Like millions of other Americans, it’s hard to get the horror that occurred in Texas out of my mind. I cannot comprehend the hurt that the parents are feeling. Losing a child has to rank at the top of the most difficult things one could face in a lifetime. My heart goes out to the families, and I pray for the community of Uvalde as they begin the long process of healing.
Like millions of other Americans, I too, have an opinion on the current state of our country. However, my opinion is probably not as popular. As an outdoorsman, a patriot, and a mostly responsible person, it bothers me to hear fellow Americans jaw about banning guns. We’ve had guns in this country for centuries. Why are they just now a problem? Let me lay it out for you…they aren’t. The problem in this country is people. We’ve got entirely too many people that do not value life. Banning guns, of any type, isn’t going to solve the problem. People that do not value life will continue to take life regardless of the weapon.
But wouldn’t banning certain types of guns keep these people from taking the lives of large groups of people, you ask? Did the lunatic that drove into the crowd in Wisconsin killing six and wounding 62 use a gun? Did the lunatic in Japan in 2016 use a gun to kill 19 and wound 26 others? No, he used knives. But what about the other countries that don’t have the “gun problem” that we have in America? Now, why in the world would I want to be anything like other countries when I live in the best country on Earth? See folks, we can go round after round debating the use of firearms in our country. And make no mistake, the United States of America IS the greatest country on Earth, whether you want to believe it or not. I’ve been disgusted to listen to the talking heads on television poormouth the USA, on Memorial Day Weekend, nonetheless.
The second amendment states, “…the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The latest argument is that you don’t need a semi-automatic weapon. If no other government, or our own government, had them, I’d agree. For some reason, gun grabbers like to tell you that you don’t need an AR-15 to hunt deer. They’re right. Then again, the second amendment wasn’t written for deer hunters. While on the topic of AR-15’s, if you think that “AR” stands for “assault rifle”, please stop talking about guns. And if you think an AR-15 is a military grade weapon, please stop talking about guns. Actually, let’s all stop talking about guns for a minute.
Now, let’s talk about the real problem. People. For the last however many years, we’ve allowed the media to destroy the nuclear family. We’ve made it normal for children to be brought up in broken homes. We’ve made it normal for families to not attend church on Sunday. We’ve made it normal for families not to sit down together at dinner. We’ve made it normal to have no real connection to our children. Heck, most kids today can’t sit down and have a conversation face to face. They’ve got to text you to communicate. We give these children cell phones at ten years old with access to the internet and various apps of destruction, and then we expect them to be able to handle it. There aren’t many adults that can handle it, why do we expect children to be able to? We’ve allowed children to make decisions well beyond their capability, like what gender they want to be. Newsflash, the good Lord already chose that for you! We medicate our children when they act out, rather than discipline them. Given the things mentioned above, why are we shocked that the world is going to Hell. We’ve created this mess, but it absolutely cannot be our fault, so we have to point the finger elsewhere. The easy scapegoat is guns.
Sadly, this generation of children has lost the regard for life. Some blame video games, and I’m not knowledgeable enough on the subject to have an opinion on that, aside from thinking they are stupid. They just seem like a monumental waste of time to me. I do know how to get young people to understand death, though. Take them hunting. Teach them how to properly, and safely, use a firearm. Let them take the life of an animal and see it breathe its last breath. Teach them how to respect that life by using it to feed the family. I could be wrong, but out of all of the mass shooters, I’ve yet to find one that grew up hunting and fishing with his dad and eating home cooked meals from mom.
Taking your kids hunting and fishing won’t be enough, though, and being a single parent doesn’t mean that your kids are going to turn out bad. I’ve known parents that did most everything right and their kids still have problems. I’ve known parents that did nothing right and their children turned out fantastic. It happens. But given the cruel nature of the world, why wouldn’t we be as involved as possible to give them a chance at a decent life? I keep hearing people on television ask the question, “When are we going to do something?” Hebrews 12:11 states, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Folks, banning guns isn’t the solution…raising your children correctly is.
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