About J.R.
Posted: Mon May 21, 2018 10:05 pmThis well thought out note is from a good friend of mine. He discusses the situation I was also involved with and was told the same by a Minneapolis police captain.
“A lot of people will ask me.. “You must like guns huh?”
My answer is not really what they would expect, considering what I do for a living. My answer is often something along the lines of, No, I have no affection for guns of any kind, I appreciate them for the machines that they are and have a healthy respect for them.
Guns are nothing more than tools, like a hammer, or a screw driver to me. There are lots of guns out there, just like golf clubs, there is one for every purpose. My guns have never hurt anyone…. They must be lazy…
I know that gun violence is a problem we are all taking about this week, and for good reason, but let’s look at that statement “Gun Violence…. “
Guns in and of themselves are not violent, they are tools like a hammer, or a screw driver… people commit violence, plain and simple. This country does not have a gun problem, we have a violence problem. Guns are just the simple “scapegoat.” How many times do we have to discuss this? Same conversation over and over… additionally, we don’t do a good job with mental health in this country either… and well see something say something isn’t working too well either.. Those issues need serious repair.
School shootings are terrible, and I am NOT making light of the situation, but when are we going to learn? We seem to make the same mistakes over and over. Columbine should have been the wake up call… outrage upon outrage.. and still nothing… Schools are WIDE OPEN… we are so worried about political correctness, we can accomplish NOTHING.
I remember a time when there was a certain person acting in an overtly hostile and un-natural way. I knew this person was potentially dangerous and I was more worried about him hurting himself than someone else, but that was a toss up… anyhow… I called the State Authorities, and sat down with them to discuss the matter, while they were aware of the person and some of the things he was saying, the response stunned me…”Well, its not illegal to be crazy..”
After a serious escalation in hostilities, and rhetoric, and escalation of his behavior to the point of criminality, he was arrested, detained, and charged. He never saw a courtroom, he decided to end his life… I regret every day that I didn’t CAMP OUT on the steps of the State Office and visit EVERYDAY to pitch the case for his detainment and evaluation.
I could have saved his life and helped turn himself around and get treatment. He was obviously not a well man, it didn’t take a genius to see it. He just wasn’t acting in a reasonable manner for someone carrying a firearm, and teaching others to do the same. In this situation, it was a 50% 50% shot whether this man killed himself, or someone I cared about, or even me… it was a serious toss up and a scary situation. In a fight for my life, if I have a gun in my hand, I am the equal of any man, but I thought it more important to save this man if I could and avoid a conflict legally, and reasonably.
Rewind the story to a point where I, as a normal everyday guy, saw something and said something… I got a reply “Well, its not illegal to be crazy.” And that right there was the very attitude that cost a man his life and scared the **** out of a lot of others in the process.
That has to be a high bar to jump over to shown incompetent, however, we need to take a bit more care than what I was told. Let that sink in for a minute as you think about the latest mass murder at a school.
I know that there will be people that want to argue with me… that’s fine, and I respect an honest discussion… remember that feelings are not facts… and your feelings dont negate rights…”
“A lot of people will ask me.. “You must like guns huh?”
My answer is not really what they would expect, considering what I do for a living. My answer is often something along the lines of, No, I have no affection for guns of any kind, I appreciate them for the machines that they are and have a healthy respect for them.
Guns are nothing more than tools, like a hammer, or a screw driver to me. There are lots of guns out there, just like golf clubs, there is one for every purpose. My guns have never hurt anyone…. They must be lazy…
I know that gun violence is a problem we are all taking about this week, and for good reason, but let’s look at that statement “Gun Violence…. “
Guns in and of themselves are not violent, they are tools like a hammer, or a screw driver… people commit violence, plain and simple. This country does not have a gun problem, we have a violence problem. Guns are just the simple “scapegoat.” How many times do we have to discuss this? Same conversation over and over… additionally, we don’t do a good job with mental health in this country either… and well see something say something isn’t working too well either.. Those issues need serious repair.
School shootings are terrible, and I am NOT making light of the situation, but when are we going to learn? We seem to make the same mistakes over and over. Columbine should have been the wake up call… outrage upon outrage.. and still nothing… Schools are WIDE OPEN… we are so worried about political correctness, we can accomplish NOTHING.
I remember a time when there was a certain person acting in an overtly hostile and un-natural way. I knew this person was potentially dangerous and I was more worried about him hurting himself than someone else, but that was a toss up… anyhow… I called the State Authorities, and sat down with them to discuss the matter, while they were aware of the person and some of the things he was saying, the response stunned me…”Well, its not illegal to be crazy..”
After a serious escalation in hostilities, and rhetoric, and escalation of his behavior to the point of criminality, he was arrested, detained, and charged. He never saw a courtroom, he decided to end his life… I regret every day that I didn’t CAMP OUT on the steps of the State Office and visit EVERYDAY to pitch the case for his detainment and evaluation.
I could have saved his life and helped turn himself around and get treatment. He was obviously not a well man, it didn’t take a genius to see it. He just wasn’t acting in a reasonable manner for someone carrying a firearm, and teaching others to do the same. In this situation, it was a 50% 50% shot whether this man killed himself, or someone I cared about, or even me… it was a serious toss up and a scary situation. In a fight for my life, if I have a gun in my hand, I am the equal of any man, but I thought it more important to save this man if I could and avoid a conflict legally, and reasonably.
Rewind the story to a point where I, as a normal everyday guy, saw something and said something… I got a reply “Well, its not illegal to be crazy.” And that right there was the very attitude that cost a man his life and scared the **** out of a lot of others in the process.
That has to be a high bar to jump over to shown incompetent, however, we need to take a bit more care than what I was told. Let that sink in for a minute as you think about the latest mass murder at a school.
I know that there will be people that want to argue with me… that’s fine, and I respect an honest discussion… remember that feelings are not facts… and your feelings dont negate rights…”