Commentary on Immigrants, Terrorists and Guns
Has the Republican Party abandoned both reason and common sense? With nearly 30,000 Americans being shot and killed annually, they seek to build a wall on the Mexican border while limiting visas to residents from various Muslim countries. While this is being done under the mantra of “keeping America safe”, we do nothing to meaningfully to accomplish that goal.
More to the point, if guns are alleged to keep people safe, then why are so many Americans dying from gunshot wounds? Put another way, while we encourage women with children to have guns in their homes for protection, why do we prosecute them when their children gain access and shoot a family member? How can guns provide safety at home when you must keep them locked up in a place beyond reach if your home is invaded?
None of this makes any sense, and it has nothing to do with immigrants or terrorists. And even if it did, how could anyone advocate our present porous firearm laws that would make these guns readily available to anyone devoted to killing Americans?
Look, I’m from a small town in Southern Indiana, and I know that many people in rural areas view guns quite differently than those in cities like Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Gary and Evansville. So let’s face reality and impose firearms restrictions pertaining to major metropolitan areas.
In other words, let’s use the Miss Kitty rule established in the old TV series Gunsmoke (1955-1975), Miss Kitty, played by Amanda Blake, made every cowboy entering her establishment, called the Long Branch Saloon, to check their guns at the door. They may have been useful on the range when they were guiding a large cattle herd for months from Texas, but they resulted in nothing but mayhem when they started drinking, gambling and consorting with beautiful women employed at the Long Branch.
If it made sense for Miss Kitty in the 1800s, it makes sense in 2017. If you want to possess a gun in Marion County, then get it licensed and registered, or check your guns at the county line.
You can’t keep American safe if you can’t keep our cities safe.
