Self control, not just "gun control" - rethink the approach

Gun control – the hot topic after another horrific mass shooting – is all over the media – the flames on the embers of tragedy… we simplify this issue and are looking to the governments (state and federal) to protect us from future occurrences - and in the same moment lament the freedoms that we’ve lost in the past 11 years. I am going to go on record – “We” just don’t get it. It is not a matter of “If guns were outlawed then only outlaws would have guns” versus “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”. Both are half-truths which means they are half self-deception. There are responsible gun owners who hold a very different attitude toward weaponry: RESPECT of the power that is inherent in owning them. When you drive your car, you understand the power of that vehicle to damage and hurt others (or to have your vehicle damaged/ yourself injured by others). This concept underlies responsible gun ownership. For the record, I do not own a gun, though I was taught to use rifles, shotguns and handguns. (Bet THAT is surprising to a few of you!). I learned the power and the respect firsthand. Many of the incidents that we read about involving guns involve them as a weapon of opportunity. The neighbors who quarrel and in the heat of the moment, one gets his gun and shoots the next. Kids who cannot buy cigarettes legally but manage to obtain weapons – without training, without permits --- the scenarios are endless. You can effectively argue that knives can be used in the same manner – however they don’t have the potential for the rapid broad impact of a semi-automatic or automatic weapon. Still, the answers are not as simple as guns versus people. It is the synergy gone awry of people with guns. The next steps to effectively reduce the potential for these tragedies lies with all of us. It is not simply a matter of laws, laws don't make it so - people make it so. And so it is a matter of civic responsibility, of taking responsibility for our actions, and becoming more community minded. There is a move toward community in recent years such as we have not seen in decades and I am glad to see it. But the everyday challenges are great – we are bombarded with too much negative sensational media (which we watch, thus raising the ratings and just encouraging more), we can’t go anywhere, can’t turn on the computer or radio or TV without being served up advertising telling us in loud caricatures what to eat, drink, brush our teeth with, drive… and the electronics in our homes make the darkness look like miniature cities with the Power lights. We are over stimulated and sleep deprived. You don’t have to spend much time researching to see how much is out there on the consequences of both – judgment and impulse control degradation. Add that to other factors – stress, abuse, loneliness/ isolation and the recipe for tragedy is very clear. Changing the way we live is a matter of changing our values – and that is no minor challenge for most. You need to consciously and honestly look at what you value – clothes, nice car, the latest gadgets, career – and make sure that family, sleep, and quiet time (away from electronics, work & stress-inducers, and people) are factored in. We may not have enough quiet time and life seems too busy to create it – but try scheduling it and respecting its place in your routine with the same attention as going to work, appointments, etc. Those are just suggestions for beginning the process – there are plenty of articles with suggestions about how to create a better life and we can find those that fit our lifestyles – or the lifestyles that we want to create. If we improve the value and pace of our own lives, that will ripple to those around us and support their efforts to do the same (which also reinforces our own). But first, more sleep and less distraction - you may be surprised at what a difference a day makes with both!