Anti-gunners are once again rearing their mudslinging heads, as social media is ablaze with a renewed furor over the Second Amendment after the tragic shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky. For reasons as yet unknown, a 15-year old boy opened fire on his classmates, killing two and wounding at least 18 more.
This week’s heart-rending loss of life and innocence, perpetrated by a teenager, brings a spine-chilling sense of déjà vu to the residents of the Four Corners area in New Mexico. Just a few short weeks ago, another shooter murdered two teens and then killed himself on the campus of Aztec High School.
I reached out to Mike Culver, 54, a native of the Four Corners area, to discuss why firearm ownership is the first target for blame when there are seemingly no answers for violent behavior.
I asked about the social media chatter calling for a massive overhaul of the Second Amendment, and he replied “I don’t listen to anti 2A chatter. It is my God-given right to protect my family whether it be tyrannical government or rapist and I believe this is a cause worth dying for.”
And his defense is not unusual in flyover states. It is the norm.
People who understand guns, as most rural folk and hunters do, tend to blame society, Hollywood, and the lack of parenting and mental health care.
Brad Winston, 44, an Indiana father, husband, and farmer lays the blame on the entertainment industry:
“The same people who make violent movies and inspire violent video games and accuse the gun of violence, have desensitized children to the destruction a gun in the wrong hands can cause. Heck, we never had this problem 40 years ago. We had discipline. We didn’t coddle and throw pharmaceuticals at bad behavior.”
Proponents of protecting the right to bear arms argue vociferously against any modification to the Bill of Rights that our forefathers created as they engaged in the tremendous task of freeing the citizenry from the oppressive governance of Great Britain. James Madison proposed the Second Amendment in 1791 to empower ragtag groups of men to protect themselves, their family, and communities from British attacks.
“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.” And leftists claim we have our government to provide security; therefore, private gun ownership should be relegated to a bygone era.
Conservatives, however, see a different side to those lolling about in The Swamp. We see the threat of our government running rogue against the wishes of the people and dread the loss of the ability to protect our own in dire situations or to put food on the table. For those who feel the government is your greatest benefactor, crack open a textbook on the American Revolution; learn something before spouting off.
Any loss of life at the hands of an unstable person sparks debate. And when the victim is a child, or many children, as was the case at Sandy Hook, Aztec, or Benton—among dozens of others – we relentlessly seek someone or something to blame. As humans, we can’t abide senseless acts of violence. But the Second Amendment is not the problem. A lazy, self-righteous, and out of touch with reality citizenry is the culprit. Maybe it’s time for the anti-gun brigade to get their own houses in order before attempting to destroy one of our most essential rights.