Come'on, Get Serious!

Gun control. There's a nice hot-button topic for this week. Too hot? Okay, how about we discuss liberals and conservatives? Or perhaps I can tell you all about Jesus. No??? Okay, gun control it is.

We already have gun control...sort of

If you own certain guns, you are aware of an issue plaguing your shooting ability. It's called ammunition shortages. No bullets means no projectiles. Thus, gun violence control.

Over the past number of years, certain calibers have been mighty hard to come by. These include all handgun sizes, mini 30 rounds, and still (to this day) all 22 caliber bullets. Coincidentally, these calibers are the most likely to be used in violence involving guns.

Well played, Mr. Government (or as some call you - Big Brother)

If you can't get ammunition for your weapon, it's hard to commit a crime with your gun, right? Well, sort of.

There's two sides to this. Most criminals can't legally own a weapon. Thus, the black market fills that need. The same is most likely true for the ammo they use in these illegally obtained weapons. 

The flip side is that law abiding sportsmen and women can't get the ammunition they so dearly desire. That's a problem for those of us who legally possess, safely store, and use weapons for non-violent purposes. And it's not fair.

Pay Attention now - this next point is important

Criminals are going to get their weapons, and ammunition for those weapons, no matter what the government does. A lot of people don't want to face the harsh truth, but that's the way I see it.

So why do I, Mr. Law Abiding Citizen, have the pay the price (and a false price in my mind) for a policy that doesn't work? People drive drunk all the time. People drive with their cell phones plastered in their face - all the time! I do neither. Is the government going to take away my car, or tighten control on gas supplies, so that people can't drive as much? Or perhaps they will ban the sale of alcohol (already tried, didn't work) or cell phones. Of course the government won't do either of these. And far more people die every year in auto crashes compared to gun violence.

There is a solution; It just needs to be well thought out

I don't have an answer for you today. I'm sorry. But I don't believe that limiting gun and ammunition sales will not necessarily bring a sudden halt to the gun violence that plagues us on an almost daily basis. If everyone, on both sides of the issue, will settle down and discuss this calmly and rationally, something can be done. We can all be winners here.

Two things that will help

1. Forbid the sale of ammunition to convicted felons. Note: not the overall supply, just the illegal selling of it. I am not opposed to having some sort of registry process (like a membership card) for buying bullets. I'm not sure how it will work, but I think it's a start.

2. We must, I mean have to, provide better care for our mental health patients. No matter how you feel about ObamaCare, it still misses the mark on addressing this issue. We are all getting hurt here, people. 

I know we have a problem. And I know there are answers out there. But knee-jerk reactions from both sides will not help. We have an opportunity to do great work here; our representatives in Washington need to get more serious about all of this.

In the post-apocalyptic future found in my WWIV series, there are still plenty of guns. But each year that the darkness passes, ammunition becomes more and more scarce. Dysentery will kill more people in this fictional future than guns. Many, many more. That's why I write from time to time about clean drinking water.

None of this is easy people, but we have to try. At least that's how I feel.

e a lake

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