mind. I take grades with a grain of salt. I want to hear from my kids what they are learning and talk with them about it. So here, I believe that throwing money at or more involvement from government does not lead to better...which is a very "conservative" viewpoint.
In the last year of my life I have learned a lot. I have experienced many things I never thought I would have to experience. I have been asked by perfect strangers and friends alike whether I am armed. The first time I was asked this, I was taken aback. Why would I need to be armed? If I felt scared or needed protection, that's what the cops are for, right?
In the last year I have had a shift in thinking which has been empowering. I have educated myself and taken the fear of the unknown out of the equation. I know that I can't rely on someone else or an institution to protect me. I've watched the system fail. Repeatedly. And that gives me little comfort. It actually makes me very distrustful of the system and government that I always trusted in to do the right thing.
It's very bizarre to sit here after reading and hearing about what happened at Sandy Hook. I have a first grader. And it is sobering to consider that kids her size and level of innocence had to endure such a horrendous act. Many families are devastated and their lives will never be the same. Last Friday I didn't have the girls. They were with their dad. I had to stop looking at twitter and facebook because everyone was saying "hug your kids!" And I couldn't. And someone very close to me couldn't hug his kids either because of the failing of the system that was designed to protect.
My viewpoints on gun control have drastically changed in the last year. My opinion...and if you don't like it, that's fine...I won't hold it against you. :) My opinion is that the only thing that will make us safer from the lunatics who will get their hands on weapons that kill regardless of the laws - including guns - is making a stronger presence with guns. My belief is that we take the stigma away from "guns = evil" or that "guns are for law enforcement only", then you can empower the average citizen to take control. These shootings happen at one of the few places that there are laws against carrying a concealed weapon. Why do they happen there? Because the shooters know they will have no resistance in the form of what they are carrying.
I think guns in the hands of anyone who is unsure of themselves or doesn't practice regularly is dangerous. I'm not advocating everyone going out buying guns and then carrying them around. That's irresponsible. If you are going to own a gun, you need to practice and know your weapon and be confident in using it. What I'm advocating is that we stop demanding that other people/institutions protect us and then get upset when the system fails.
Responsibility. We do our best to teach our children to be respectful and honest and decent human beings. We attempt to impart our knowledge to them so they can learn and grow. We give them tools to learn, books, computers, life experiences. Why not add in a self protection option that doesn't involve 911?
I'm turning off comments. I don't want to debate, I just wanted to voice my opinion on the topic.
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