Odd(?) Thoughts About Gun Control

Like a lot of people, I have been thinking A LOT about the subject of gun control. One of my friends posted on Facebook from the "Being Liberal" web site-- a senior citizen who has to sign at a pharmacy to get psudophedrine for her congestion vs the ability to purchase an unlimited amount of ammunition on-line without any questions being asked.

Clearly, a simplistic solution is to ban on-line or mail-order purchases of ammunition. I have no idea what the consequences and complications of such a matter would be. Possibly, at a minimum, the amount of ammunition that could be purchased in any single transaction might be limited, however, that simply creates a multiciplity of transactions. Not necessarily helpful in any manner.

There was a joke in the paper one morning -- something about Republicans banning sex and Democrats banning guns -- which is why there are more Democrats than Republicans.

However, that joke made me start to think. We can no more ban guns from our society than we can ban sex. What we need to do is learn how to address the dangers and consequences of each in a manner that overall creates a safer society.

Ideal sex education starts in the home. A child is taught the truth about their body. They are taught the meaning of privacy, the propriety of touching by others. They are taught that they have a right to say "no" to someone who wants them to do something they do not want to do.

In school, they are taught the facts and truth about sex and reproduction. Again, consent is stressed. As well as learning the facts, they are given access to the tools to protect themselves from unwanted consequences. One of those tools is the right to say "No" Other tools are safe, effective and available contraception methods. A recent study showed that where teens are given education and free access to effective birth control, the number of teen pregnancies and abortions plummeted.

In countries where children are given sensible sex education and access to reliable contraception, the teen birth rate and the abortion rate are far, far lower than in our country.

So what is the connection between birth control and guns?

I was raised around guns. From an early age, I learned that guns were respected, that guns were dangerous, and that until and unless I knew absolutely what I was going to do with them, I sould leave them alone.

I was taught that guns could injure (at best) and kill. My family hunted. I understood waht a dead animal was. By extension, I understood what a dead person was. Dead doesn't come back. Dead has to be taken care of. (I still feel that one of our society's problems is that we frown more on eating a dead person than on killing them in the first place)

Video games and movies show a lot of death of people, but do not deal with the consequences of death on the survivors. Perhaps there needs to be a movement to change that, to have consequences be a part of the entertainment experience.

If sex education is taught from an early age, when the hormones kick in, the child knows what is happening. They don't "discover" sex. It is a part of the world in which they have been raised.

If guns, gun safety, proper gun handling were taught from an early age, children would not "discover" guns.

If children are raised with an awareness of the consequences of mis-handling/abusing/playing with guns, they would be less likely to take reckless action.

And just as some women (and men) are taught methods of physical self-defense against unwanted sexual advances, children (and adults) could also learn certain self-defense techniques. "Drop and play dead" kept one child in Conneticut alive.

Another thought comes from the chart floating around on the web about cars and guns. Would it place an "undue burden" on the State to license people to own and use guns? It is conceiveable that guns could be registered in a manner similar to autos. This would possibly pay the State the cost of the paperwork. If EVERY gun were registered, if EVERY gun owner were licensed, it would not limit the number of guns one could own. Does requiring licensing "infringe" on the right to own a gun?

Yes, I definately believe that children need to be taught, from an early age, what guns are, and what guns can do. I remember when I was in my early teens, my uncle showing me a pistol. It was small, it was lightweight, it fit into my hand. "Is it loaded?" I asked. "A gun is ALWAYS loaded." he replied. THAT is a lesson we all (children and adults) need to learn. Every gun is always loaded. Treat it as such. If you are wrong, the error can be quickly fixed.

Gun education and sex education are clearly subjects that should be taught in school, from the begining.