Authors are told at every marketing event that we are not to talk about politics. EVER. Half the audience won’t read anything you write if you offend them. I certainly don’t want to offend anyone. I prefer to talk about romance novels and getting away from reality for a few hours. I also cannot ignore the human part of my soul. A friend of a friend’s husband was in the conference room in California. He was there for a Christmas party. He didn’t go to the work event with anything but food to share at the pot luck. His family had to call a hotline and still they don’t know for certain his fate. As the night passed, and his location, his family has to be a mess. I’m horrified as events unfold first for that family’s personal pain.
Maybe they believe something other than me. I don’t know. I can’t imagine being in their shoes at all. I want to hug my family tight and not let go. Another part of me sees the news and remembers the 90s and the Brady Bill. Growing up we had a ban on assault rifles. We had less killings. The ban lapsed. My republican friends who I consider good, amazing people would tell me that the answer to guns is more guns. ‘Bad guys will always get the guns, so you should be prepared.’ I’ve heard that one a million times, but I don’t believe it. If we aren’t giving them out like candy then people who might do these things will have to jump through more hoops. We’ll have less violence. This is the only logical thing I see. In Europe. In Australia. In Asia. All of these places have less violence and less guns in the hands of everyone. I want the ability to go through a day, do my work, laugh with friends, go home, be happy with my family, and then have this loop continue. I blame the ease of guns as part of the problem. The answer to when someone hates me, stabs me in the back or name calls because they think I did something to them is to turn the other cheek, be happy for them and go on my way towards my own goals. If I respond with violence then I’m not acting in the good image I was created to be. And I do believe most people in the world are good who were also created as part of the divine. Don’t put weapons into disgruntled hands or politicized angry people who might do something ungodly. That’s not the answer.
Tomorrow or the next day I promise I’ll go back to books and love and romance. My personality will bubble, but for now I’m just so sad and want to be part of a solution. I’ve been told I’m idealistic all my life so I hope my idealism doesn’t offend anyone.
Hugs everyone and make sure your family is happy today. It’s my plan to hug the ones I love.
Victoria
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the expiration of the assault weapons ban affect gun violence in the US?
The Brady Bill, passed in the 1990s, included a ban on assault rifles, and during that period the US experienced fewer mass killings. When the ban lapsed, gun violence increased. Proponents of stricter gun control argue that making firearms harder to obtain forces potential perpetrators to jump through more hoops, reducing overall violence.
What is the argument that stricter gun laws reduce violence compared to arming more people?
Supporters of gun control argue that limiting the ease of obtaining firearms means fewer weapons reach disgruntled or dangerous individuals, reducing violent incidents. They point to countries in Europe, Australia, and Asia, where stricter gun laws correlate with significantly lower rates of gun violence, as evidence that fewer guns in circulation leads to safer societies.
Does having more guns actually make people safer compared to having stricter gun control?
A common pro-gun argument is that ‘bad guys will always get guns, so law-abiding citizens should be armed.’ However, gun control advocates counter that when firearms are not readily available, potential perpetrators face greater barriers to obtaining them. International comparisons with Europe, Australia, and Asia suggest that fewer guns in circulation correlates with less overall violence.
