Don’t worry folks, this post isn’t about writing; I’ll never get enough of that. No, this post is about something that doesn’t directly affect me where I live, but it clogs up my newsfeed and is something that makes absolutely no sense.

I’m talking about the debates on gun control and yes, I have had enough.

From all of the arguments, complaints and tears posted all over the news and internet, I cannot fathom for the life of me why there aren’t stronger gun controls. I have lived in Canada and Australia where I’ve never felt like we needed a gun to survive and to be honest, I hope I never feel that way. But the argument where more guns are the answer for a safer nation… no. Just no. Let me put this into a scenario where maybe this will make more sense.

A virus begins spreading. It seems to be already rampant but now it has been discovered. We can start working on a cure to save lives… or put out more of the virus to see if that helps get rid of the problem. Wait. Does that make sense? Why spread the problem further, when we could work on a cure? We definitely didn’t spread Zika virus to try and stop it. Why don’t we treat guns the same way?

Not making any sense? Well, maybe another scenario could work.

Two men approach one man on the street and kill him. Both men get time in jail. Sounds great, justice has been served, right? So why when one man approaches another and shoots him dead do we not also punish guns? They both committed the crime, but for some odd reason, we treat the gun as an innocent bystander. The gun wouldn’t have done it if the man hadn’t pulled the trigger. Well, if the man didn’t have access to a gun, he wouldn’t have pulled the trigger either. We would persecute the two men in the above example, anyone would. Why don’t we treat guns the same way?

Constitutional rights.

We all hear that on a regular basis. “It is my God given right to bear arms.” I heard that on the news once and I simply couldn’t find it in the Bible. First off, as many people have already noted, when the US was new and Britain could show up at any day, this was a valid response. I’m here to inform you, the Queen wants nothing to do with you now. You can relax. Well, except for the fact there seem to be millions of guns spread out throughout your country. But you can definitely relax.

Wait, though. Let’s talk about rights for a moment. I’ve often wondered where the right to live comes in. I mean, that is a basic human right if I’ve ever heard one. We hear it discussed when it comes to abortions, at what point the right to exist for that child comes into play but at what point do we lose that right? Apparently, after some quick searching, I found out that in Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence his wording was very particular.

We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness…

Firstly, I’m not even going to touch on the fact that all men are created equal and Trump’s insanity around that. No, I want you to look at what one of the founding fathers said. The Preservation of life. At what point does one right override another? When does the right to bear arms override the inalienable right to preserve life? I find it ironic that the very documents that made America so free are keeping them so confined.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

I’d ask how well regulated the militia is when there are many articles out there about people buying guns in less than half an hour, with no training or evaluations. Perhaps if the US was more active in regulating their militia instead of only focusing on the third point of that line, maybe there’d be a decent argument. With John Smith and Joe Blow out there buying guns to shoot squirrels in their backyard, I’m not sure I’m buying the militia stance at all.

Look, at the end of the day, I’ll admit; I’ll just steer clear of America. It’s such a shame because so many things I love come from there. I’ll also admit that maybe, from an outsider’s perspective, the news does blast mass murder pretty loudly across the internet. A quick search finds the latest shooting in which fifty people died and just as many were injured. It also brought me to the Mass Shooting Tracker, which tracks both murders and gun related injuries above three to which I noticed eighteen shootings since then. Eighteen, since the twelfth of June. It’s the twenty-third of June today.

Do the math.

Don’t worry folks, I’m not trying to control you. I’m not trying to take away your guns. Nope, not interested in that. What I want, is all of these so called responsible gun owners to do is stand up and lead by example for those less responsible. I’d suggest you sell your guns back to the government, but not all states have that as an option sadly. Maybe hand them into a police station (although walking into a police station with a gun in America sounds like insanity). Actually, as I am writing this, I notice more than ever I think gun control needs to start with a voluntary buy back through the government. If you want to get rid of your gun legally (and not through a pawn shop *shudder*) there don’t seem to be many options for you to do so, so police station it is.

In my searches, I also came across a propaganda video from the NRA in regards to Australia’s sudden gun control and ban. It was indeed a swift, decisive action in response to the worst shooting in Australia’s history. Note that in that shooting thirty-five people lost their lives as opposed to the latest American mass shooting which I spoke of earlier with a count of fifty. The video has menacing music and highlights headlines to make it seem as if Australians had their rights taken away. Reports showed at the time, roughly eighty-five percent of Australia were in favour of the new rights and controls. Over six-hundred thousand guns were handed back as a part of the scheme.

Another article posts about the violent underground guns market in Australia with bikers and gangs committing crimes to get guns into Australia. To be honest, they mostly keep to themselves and kill each other which I still feel bad for those families but that is their lifestyle and those are the risks. Gangs such as these don’t go shooting up a restaurant or a school despite their underground activities.

As a final note, you’re only as free as the decisions you make. If you choose to keep your gun, here’s to hoping no one gets hurt by it. If you choose to get rid of it, congratulations on being a part of the solution. Chances are that gun wasn’t going to protect you anyway. Just like a gun sitting on a table won’t kill anyone if no one gets involved, that same gun won’t help you unless you can get to it. Hopefully, this has given you something to think about or at least discuss with family, friends, and loved ones. With that, my rant is done.

After all, I’ve had enough.