Guns: Again

I’ve been a gun owner for most of my adult life. I’ve been a conservative republican since I first registered to vote.  I believe the Constitution, along with the Bill of Rights, is a divinely inspired document. 

Qualifiers: 

Guns: I am not a “proud” gun owner, as so many of my friends characterize themselves. I believe that guns are a necessary evil, but at their core, they are an evil in that they represent a failure of people to be kind to each other.  

And yes, I am fully aware of hunting rifles used for getting food.  But let’s not kid ourselves, the vast majority of guns out there aren’t used for hunting, and even within the range of hunters, how many don’t have access to a Safeway?

Conservative Republican: 

I get a lot of flack for labeling myself this way. Most folks think I’m a moderate. I am conservative - I’m not a moderate conservative nor am I a right wing conservative (although, I used to be).  I am right down the middle conservative.

But I am also an incrementalist, believing we should find the ever-shifting balancing point by moving in increments to the right policy; not by leaps.  Because I’m willing to consider other options and smaller steps, many of my conservative friends think I’m wishy washy. I am not. I tend to think that most revolutions (or giant leaps) are like the French Revolutions - massive failures.

I struggle to call myself a Republican these days because the party seems no longer affiliated with the conservative philosophy. 

Constitution and Bill of Rights:

I do believe these documents were inspired by God to fit the nature of the people of the time, and to be adaptable to be improved as the people improve, or fall apart as the people fall apart. 

The Constitution was designed to be a living document. The Founders were inspired to recognize societies evolve and devolve; that the societies become more or less worthy of the rights outlined within the document. 

Active Shooters and Guns: 

For a more thorough look at my views on the gun debate, go read my blog from 2013. That’s where I was then. 

This is where I am now:

• I believe that as a society, we have mishandled our rights to bear most arms.
• I believe that as an incremental step, gun show loopholes should be closed; background checks should take however long they need to take to get it right. I also believe that the right to own and bear arms should be more narrowly defined. 
• I believe that something along the lines of the New Zealand gun buyback program should be discussed seriously by our lawmakers, to include facilitation of a new law banning the manufacturing and ownership of guns that are otherwise designed for use on a battlefield (and yes, that needs to be more precisely defined).  This will certainly not eliminate all of the guns out there, and yes, the bad guys will still be able to get their hands on guns.  But I can’t think of the last time an active shooter was killed because a bystander happened to have an AR-15 handy.  The law can be a teacher, and I believe we have regressed to that stage in our society. I am not convinced these will be effective, but I am open to the discussion. 
• I believe that we need to expend significant resources on mental health as well as address many of the other contributors. 
• I believe that our society is spiritually sick, and that is a massive contributor to our present crisis. I do see pockets of beautiful and soul-moving kindness; but far more often I see cruelty, harshness, and bullying. 
• I see much of this coming from the White House; a place that used to at least feign decorum.

There will likely be many of my “friends” and perhaps even family who will disagree with these beliefs of mine. Many of them will think this is a knee-jerk reaction to the recent shootings. While this post is prompted by these events, I’ve been stewing on these things for years. 

There will be a percentage who think I’m either a coward (as some have already accused me), or that I’m a traitor to the Constitution, or that I’ve lost my mind. 

I have not and I am not. I have been thoughtful about these things. Thoughtful and reasonable people can come to different conclusions.

There you have it, there you go.