By Ernie Sochin….
Bang! Bang! Bang! It seems that is all I hear and read about in the news lately.
Of course, I am referring to the constant shootings all over the place by disgruntled workers, teenagers getting even, drug deals gone bad, and just plain shooting.
Well here I go making a few more enemies. You see back when I was growing up there was a lot of shooting going on but mostly in places like Iwo Jima, Normandy, Anzio, etc. We were killing bad people who in most cases probably got what was coming to them.
Now, with the exception of Iraq and Afghanistan (that is another article), most of our shooting seems to be of the local variety. I guess the collateral damage caused by little kids catching stray bullets is acceptable in our new society. Why bother beating someone up when it is so much easier to just go out and steal or buy a gun and shoot someone?
Again, going back to ancient times when I was growing up, the only ones who had guns were policemen and soldiers and the soldiers left their guns with the army once they were discharged. What has changed? Let’s start with the NRA. They used to advocate safety with BB guns and made shooting a fun thing to do. Then they came up with their own interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Here it is for you:
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (Emphasis mine)
How can anyone miss those words — “A well-regulated militia.”
Yes, our founders knew it was necessary for our citizens to have an army or militia to protect us from foreign invasions or disruptions from within. We didn’t have a well-regulated army at our inception and this guaranteed that we could. It seems simple and logical enough for me.
How that got to be interpreted to mean that each of us can carry a gun in our car, on our person, in our nightstand, etc, beats me. Of course we need these guns to protect ourselves from nasty drivers, people who might do us harm and so on, but just look at the news each day. How many guns are being used to shoot the bad guys?
Do me a favor and ask any gun owner that you know, how many guns have been stolen form him or her in their lifetime. You will be amazed how many guns fall into the hands of the bad guys by being stolen from people thinking they are protecting their homes. A former police chief I knew told me that the word has been out that Miami is the place to go to steal guns. Every car has one.
The NRA is great at publicizing their mantra. One oft repeated bit of propaganda is how the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto might have been able to fight off the Nazis if they had guns. Well maybe if they had a well regulated militia with 2 or 3 squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes, some Sherman tanks and a few dozen 105mm howitzers, and even then it would have been doubtful.
I wonder — are all these guys shooting up Liberty City part of a well-regulated militia? If so, I think they need some more regulation, like not being able to obtain guns.
I once asked a cop friend of mine if he thought I should own a gun. His answer, NO…I should own five or six guns for them to do me any good. He keeps one in his night table, another on top of his refrigerator, one more between the cushions in his living room sofa, one in his garage, and the mandatory one between the seats in his car. That way he is always ready for whatever comes his way.
I used to make late night deposits for my store, usually carrying lots of cash. I asked one of my local officers if I should arm myself when going to the bank each night. His answer, YES, if you are able to carry the weapon in one hand, cocked and ready to shoot similar to what Brinks guards to when servicing banks.
Of course I must also be prepared mentally and physically to turn around quickly and shoot someone who might be threatening me. Pity the poor old lady behind me should she make a sudden move or cough.
Don’t get me wrong, I am as fascinated by guns as most red blooded males and have even spent time at Tamiami Gun Range testing my skills with a long barrel. Of course now you no longer need marksman skills because AK47s and AR15s are all over the place. Just spray all around the intended target and you are bound to hit something. If it happens to be a child outside playing, well perhaps they shouldn’t be there. After all you have some killing to do.
Want to have some fun? Go to the next local gun show and see what goes on there. For sale: 50 caliber sniper rifles, all kinds of ammo clips to increase your fire power, kits to convert semi automatic weapons to fully automatic and lots of books on how to do it. Don’t see what you want; not to worry. Someone will offer to sell you stuff from the trunk of a car in the parking lot. It is quite an experience.
Now we have some people running for major political offices saying they support the Second Amendment. I do too, but as it was intended. I guess I can forget about any contributions from the NRA now.
Oh, boy! What is happening to us and what will it be like a few years from now?
Comments are closed.