Why Are We So Obsessed With Guns?

Disclaimer (and I hate to have to place this here..but experience):  If you don't have something constructive and respectful to say...keep it to yourself, no one needs snark, rudeness, sarcasm, or jabs... not every statement made on someone's blog, facebook, twitter... is an open invitation for someone to try to be funny.
Thanks.

I've heard all the Second Amendment defenses I care to hear, unlike a lot of people who just scream Second Amendment when they think someone might dare bring up the idea that gun cultures cater to gun violence... I've read the Constitution.

If you want to own a gun to make yourself feel safe... I do not have a problem with it, granted you understand that unless you are trained and know how to use that gun... you could endanger your friends, family, pets, random people...just as much as anyone who might pose some harm that you are protecting yourself against.

I do NOT allow guns in my home, I WILL NOT allow guns in my home and I do NOT care if you think that is a faux pas... it still will not happen.
Does that make me any less American... if you think so, I feel sorry for your perception of what American means.

Recently Georgia passed an insane law that 1. lets you basically carry a gun anywhere you want 2. bars police from asking for gun licenses... yes... BARS POLICE FROM ASKING TO SEE A GUN LICENSE...
that terrifies me.

The Governor has not signed it yet, but I have little hope...

I know quite a few responsible, trained, and logical gun owners...guess what, they don't feel the need to tote their guns everywhere they go.

So... Do you think it makes people feel safe when they see a random person carrying a sidearm?  Let me talk about my recent experience...

While volunteering at an event a patron arrived with a gun on his side, not in a locked holster, but just in a loose one, there were TONS of little children around, including my 15 month old son.  Was I glad to see a citizen was there to protect me from what??? random attacks??  No.  My husband actually thought about letting our son run about, because it was nice out...it was an open space...and he is in the toddler run phase...but when he saw the man with the gun...he decided against it.  He actually went far away and soon after left and came back to pick me up when I was done... mentioning to me that he just didn't feel safe with our little boy running around a man who had a gun out in the open like that...

Have we ever asked ourselves why as a society we are so obsessed with having a gun knowing how many innocent people die at the other end of them daily....   When is it not OK anymore?  When is it appropriate for people to have honest adult discussions without both sides becoming so defensive that NOTHING gets done...

Not when people get massacred in a movie theater....
Not when dozens of little kids get murdered in their elementary school...
guns are too important...how dare we concerned parents speak up when something honestly worries us???

Business Owners (you know the people we praise in America) cannot even have an opinion about keeping guns off their property without catching a complete firestorm.....

"One is Sean Brock, a well-regarded Southern chef with restaurants in South Carolina and Nashville.

He shot his first gun when he was 8, and sleeps beside a 9-millimeter handgun every night. But he doesn’t want guns in his Husk restaurants.

“It’s a bit strange to me that you think you need to carry a gun when you’re having a cheeseburger,” Mr. Brock said."

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I wanted to post the above article on Facebook, but I have relatives and friends who I respect and care about, who would immediately get snarky, rude, and aggressive that I didn't....
God forbid I take that tone with anyone who has an opinion, they would jump my case...
but it is quite alright for people to bully those against gun violence because we dare bring up the idea that perhaps our gun obsession in America has gone a bit too far.  Its awesome to poke fun at us because we truly worry about the influence guns have on people....its stupid for us to worry about the safety of our families...I mean...why not just get a gun??? right???



Do I think we should ban guns?  No.  I have moved away from that utopian concept that perhaps we don't need guns in a modern and advanced society...
Do I think we need to have an honest discussion about safety, regulation, and the responsibility of owning a weapon that when used can easily kill someone?  Yes.

I just do not, for the life of me, understand why it is so hard to be logical, respectful, and empathetic about a subject that causes so many problems....

Because statistics are not used to hold down the gun owners of America...

Guns in the Home and Deaths

More Guns = More Homicide

Additionally...
There are studies that also cite unsupportive evidence, and I am fair... Academic studies are not perfect and experts on both sides of the argument note that guns can help and hinder crime...

Gun Crimes Plummet



but all I want is a movement towards awareness, education, and efforts to remove illegal guns off the streets...
Why is educating a person about the weapon and requiring safety classes or training in order to own a weapon such a bad idea?  Why is making sure you own a gun legally an infringement of your rights?