January 5, 2013 by David K. Sutton
Hey Gun Advocates, Spare Me Your Righteous Indignation
Nearly 500 people have been murdered by a gun in the United States of America since the horrible mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Those are the victims. The children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School are the victims. — Gun advocates are not the victims. Card-carrying NRA members are not the victims. People who talk tough but need a gun to be tough are not the victims. People who justify the need for violent assault weapons for protection or sport are not the victims. — So yeah, gun advocates, you can spare me your righteous indignation.
Is anybody else tired of seeing articles and Facebook posts pointing to examples of where a “good guy” used a gun against a “bad guy”? Thank you very much. Until you posted that article I was unaware that it was possible for a good guy to defend himself with a gun. But how does that help the victims of Newtown? How does this help the dozens killed each day in America? What does your specific example of a good guy shooting a bad buy have to do with any other situation? One good guy, shooting or killing one bad guy with a gun, is not justification for assault weapons and extended magazines. It is not justification for arming all the good guys, particularly if those good guys don’t want to be armed. And how the hell do we decide who a good guy is anyway? Is there some kind of test I’m not aware of? Oh yeah, that would be a problem for gun advocates anyway.
The reality we face is that there is no simple answer. There is no one fix that will end the violence in this country. But because there is no single remedy, that also means ALL options are on the table.
