Saturday, December 29, 2012

Shoot the Messenger



Fourteen years ago I was asked in an interview what I thought  about the gun registry. It goes down as one of the oddest questions ever in an interview for a minstry position, but I responded saying that it didn`t make a lot of sense to me I lived in Northern Ontario at the time where lots of people owned firearms for hunting, and I began ministry in Newfoundland where just about every home had a rifle or a shotgun or multiples of both. Ì.m not against owning weapons for legitimate reasons, altough I can`t imagine ever owning one. Maybe the committee thought this was the social issue de jour, and I must say it was original. The committee didn`t ask my opinion about automatice weapons or handguns which I very strongly oppose.Insanity is the way I would characterize the indiscriminate sale of these instruments of death.

It`s a good thing I live in Canada because expressing these views south of the border might result in a petition to have me deported Ask Piers Morgan. the CNN commentator who is a Brit Thousands have signed a petition to kick him out of the country for saying that arming everyone with an arsenal meant for war can led to know no good.The concern is that Morgan is somehow violating their Second Amendment rights. I believe the right to freedom of expression still exist in America, but apparently there are lots of xenophobic types who don`t want strangers calling on intelligent people to use common sense.

When the spokesperson for the NRA calls a press conference to say that the way to deal with bad guys with guns is to give guns to the good guys you know something has gone terribly wrong. Armed guards in every school I suppose that now they will encourage militia members riding shotgun on every firetruck. Guns do kill people, ,just as cigarrettes kill people

 I wonder about returning to the States even though I have family there and enjoy so many people at courses and on vacation. But maybe they would want me out anyway because of what might be percieved as anti-American views. I just want people to live without fear, for children to go to school safely.

Are you still trying to figure this one out?

2 comments:

willowjakmom said...

I was genuinely stunned when I saw a friend post a comment in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy on facebook, demanding that armed security be provided for all schools in Canada. I think that I sometimes assume that just because we are Canadians, we all share the same views.

My view remains firm. There may be a purpose for shotguns, but assault weapons? The timing of my reading your post comes just after I learned that there was another arrest for the massacre of the firemen in NY State. The shooter's next door neighbour was arrested for purchasing the guns for the shooter and falsifying legal documents that declared that she would be the sole owner of the weapons. My disgust lays in the fact that those laws do what? Help trace gun owners after the fact? Making weapons like that available to the general public is what is so messed up.

The Huffington Post posted links to all gun-related deaths in the US, in the days following the Sandy Hook tragedy. After only one week, the count had already topped 100. I just looked it up and it seems that the count is now at 306.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2012/12/gun_death_tally_every_american_gun_death_since_newtown_sandy_hook_shooting.html?wpisrc=most_viral

There really are no words. If you can't speak out in the US, are they really going to listen to us up here?

Sarah said...

I was speechless then and I still am now, regarding the NRA's stance. And that link willowjakmom posted...I can only shake my head.

Lately, I have been trying to stay away from mainstream media, specifically US media. I find it only makes me angry or confused.

To be honest, I don't even want to visit the USA at all.