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Gun Rights or Right to Life

Blog: Werner Janssen's blog

January 23, 2010

We continue to experience a most unfortunate increase in gun violence in our country. What is happening in our society? Who or what is responsible for this tragic change? Attacks with guns and all too frequent murders occur on a daily basis somewhere in our country. Even gun violence in North Central Washington seems to be a frequent occurrence. It is likely that more people have been killed by violence in the United States than in either Iraq or Afghanistan during some months during this past year. Until we return civility and peace to our country it makes no sense for other nations to be taught our approach to democracy.

Use of guns to express misunderstood emotions has come out of the closet. Computer entertainment encourages too many people to see violence as the convenient way to become winners. In the past, the fear of disgracing families prevented some violence in our society. Currently, too many people have no pride in family and in fact have no families to share an environment of civility. The loss of hope for our future has created an unfortunate moral vacuum that emphasizes the here and the now rather than working toward positive improvement as we look forward.

When civility is ridiculed and hatred is condoned it is no wonder our society experiences more and more violence. Even if you dismiss Limbaugh or Beck as crude entertainers, their distortions and lies continue to spread a layer of hate and disrespect like fog over our society. When you hear expressions of hate and evil shared each day, it is understandable that an increasing number of emotionally weak individuals will express frustration through violence. Freedom without civility creates anarchy. We have an increasing problem in our society dealing with our personal emotions. Our schools don’t have the time, money or perhaps even the will to help our youth deal with disappointment, depression or loss of hope. How can we encourage change? We must help our youth understand the complexity of emotions. Our youth must be exposed to art, poetry and the impact of “story” to understand what can result through emotional ignorance. Our society has helped to destroy community by overemphasizing individual rights. Violence always increases violence. Violence increases the pressure to remove individual rights. Violence increases the destruction of civility and community. Freedom of speech must be protected but unfortunately it appears as if the freedom we sacrifice to preserve is destroying the democracy we love to celebrate.

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BLOGS

Gun Rights or Right to Life

Blog: Werner Janssen's blog

Comments

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

" I only need my Tazer and bear mace and it won't get jammed when I try to use it in emergency."

I've owned 3 guns in my life, I got rid of them for my children's sake.