Recent Events

I wasn't going to say anything concerning the recent events. I was going to bite my tongue. Let it go. But I just can't do that anymore. I have to get it out. Even if no one reads this blog, at least I'll get these thoughts out of my mind. And since I can't sleep, here I am.

There has been so much hate, so much violence, so much wrong with our world lately. I'm afraid I don't even know where to start. I was having a conversation with my mom the other day, wondering about the state of this world. Wondering what is the point of it all? Is it worth it? Is this the type of world I want to raise my son in? 

No. I don't want to raise my son in a world where there are more mass shootings than there are days in the year. There is absolutely no reason this needs to continue to happen. None. Laws can be changed without infringing on your rights. 

Let's start with assault weapons. What is the point of owning an assault weapon? There is none. What is the point of having 4000 rounds of ammunition on stockpile at home? There is none. What is the point of having 300 guns? There is none. These are not necessities. These are dangers that we can avoid. 

I've read about comparing gun rights to the right to drive a car. You have to take a course, pass tests, be responsible, continue to renew your license, etc. Why can't we do this with guns? Because guns are a constitutional right? So was the right to own a person. We don't do that any more. No one wants to take away all the damn guns. We only want to take away the extreme weapons that have no value in our communities. We only want to keep guns out of criminals' or dangerous individuals' hands. If you are a responsible gun owner, you have nothing to fear. Except maybe some more training but how has that ever hurt anyone? 

There are so many double standards out there... terrorist versus mentally ill; Christian versus Muslim; guns versus adoptions. So let's talk about them. 

Terrorist versus mentally ill. It's a racial thing, right? If it's a white guy - he must be mentally ill. A loner. If it's anyone else, he's a terrorist, a thug. I think they're all the same - dangerous individuals who should not have had access to the weapons they did. I'm not saying that there isn't mental illness involved in some or all of these individuals, because that is a very likely thing. But here's the next double standard - we start talking about improving our mental health system and say that will make a difference. And it might. But are those politicians claiming we need to revamp mental health going to be okay with a so call "handout"? I'm guessing not as they're currently trying to repeal health care for so many Americans. 

Christian versus Muslim. If one Muslim goes on a shooting rampage, we need to start tracking all Muslims or get them out of our nation. If one Christian goes on a shooting rampage, well, we already determined he's just mentally ill. You cannot judge an entire religion based on the actions of a few individuals. A few radicals. And if you do want to do that, you need to judge all religions equally. There is so much hate against any religion that isn't Christianity in America. And this needs to stop. America was NOT founded on Christianity. It was founded on FREEDOM of RELIGION. Meaning you decide what YOUR religion is. You don't force it on others and others don't force their religion on you. It's part of what makes America great - our diversity. There is separation of church and state for a reason. We need to keep it that way. I am a proud Christian and you will never hear me say otherwise. But I know not everyone is Christian. And that is okay. I'm happy to share my faith with you if you want, but I will not force it on anyone. 

To take that one step further, there's been a lot of talk about thoughts and prayers during these horrible events. No one is saying you can't send your thoughts and prayers to the families and communities that are experiencing these tragedies. By all means, send thoughts and prayers. Send thoughts and prayers of healing and comfort. But do more. Send thoughts and prayers about change to make this country a better place. Turn your thoughts and prayers into action. No one is denying your faith or your ability to practice that. But we need action. We need change. We need to realize that we don't have to live like this. And that can only come from action. 

Guns versus abortions. Oh this is a fun one. So many are outraged at all the babies that are killed each year. Ironically, they don't seem as concerned for people that are also murdered in shootings each year. I'm not going to give you my stance on abortion because frankly, I'm not even sure what it is. But what I do know is that no woman makes that choice easily. I can't imagine the struggle that is. What I do know is that that choice should be made only by that woman. No one else. No one else could possibly know how difficult that choice is. And if you start to tell me that she can give it up for adoption and that that baby isn't even given a chance at life, let's talk about the children that are currently in the foster systems, waiting to be adopted. Let's talk about the children that so poor that they don't eat when they're not in school. If you want to care about life, let's start with the lives of the children we currently have in this country. There are plenty here to help first. If we can solve those issues, maybe then we can have a serious conversation about abortion. 

One Congresswoman recently introduced a bill trying to regulate guns like certain politicians want to regulate abortions - 72 hour waiting period, gruesome videos, doctor's note, etc. Not that it will ever pass, but it brings up such a great point! Why do we regulate women's bodies so much but not guns? I believe it was Senator Paul who recently said he was against closing a loophole for suspected terrorists to be able to buy guns because it would infringe against their rights. It's okay if we don't let them fly, but go ahead and buy some guns. Makes sense. Oh and by the way, let's go ahead and track all those individuals of Muslim faith because there might be a small percentage of terrorists but hey, they can still have guns. 

There are too many double standards. Too much hate. Too much violence. 

I don't have all the answers. I'm not an expert. But I refuse to believe that there is nothing we can do to help prevent these tragedies. Will criminals still find a way to get guns? Maybe. But with more laws in place, more registries, more background checks, we might be able to make it harder and prevent some.