in which i have an opinion on guns, sort of, not really

Something very interesting happened in the past twenty four hours.

It all started last night, when I posted a seemingly innocent question on Facebook with the intent of ascertaining whether there was any good reason to care if assault rifles are banned.  Any practical reason.  You see, I'm not interested in fear mongering or mud slinging.  I'm not interested in name calling and scare tactics.  I'm simply interested in finding out whether my hunting friends cannot live without assault rifles, and whether my gun-carrying friends cannot protect their families without them.

So I asked: what do you use them for, anyway?

Facebook blew up.

It blew. up.

I had people throwing all sorts of opinions at me.  I had trolls trollin', I had haters hatin', I had concerned citizens defending the second amendment, and I had lib'rals being lib'rals.

And it was hilarious.

But it was more than that.  It was enlightening.

I didn't really figure out what assault rifles are.  After all, I'm completely gun illiterate and you could explain a gun to me and it wouldn't mean a thing.  Not to mention that different people were telling me different things and I realized I should have just googled it if I wanted a straight answer.

I came to the conclusion that my hunting and gun carrying friends are suffering the consequences for an irresponsible few.  Sometimes in life people do stupid things and they end up not being the only ones to suffer.  Three hyper kids start jumping on desks in kindergarten?  Whole class puts heads on desks.  One guy hijacks a plane?  Whole nation faces longer and more involved security checks.  One guy uses his weapon to kill way too many innocent children?  Hunters and gun carriers face possible loss of their weapons.

It's life, folks.

I realize I'm able to look at this from an emotionally removed perspective.  I don't own a weapon and have no desire to do so.  I have lots of close friends who do own weapons, and I respect them and their responsible use of said weapons.  I sympathize with their fear of losing what they enjoy.  I have lots of close friends who hate weapons, and I respect their hatred of weapons and the destruction they can have.

But what is happening here is simple:  People are dying, and people are dying because stupid people are doing stupid things with objects that, used incorrectly, can have horrific effects.  As a result, authorities are taking extreme measures.  Not because they be hatin'.  Not because they want us to become Nazi Germany.  But because people honestly, truly, really do care.  They care that people are dying.  And their voice is being heard.  Loudly.  Passionately.

And I think their voice is compelling.

Maybe their voice is compelling because it is the voice of peace.  The voice of lets-do-whatever-it-takes-to-stop-people-from-killing-each-other.  And for that reason I think it's worth listening to that voice and taking it to heart, even if you continue to believe (as I would like to), that people are capable of responsible use of guns and that people should have the right to carry them if they wish.  But that voice should never be silenced.  Let's never become so politicized that we forget to mourn the violence that threatens to overtake us.  Let's never become so politicized that we forget those who die because of the hateful few.

At the same time, let's never become so politicized that we forget that some people own guns because they want to preserve peace and protect their families.

Let's love one another.  Let's walk forward into an uncertain tomorrow unified under the banner of peace.