Opinion Editorial by Paul Glasco
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- We are at a critical moment regarding guns. Democrat and Republican politicians’ unconstitutional push to ban AR-15s, the most popular rifle in the U.S., combined with proposed Extreme Risk Protection Orders and Red Flag legislation designed to confiscate firearms without providing law-abiding Americans their Constitutionally recognized due process, should offer more than enough evidence of infringement.
However, my approach to firearm ownership issues in America varies significantly from my friends, Dan Gross and Rob Pincus.
In their quest to push Universal Background Checks on Americans and outlaw private gun sales without filing a 4473, Mr. Gross and Mr. Pincus make a disgusting claim. They suggested “significant evidence shows that there is a shockingly small percentage of dealers that are selling the overwhelming majority of guns used in crimes,” while citing no reference. It seems clear that Mr. Gross has trained Mr. Pincus in the art of making stuff up to support a point. Any shaved ape can do a quick Google search to find actual research on that very subject.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice found that “fewer than one in 50 (less than two percent) of all prisoners had obtained a firearm from a retail source and possessed, carried, or used it during the offense for which they were imprisoned.”
In my opinion, using facts versus conjecture makes a stronger argument.
I am in favor of extending my hand to those who disagree with me to have an honest discussion about violence in America. But if that discussion involves any dialogue about the banning of firearms, making it impossible for law-abiding Americans to purchase that firearm, or if it involves talk of a system that encourages gun confiscation without the involvement of a crime, it is not an honest conversation.
If people who oppose my views agree with banning any type of firearm, or the confiscation of firearms without due process, they do not understand the Constitutional nature of my position. Unfortunately, those folks have not taken the time to research the U.S. Constitution, legal precedent in America, or the rights of law-abiding Americans to protect themselves and their families. As a gun rights advocate, it is not my responsibility to pretend the person conversing with me is not seeking to take my rights away when their suggestions do precisely that.
If I approach the Second Amendment issues mentioned earlier from a standpoint outside the potential for financial gain, it is easy to see where problems arise. I’m not speaking of the anti-gun movement’s approach to blame guns for criminals’ evil acts. That’s a lazy response ignoring the fundamental issue of why some humans make the psychotic (criminal) choice to end other humans’ lives.
After years of conducting and reviewing research on the root causes of gun violence in America, I’ve concluded three attributes overwhelmingly common in mass killers and people who are violent in general.
- One, the shooters were raised in fatherless homes.
- Two, regardless of the bad actor’s age, he or she was overmedicated with psychotropic drugs.
- Three, the shooter was bullied by others at some point.
I’m not suggesting that everyone raised in a fatherless home who takes mood-altering drugs or suffered at the hands of a bully will automatically become a mass killer. But if you look at documented mass shooters and most people imprisoned for violent crimes, you will see these factors as a glaring and obvious common denominator. The facts are easy to confirm for anyone who isn’t blinded by the desire to blame the gun or those who feel we should apologize for defending our rights to protect ourselves.
When I hear folks blame firearms after mass murders and cite agenda-driven statistics on violence, it reminds me how lazy people can be when seeking to explain criminal acts that have no justification. Blame the guns? That tells me you have no genuine desire to reduce gun violence in America or that you’re not qualified to be part of the conversation and should respectfully remove yourself from the discussion.
While this may sound close-minded on my part, I will not entertain any discussion regarding the rising suicide rate in America in 2020 without pointing out the obvious effect of government-mandated lockdowns that put overwhelming pressure on those already struggling with mental health issues. Again, to blame the gun is lazy and irresponsible.
My opinion is likely different than some, but my experience is also different. I have a special needs child who is one-hundred percent defenseless and will NEVER be able to defend himself. As the 53-year old father of this 12-year old boy, I will reach a point later in my life where my firearm may be the only way to protect my son and my family. Combine my home life with the overreaching laws that take a misdirected approach on firearms ownership in the homes of persons with mental disabilities. Only then can you begin to understand why hundreds of thousands of other American families and I run the risk of being disarmed by knee-jerk legislation. Most of those laws rushed through carelessly by an out-of-touch group of politicians who will never understand our lives or walk a day in our shoes.
When a legitimate conversation about combatting violence in America happens, sign me up. But, if we let gun control activists hijack the actual “gun safety” agenda that we, as gun rights advocates, promote and work so hard for, I will vehemently oppose that exchange.
There are a handful of people looking to profit from their new “feel good” consortium. Their plan involves making us “feel” better about giving up more of our Second Amendment rights because they think the rest of us haven’t done enough. They think we should feel their guilt. I, for one, think their premise is an abomination.
I appreciate the importance of platforms like AmmoLand News. Their ownership is open to posting controversial topics and opinion pieces such as Mr. Gross and Mr. Pincus’s penned. And while I may disagree with some of their contributors’ leanings, they offer dissenting views that require me to think outside of my comfort zone. That’s always useful, whether I agree with them or not.
Do I have all the answers? Of course not, and I don’t claim that. But proposing feel-good solutions so I can say, “I did something,” is worse than doing nothing, especially if it infringes upon the rights of honest, law-abiding Americans.
About Paul Glasco
Paul Glasco is a certified instructor in several firearms and safety disciplines and proudly films the Legally Armed America television show in Louisiana and Texas. Legally Armed America TV engages more than one million viewers every month through their television show on FOX 29 in Louisiana and Texas, their 260,000+ subscribers on YouTube, their website, and social media outlets. The only Sunday daytime show that rates higher than Legally Armed America is NFL on FOX 29. Hosted by Glasco, Legally Armed America focuses on guns, gear, techniques, and safety.
