I like to think I am a man of good conscience. (Maybe not a patient man. Maybe not even a particularly friendly one, but that has more to do with my awkwardness in social situations and self-doubt than any ill will. )
But I am a peaceful man... and I hate murder and violence as much as anyone. Can’t we all just be happy and row our own canoes?
I assume that most, if not all, of my friends on either side of the political fence are people of good will. We only disagree about HOW to get us from here to some more peaceful place. It is a long way to Utopia, but we ALL agree we can at least make some progress.
Now... Let’s say, just for argument, that you convince me that making guns completely illegal to own would make the streets safer. Everest might be an easier hill for you to summit, but lets say that through patient and respectful discourse, you have made your point and won me over.
How do YOU suggest you proceed? Here are the facts on the ground as I understand them.
There are around 750,000 to 800,000 Law Enforcement Officers in the country if you pile them all together. This includes all the overweight donut eating desk jockeys, old men past their prime, and right wing second amendment guys who spend all their off time at the gun range. These are same LEOs who, (though many of them are doing the best they can every day), can not manage to make the tiniest dent in the flow of drugs, or even people, in to the country.
VS.
100 million people (Including 22 million veterans from the toughest military the world has ever known)... with 300 million guns (Including a couple million... ahem... “assault rifles”)... and billions upon billions of easily hidden rounds of ammunition, which can stay on the shelf for 70 years or more and still fire just fine.
Last night, (the San Bernadino event on 12/2/15), I watched on my TV as 500+ freaked-out police responded to take down two or three committed but completely untrained gun persons. Ten cops should have been able to handle that situation.
If 1% of the gun owners took exception to being disarmed and decided to act, the police are completely outnumbered.
HERE IS YOUR QUESTION.
Even if I were to agree with you that we should get rid of all the guns... or just all the... ahem... “assault rifles”... (SPOILER... I do NOT)...
Where exactly would you start? How would you proceed?
“I just know we have to do SOMETHING” is not an acceptable answer. If you just want to do SOMETHING to fight gun violence... then... I dunno... maybe you can dress up as cookie monster and ride a unicycle through a burning hoop while singing “Keep on Loving You” by REO Speedwagon. That is SOMETHING. Maybe it will work. We won’t know until you try.
Let’s talk about ACTUAL, actionable, strategies.
How do you propose we disarm even say... 2% of the 100 million people who believe (IMHO correctly) that their right to bear arms supersedes even the constitution that clearly legally reinforces it.
Remember, as a starting point, that you do not know for sure who owns a gun... what guns are owned by who... how many guns exist... etc.
How do you do it? Do you just pass a law knowing everyone will just ignore it and that your law enforcement mechanism has no way of ever enforcing it on 1% of the population before the political winds change and the law is simply overturned?
OK... pretend you’ve convinced me. Lets get rid of the guns. What is your first step, and what result do you think your strategy will produce? Show your work.
