So here we are again, in the midst of another gun debate, where one side wants to impose stricter regulations, and the other side wants to….  Wants to do everything they can to shut down the conversation, and avoid stricter regulations.

So let’s be straight here.  There is one argument that I see more than any other and I can’t believe how many people eat it up like it’s moral Cap’n Crunch, or Crunch Berries if you prefer.

“Banning guns won’t work because criminals don’t care about laws!”

There are a thousand iterations of this argument and they all have the same problems.

1: No one, and I mean absolutely no one is talking about banning guns.  It’s against the constitution.  That conversation is over before it even begins.  All anyone is talking about is putting better legal controls in place in order to more strictly regulate the sale and trade of guns and if you don’t believe that that will help keep them out of the hands of criminals, then I’m sorry, reason and logic just aren’t your forte, and you should probably be reading Rush Limbaughs blog instead.

2: The logic in this statement is the epitome of defeatism.  “Don’t say anything, because no one is going to listen.”.  By this logic, we should not have any Schools because some kids are just going to ditch anyways and a handful of others are just going to refuse to acknowledge the material or engage in the program.  We should get rid of any and all stoplights, road signs, crosswalks, lane markers, etc. based on the fact that people are inevitably going to speed, and try to make that light before it turns red, but fail and t-bone someones grandma!  It’s insane!  “Well, I may as well stop bathing because it’s not like I’m ever going to stop sweating… What’s the use!?”

One of my favorite versions of this argument references our unsuccessful drug laws and how outlawing drugs hasn’t kept them out of the hands of drug users.  Well that ones easy.  When is the last time you heard of anyone being addicted to an AK-47?  If guns were like drugs then that would be fine, but the ones that do all the damage are incredibly addictive and it is correct to say that you can’t legislate your way out of an addiction crisis.  The other low level drugs, say weed for example, they don’t do any harm at all… to anyone!  It would be an overstatement to compare weed to anything more than a water gun for the sake of analogy.  The only reason it’s illegal is because there are a ton of politicians out there that are apparently way too afraid of getting wet!  Sorry, the comparison just doesn’t hold any air.

3: My single biggest problem with this debate is that it’s not really a debate at all.  A debate is a structured dialog between two parties that are required to at least respect one another’s points enough to listen, and respond to the presented material.  In this case, everything explodes before anyone has even lit a match.  Every ones views are blown wildly out of proportion and that leads us to where we are now.  A conversation wildly reminiscent of an interaction between Dr. and Scott Evil, where the only words allowed out of anyone’s mouth is effectively “ZIP IT!”

The most depressing piece of the entire dialog, or lack thereof is that despite the atrocities we see occurring on a monthly basis, there is one party that has resolved in no uncertain terms that we shouldn’t do anything.  To hell with the families, they’ll get over it! You’re not taking my guns!  Because your guns, that no one even wants to deprive you of, so really it should be said, your easy access to a streamlined, no hassle purchasing mechanism for your guns, is more important to you than their sons, brothers, sisters, daughters.  Innocent people, mercilessly slaughtered, and because you can’t find a solution, you’re unwilling to entertain anyone else’s.

It would seem in all things 21st Century, our biggest obstacle to progress is the extremist right wing.

The blood is on your hands!