The NRA Under Fire

As most of you have heard, the NRA is currently under fire for their comments made after the shooting in Connecticut.  One article states that they asked all the wrong questions, would not answer reporter's questions and on and on it goes.

The shooting in Connecticut was undoubtedly a very horrific event and my heart goes out to all the parents who lost children that day as well as the families of the adults that were lost.  This was certainly a tragedy.

I want to state here - up front - that I am in no way minimizing that tragedy nor do I intend to be disrespectful to the families.  But, facts are facts and I do not feel that the NRA was off base with its statement that the thing that will stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun.

Now, regardless of your personal views on firearms, think about this logically. While not the case in Connecticut, for the most part, violent crimes involving firearms, are normally committed with illegally obtained firearms.  If a person wants to commit a crime with a gun, he/she will obtain one - bottom line.

So, if we take all the guns away from the honest and law abiding people, now who has guns?  Answer:  the criminals.  And what course of action for the law abiding people have to defend themselves against the criminals who do have the gun - none.

Imagine that you are in your house late in the evening.  Your family may or may not be in bed sleeping yet.  A criminal is attempting to break into your house.  He/she has a gun.  You don't.  What are your options for protecting your home and family?  You can call the police and hope that they arrive before the criminal gains entrance to the house.  What if you live in a rural area?  What are your chances of the police arriving first?

Now, change that scenario a bit.  Again, you are in your house late in the evening.  A criminal is attempting to break into your house.  He/she has a gun.  So do you.  Now, what are your options for protecting your home and family?

I don't know about you - but I like my chances in the second scenario a lot better than my chances in the first scenario. 

People should not be afraid of guns - they don't kill people.  People kill people.  Guns should, however, be respected.  There are certain common sense practices that should be followed.  Just as you would probably not go speeding off on a motorcycle with no shoes, no long pants, shirt or helmet because common sense tells you that this is not the safe way to ride a motorcycle, the same degree of care should be taken with guns.

I am not pointing a finger or placing blame for the Connecticut shooting, but apparently this was a mentally disturbed individual.  Perhaps a common sense degree of care should have been used by the mother in the storage of her weapons.  When I have children in my house, I make sure that my gun is in a place that they cannot reach and is out of sight.  Can we really blame the gun collection for this tragedy? 

I think not - what do you think?