You're Just Not Responsible Enough, Sorry.

                There’s an old rule I remember from childhood that I think has been sorely forgotten these days. The rule was, “if you can’t be responsible with your toys, then you don’t deserve to have them”, and the parent or other authoritative individual that said it, meant it. They would take whatever toy or game or other item away from you until you could show them that you were able to be responsible. It was also the same rule if one of your friends happened to be irresponsible with your toys. You were either not allowed to be friends with that person anymore and the toy was taken away or the toy in question was just taken away and you were grounded.  Even though you would plead and plead with tears in your eyes that, “it wasn’t my fault! It was Johnny who threw it! Not me!”  Boo-hoo-hoo, go to your room.  

                So I think in light of yet another random shooting in Chicago, this time on a Highway during the early morning commute, you have proven that you’re not responsible enough to have guns and we’re taking them away. That’s it. Zero tolerance because of this final straw, bad apple that ruined it for everyone else. Heck, we can’t go to the movies anymore because some people can’t be trusted with their toys. They aren’t responsible enough to have them and they don’t deserve access to them. Hey, we’re not the bad guys here. You didn’t encourage your buddy, or fellow gun aficionado to be responsible then hey, too bad.  Now, no one can play because you’ve shown that you can’t be trusted with these toys, these weapons.

                I know this seems like a harsh punishment, but you really brought it upon yourselves. We warned and cajoled and pleaded and put up posters of children that were murdered by random gun violence but you didn’t heed those warnings. So we’re left with no other choice. We’re just going to have to take your toys away. You really did it to yourselves. There’s no one else to blame.   

                So now I’m sure that I will be accused of being a gun hating liberal. Well, I don’t hate guns. I’m not a fan of them and I wouldn’t own one. I’m not a hunter nor am I worried about the Queen of England muscling her way into my house in the dead of night to try and reclaim my house in the name of England. I’m not even all that concerned about home defense. I’m just not keen on guns is all. I’d be totally fine with gun owners that were responsible and mature enough to handle weaponry on a regular basis. But I haven’t seen any evidence of that. “From my cold dead hands,” is the musings of a seven year old playing at war. That’s not how a mature adult should respond to someone trying to explain to them that they are not responsible enough to have such a toy.

 Of course, I’d be even less worried about it if we took all the guns away. Again, you weren’t collectively responsible with them so it’s your fault that we are forced to take them away from you. You don’t deserve them and haven’t shown the maturity to handle them appropriately.

What would a good parent do if they caught a child misusing a toy? If a child was bashing another child over the head with it or poking a woman in the ribs with it or throwing it at cars from the overpass? That parent would severely discipline that child and take that toy away. They might never let that child have that toy again and maybe in time, the child would forget all about that toy and go on to become an Astronaut on their way to Mars to make history.

Or do they let that child keep that toy? No, they would certainly take that toy away. So just like a good parent, I’m afraid you have left us no choice. I suggest you take your weapons to your local police department and turn them in and go home, go to your room and think about what you’ve done.  I don’t care if it was Johnny who did it, go to your room.