Conversation About Guns

Me: I have nothing against hunting for food. I have nothing against shooting Peeps and other targets for fun. But a company holding a drawing for a free gun to bolster support for gun-rights...and not just any gun, but THE SAME gun used in the Aurora shooting and the Newtown shooting...it makes me so sad I want to throw up. Have you no respect for the lives lost? No respect for the living who have lost their children? So sad. =(

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/12/16467502-gun-rights-groups-our-backs-are-against-the-wall?lite (my sorrow originates from this news article).

My Friend: I read the article and see the correlation and do not like the idea of giving guns away to people who do not really want/ and know how to properly store/use. however An AR-15 is a type of gun in gun jargon not an exact gun ( like saying minivan in regards to a type of car). I in no way approve of actions some people take with their weapons but these ban seemed based on banning scary looking weapons to appeal to the masses. ( just my opinion ).

Me:  Ya, I understand that. I understand all the arguments on the pro-gun side. I agree with a lot of them. I was coming at this from a perspective of empathy in this post. If it was my child killed and I read this article I would feel like my child was forgotten. I would feel like no one cared. The pain of feeling like people cared more about promoting a gun business then the LIFE of my CHILD would permeate my whole body. That's what I would feel if it was my kid. And I think this world needs a little more empathy. And I think the gun owners are gonna be just fine if they can't have AR-15s anymore. But the families that don't have their kindergartners anymore are never gonna be okay. So it's not really comparable when it comes to emotion. And I realize that a large part of America doesn't place much value on emotion. But I do. I think heart suffering matters. I think it matters a lot. So I write about it.

My Friend: That's awesome! I hope you weren't offended, I also feel great compassion for those family (hits close to home with daughters of the same age).

Me:  Totally not offended.  And I am capable of a logical discussion about all of this too.  In which I would say that the banning of AR -15s would be helpful in reducing the number of MASS shootings. BUT it would not be helpful in reducing shootings all together. For that we need to talking about mental health care and nutrition  and culture and possibly armed policed officers at schools, or whatever other good ideas we can come up with.