Sent to local paper

[Oss]

Another View
After the recent school shooting, many well-meaning people of all faiths are told by the media that the problem is the gun. However, the gun is no more at fault than a parent’s car is at fault when one’s child is killed because they were texting or drinking while driving. How many thousands of young people (and adults) die or suffer grievous injury as a result of distracted and drunk driving? Yet where is Hollywood or the mainstream media on this true crisis? We do not ban cars, or phones. We ask people to be responsible for their use of both.
To say the gun, or AR15 (by the way AR does NOT stand for Assault Rifle, it stands for the name of the manufacturer) caused the tragedy misses the point entirely.
The failure was with the school system and our criminal justice system. Government itself at all levels failed us.
So how do we fix the Government which failed and I submit could not be bothered to protect the victims or intervene to help the young man who became the shooter? Certainly, the opportunities for intervention were many and over a great amount of time. If proper diligence was used the young man and the victims could be alive today.  Let us hope honest investigation yields changes in how school threats are assessed and dealt with.  Is society better off when a student’s behavior, cruelty, bullying is ignored?  And what of those who are victims of bullying, what help is given to them so they themselves do not seek misguided justice?
Clearly, criminals do not obey laws, whether gun laws or other laws? Criminals will always find the tool, whether it be a knife, a hammer, a gun or a threat to do their work. The reality is gun laws do NOT deter criminals. Case in point, the murder rate in Chicago. Criminals will take all possible opportunities to prey on the weak. Making citizens of our free society weaker by eroding 2nd Amendment rights while making the government stronger is not the answer. As history shows a stronger government must always yield less civil rights to the people. Our Constitution recognizes this. Due process and equal protection are in peril when legislators fail to recognize the true problems and their causes.
What is needed is a criminal and education system that teaches respect for life, school systems that report violent threats, do not ignore them or sweep them under the rug.  Also, parents who teach their kids at all stages that we all matter.  
We live in a society that teaches kids killing is fun, we patronize and support a liberal Hollywood that glorifies death in many forms and live in communities that do not reach out to help all its members. In short as Pogo said, “we have found the enemy and he is us”.  We must do better for our families.

[Bigwolf]

I agree Oss, but I believe there are many that are unwilling to accept the facts.  It is so much easier to do a Quick knee jerk reaction and then say "well we tried" than to accept that we are at fault for not dealing with the social needs of our children and then do the diligent work to correct that.

Bigwolf

[Robert]

Good job Oss but it doesn't fit the agenda, since the narrative needs to be pushed that guns are bad and need to be regulated. I hope they print it and hope many read it since if it is then it would help many to come forward and break the narrative just like they did one other time and elected our current president.

[Oss]

The agenda must be deflected as Government as it applies is badly performing for our kids at many levels and must be made more responsive without further eroding our constitutional rights

History proves it is easier to deflect a force, such as an agenda than to stop one with popular (yet misguided ) support

That is the path I am taking, call it Tai chi, for better or worse I am speaking out (and I am not an NRA member)

[DDT (12)]

Oss,

I haven't completely given up hope, but I have accepted that I am irrelevant to the ruling political elite. That you are willing to express your views openly and publicly is a powerful testimony to your own courage and belief in the American dream.. this grand experiment. The manner of your presentation, as well as its content, reveals much skill, insight and depth of understanding... and caring! I salute you for stepping up and doing your part and for making a difference!

DDT

[bagelboy]

The one thing I've learned as a gun owner. People who oppose and are afraid of guns think that every person who owns one, meaning you and I, will eventually go "off" and use it at some point. There is no rational to this thinking, and there is no convincing them otherwise! Statistics, history, and plain logic do not enter the equation with people who oppose guns, period!

[old2soon]

Well said Evan.   But those that SHOULD read it most likely will not.   And as someone else stated it don't fit the narrative the knee jerks not only need but they can't thrive on good common sense.   Sides yer goin against main-er lame stream media.   RIDE SAFE.

[G-Man]

I am in complete agreement.

Was watching CNN and some loudmouth was bashing the NRA because an NRA spokeswoman stated that it takes a white mother saying something to get people to rally up.  This was taken as a racial statement and they were holding the NRA accountable for the "racist" comment.  They made such a good argument that even my wife used this example of how the NRA is racist.

I thought about this for a while and concluded that the comment was taken out of context and purposefully skewed to place the blame of racism on the wrong people.  The NRA spokeswoman was pointing out the blatant racism on the Left.  Black mothers have been crying over the bodies of the their dead babies and children for...... ever.  Thousands of gun related deaths.  However, when a few white kids are killed, the parents get air time and the anti-gun folks mobilize.

[bagelboy]

I'm still waiting for someone in the press to start the conversation of banning violent video games. Some are rated 17 and older. I saw one and was stunned. Believe me, it wasn't PAC Man, or missile Command. It was violent!

[signart]

The number of school age children murdered in school shootings is less than 1% of school age children that have been murdered.

On top of that, misuse of cell phones are involved in the deaths of 11 children every day.

Marches and protests will be scheduled... never.

[old2soon]

    While I haven't checked thinkin here you can still rent a 5 ton closed van truck type vehicle. Europe a while back real TERROISTS were using these trucks to kill people.
     Have ANY cars or pickups been banned after large crashes that kill multiple people? Yeah-thought not. 
      Did china ban knives after that person went around stabbing all those folks? Yeah-thought not. 
      Do jet planes git banned after one goes down killing lotsa folks in the process? Yeah-thought not.
 Personally I'd like to see ALL Wars banned world wide. Also like to see drunk drivers banned. Also like to see cell phone use banned while sorta driving. N R A terrorists? these sumbitches be reachin. Course as a Nam Vet And a Biker a recent administration labeled me as such! RIDE SAFE.