The NRA Lobby, which is always wrong about everything they tell us, wants to create fear; enough fear that everyone will make the gun industry wealthier by encouraging all of us to buy a gun. And the ignorant believe them.
I am deathly afraid of guns, because anyone can get any type of weapon whenever they want. I'm afraid of my neighbors, and strangers I encounter in my everyday life. I'm afraid to go to the movies because someone may become angry with me or my wife and shoot us. I'm afraid to go to the supermarket because someone may decide to shoot us as we shop. I'm afraid to go to church, because someone may target me for my beliefs. I'm afraid to allow my grandchildren to go to school because they may be shot. I'm afraid to have a confrontation with anyone, because although I may only have my hands as weapons, he or she may 'feel threatened' and use the 'stand-your-ground' law to murder me.
The old NRA slogan was 'if they take away our guns, only criminals will have guns.' Criminals do not scare me. An individual who has mental problems or is simply angry at the world scares the sh## out of me.
I worry about the 25,000-plus women and children who are shot every year by relatives or people who share familiarity with them. I worry about careless gun owners who cause the death of their friends and relatives each year by making loaded weapons available to anyone in their home. I worry about a country that allows itself to be led by a lobby whose only interest is increased wealth for those who pay them. I worry about the thousands of men and women who purchase guns because they are afraid in their own homes that some crazed person other than a true criminal may try to break in and kill them in the process. It has often been said that the gangs and drug dealers are better armed than our police. With no restrictions on gun sales, anyone can purchase any lethal weapon at any time.
I heard a psychologist explain why so many family members, neighbors, and even strangers who have incurred the anger of another individual die by hand-gun use. He said it was because the shooter was detached physically, and therefore emotionally, from their victim. If physical contact occurred, it was far more likely that no one would have died.
I believe that a person who wishes to own a firearm should have that right. But extensive background checks should be performed, and the type of weapons limited. No individual needs a weapon that can fire 30 rounds of ammunition in a few seconds. Legislation such as 'stand your ground' must be revoked. It is no more than a license to kill.
In 2012, 8855 people were killed by firearms in this country. Although the United States has only five percent of the world's population, 35-50 percent of civilian-owned guns are in America. 88.8 people out of every 100 own a firearm in the United States. Most of this can be directly attributed to fear-mongering by the NRA.
Some years ago I had my own business. An older woman was talking to me one day. There had been an increase in break-ins in our community, mostly by teenagers looking for jewelry, or anything of value they could quickly sell and buy drugs. She was thinking about purchasing a handgun. I have always had friends in law enforcement. I explained to her what they taught me. Even if a citizen is trained to use a gun, in a moment of crisis it is unlikely that that person will be able to effectively use the weapon. I told her to buy a shotgun, and keep it loaded under her bed. You would have to try very hard to miss someone while discharging that weapon.
Most of the civilized nations of the world refer to the U.S. as 'gun crazy.' Sounds about right to me.
James Turnage
Op-ed
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