Tbitty
AH fanatic
Let me lead with a disclaimer that this is likely to be a long post, and I am jumping in without reading most of the previous posts.
The way I see it, this is a cultural and socal issue. I firmly believe that there is a direct (negative) correlation between the shift from a predominantly rural to now urban society, and what is being considered acceptable and normal within America. When the nation was founded, there was a very healthy balance in self reliance (making due, harvesting your own food - both crops and meat, fixing up your land/equipment, making your own goods, etc.), as well as community services to barter and work together for both survival and in building towards a better future. Land was abundant, the population was low, and living off the land was a requirement. This taught valuable lessons to the youth of the day: respect your neighbors, respect the land, and understand the reality of life and death. Young men and women learned how to hunt, fish, gather, help out, and work to EARN what was needed to live. This made for a healthy understanding of values and respect for one another, as well as an appreciation for life and survival.
As we have become urbanized and technology rules our world, few are self reliant. But at the same time, it is not an interpersonal interaction to get the goods or services to survive. A grocery store with self checkout lines, online/automatic bill pay, drop off delivery services, online shopping/ordering for almost anything you want. And all of this can be done without a single face to face interaction. It disconnects you from society, even though you live a few feet away from your neighbors and are surrounded by thousands (and millions) of people. It creates a disconnect from society and the understanding of how to live among a community.
I grew up in present day rural America. Our neighbors were our friends and we look out for each other and our properties, even with the closest neighbors a half mile away. Another mile further to the next ones. We helped them and they helped us.
More specific to the topic at hand, I went to school a high school of about 250 total kids in grades 9-12, over 80% of them with the same type of rural homes like me, and the remaining kids were from towns of under 500 people. I knew effectively every single kid in school, and/or their siblings. And the teachers and their kids. ... within this lifestyle, 90% of the boys (yes, there were and still are only boys and girls at my schools) hunted and worked on farms. We all carried pocket knives. We'd come to school after morning hunts with guns and bows in the vehicles. We'd bring them so we could go hunting right after school got out. We have them just because we hadn't taken them out yet. Hell, even most of the girls either would go shooting or had brothers/dads that hunted for the family. I never once even considered that anyone would use their gun or one out of the unlocked vehicles in the parking lot for a school shooting. No metal detectors. No locked doors. No security personnel. Nothing, nada, zip. And no concern. For reference, I graduated high school in 2006.
I contribute the complete lack of gun violence to the knowledge level and understanding of what guns can and would do. You're not afraid of guns if you understand and can use them. You don't use them for evil when you know what they do when used. They are a tool. They are fun to use as entertainment. Back when a 500 count box of .22LR was $15, my cousin and I would shoot a whole box off the front porch at pine cones, empty cans, or whatever just to waste an afternoon. My Brother and I would throw sticks in the flowing creek and see how many times we could split it with a 22 shot before it got out of sight. We'd shoot hundreds of rounds out of AR15 in an afternoon at damn near anything we could make into a target. And all of this purely as a form of entertainment instead of watching TV, playing video games, or being stuck inside.
I am convinced that introducing guns to youth at am early age is one of the best ways to teach them the importance of safe handling. The 10 commandments of Gun Safety should be taught like the alphabet. Hunter Safety should be like taking Drivers Education. I'll say it again, if you understand guns, you're not afraid of them and far less likely to use them for evil. It's those that are against/afraid of guns that lead the youth to believe guns are evil; and when that kid decides to do something evil, he will use the evil weapon. And the so-called "automatic assault military rifles" are the most evil, especially when used with mega-killing power ultra high capacity "clips" for the ultimate device to take our their anger.
I'm going to end here, because I have a books worth of thoughts on this subject, but would be preaching to the choir on this forum. I just wish we could get the anti's to open their eyes and see logic. But they won't, so it's a fight must wage. I heard it today, through several outlets "why can't gun owners admit there need to be more/tougher laws so this can't happen." Not one of them said "I wonder if the people are the problem". And I'm getting sick and tired of it.
The way I see it, this is a cultural and socal issue. I firmly believe that there is a direct (negative) correlation between the shift from a predominantly rural to now urban society, and what is being considered acceptable and normal within America. When the nation was founded, there was a very healthy balance in self reliance (making due, harvesting your own food - both crops and meat, fixing up your land/equipment, making your own goods, etc.), as well as community services to barter and work together for both survival and in building towards a better future. Land was abundant, the population was low, and living off the land was a requirement. This taught valuable lessons to the youth of the day: respect your neighbors, respect the land, and understand the reality of life and death. Young men and women learned how to hunt, fish, gather, help out, and work to EARN what was needed to live. This made for a healthy understanding of values and respect for one another, as well as an appreciation for life and survival.
As we have become urbanized and technology rules our world, few are self reliant. But at the same time, it is not an interpersonal interaction to get the goods or services to survive. A grocery store with self checkout lines, online/automatic bill pay, drop off delivery services, online shopping/ordering for almost anything you want. And all of this can be done without a single face to face interaction. It disconnects you from society, even though you live a few feet away from your neighbors and are surrounded by thousands (and millions) of people. It creates a disconnect from society and the understanding of how to live among a community.
I grew up in present day rural America. Our neighbors were our friends and we look out for each other and our properties, even with the closest neighbors a half mile away. Another mile further to the next ones. We helped them and they helped us.
More specific to the topic at hand, I went to school a high school of about 250 total kids in grades 9-12, over 80% of them with the same type of rural homes like me, and the remaining kids were from towns of under 500 people. I knew effectively every single kid in school, and/or their siblings. And the teachers and their kids. ... within this lifestyle, 90% of the boys (yes, there were and still are only boys and girls at my schools) hunted and worked on farms. We all carried pocket knives. We'd come to school after morning hunts with guns and bows in the vehicles. We'd bring them so we could go hunting right after school got out. We have them just because we hadn't taken them out yet. Hell, even most of the girls either would go shooting or had brothers/dads that hunted for the family. I never once even considered that anyone would use their gun or one out of the unlocked vehicles in the parking lot for a school shooting. No metal detectors. No locked doors. No security personnel. Nothing, nada, zip. And no concern. For reference, I graduated high school in 2006.
I contribute the complete lack of gun violence to the knowledge level and understanding of what guns can and would do. You're not afraid of guns if you understand and can use them. You don't use them for evil when you know what they do when used. They are a tool. They are fun to use as entertainment. Back when a 500 count box of .22LR was $15, my cousin and I would shoot a whole box off the front porch at pine cones, empty cans, or whatever just to waste an afternoon. My Brother and I would throw sticks in the flowing creek and see how many times we could split it with a 22 shot before it got out of sight. We'd shoot hundreds of rounds out of AR15 in an afternoon at damn near anything we could make into a target. And all of this purely as a form of entertainment instead of watching TV, playing video games, or being stuck inside.
I am convinced that introducing guns to youth at am early age is one of the best ways to teach them the importance of safe handling. The 10 commandments of Gun Safety should be taught like the alphabet. Hunter Safety should be like taking Drivers Education. I'll say it again, if you understand guns, you're not afraid of them and far less likely to use them for evil. It's those that are against/afraid of guns that lead the youth to believe guns are evil; and when that kid decides to do something evil, he will use the evil weapon. And the so-called "automatic assault military rifles" are the most evil, especially when used with mega-killing power ultra high capacity "clips" for the ultimate device to take our their anger.
I'm going to end here, because I have a books worth of thoughts on this subject, but would be preaching to the choir on this forum. I just wish we could get the anti's to open their eyes and see logic. But they won't, so it's a fight must wage. I heard it today, through several outlets "why can't gun owners admit there need to be more/tougher laws so this can't happen." Not one of them said "I wonder if the people are the problem". And I'm getting sick and tired of it.
