Happy New year to
fellow Lazio readers!...First, I must say a big thank you to everyone who has
visited and commented on my blog since day one. So to all of you, I
say...ooshhee!!!(Thank you)
Now to a more
important topic on my heart, gun violence. Its no new story that recent gun
related violence stories in America have sparked debates that might eventually
lead to new gun laws, curbing or restricting the possession of certain types of
guns. I have held debates with individuals on both sides, read stories and
propositions and put myself in the shoes of everyone who voiced their concerns
about this important issue. These are strictly my views, and I am very open to
hold an intellectual debate on this issue.
It might seem a
little weird for me to talk about this. Let's face it, I'm a Nigerian-born
American resident with a funny name, story and accent. My family members,
though I never saw them with guns, I have no doubt their military training would
have exposed them to different types of semi-automatic weapons and artilleries.
We have heard and
read about recent massacres; Aurora shooting, Sheik shooting and the Sandy Hook
elementary massacre. These recent massacres, I believe, have sparked debates on
gun violence, more specifically between the National Riffle Association (NRA)
and Obama administration. During one of my talks, a friend told me about her
strong belief in the judgement of our founding fathers; George Washington, John
Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and others who fought through blood, sweat and tears
towards the development of this great nation. My friend expressed her concern
that America might just be losing its fundamental values as a nation with these
ever-changing laws. She highly valued her second amendment right and felt that
limiting our gun laws would only limit her freedom in the most democratic
nation the world has ever produced.
Another good friend
of mine made a point. She was concerned that 'if' a civil or international war
ever came about in the United States, citizens might not be able to protect
themselves. While I agree with her intent to protect America, I disagree with
her approach.
First, I think as
American citizens, it is very important that we remain objective and not
subjective in our thought process, more specifically on the issue of gun
violence. I start my first argument by sharing a quote I read from a Facebook
friend's status. It says, "One of the signs of a dying church is when the
pastor/ leader says, ' we have always done things this way'." That being
said, I do strongly believe that the founding fathers fought for the freedom
and greatness of this country. I also agree that these fundamental laws,
written in the declaration of rights and into other parts of the constitution
were put in because of the passion and love for this country. The truth is, we
all love America. I love this country, and I would not want things to go down
the gutter.
That being said, I
think it is very important that we look at the current laws we have, re-define
them, and decide if the current laws are applicable and favorable to the
progress of present-day America. If the cons of the current laws outweigh the
pros, then I think then it’s time for a change. A change I believe America's
posterity would never regret.
Second, I think we
should look more closely at the shooting massacres within the past year. Let's
compare common traits of those incidents and analyze traits that the shooters
had in common. From my evaluation, I observed two major things the shooters had
in common.
1) All shooters used
at least one assault rifle to execute their plans.
2) They all claimed
to be mentally challenged or disabled
This brings me to my
next point. Solutions!
It’s no surprise that
people are killed daily all around the country with guns. More than 900 gun
related deaths have been accounted for since the mass shooting in Connecticut.
I think we should look at our short and long term solutions. Short term
solutions would focus on ways to significantly reduce gun related deaths and
injuries within a short time span. Long term solutions would focus on the same
thing, only within a longer time span.
I support curbing and
banning of semi-automatic assault rifles and I agree with President's Obama's
proposal to limit the magazines. I do not see any reason we need weapons that
would shoot multiple rounds at a time. Although I've never been hunting, I know
people who take delight in hunting and I support keeping shotguns or other guns
that would only be effective for hunting purposes. I think these types of guns
would, to a great extent, protect majority of citizens who need to use one for
protective measures at needed times. I think these measures would significantly
reduce the number of gun related deaths, if executed today!
Long term, I think it
is important to look at the state of care for mentally ill individuals in the
United States. I agree with NRA's proposal to register all mentally ill
patients in the U.S, the same way AIDS patients are registered. This will help
gun and artillery stores identify and easily make decisions on potential
customers' potential eligibility to buy weapons. Also, it is important to
ensure that families of mentally ill patients have restricted gun access or
undergo proper training on how to keep their guns away from the mentally ill
family member. Psychologists and psychiatrists would need to come up with a
system where individuals with certain mental diagnosis are prevented access to
weapons.
Finally, I think its
high time we re-evaluated our video games. Though these games are entertaining,
it is important to know that they indirectly function as simulators for
murder-suicide. Remember the same individuals who planned out 911
learned to fly planes via simulators. I have more ideas, but I'll stop here for
now.
These are strictly my
views and I offer no apologies for writing this.
P.S. I have no
favoritism for any political party. I think it is simply common sense to choose
leaders who have the capacity to be more efficient than blindly clinging to
a party!
With confidence,
LazioM.A.N
