Too Close to Home
To those who see gun ownership as a rite of passage for use in sport, more gun control seems like more government intrusion.
However, for families like mine who have had to bury family members as a result of murder, fewer guns in the hands of the wrong people could possibly equal fewer coffins and flowers too.
Although more gun control will not totally eradicate murder, one has to applaud President Barack Obama for using executive orders to at least try to stop even one more unnecessary killing.
According to the Washington Post, “One key proposal would require more gun sellers—especially those who do business on the Internet and at gun shows—to be licensed and would force them to conduct background checks on potential buyers.
“Obama would devote more federal funds to treating mental illness—a move that could require congressional approval—and require that firearms lost in transit between a manufacturer and seller be reported to federal authorities.”
On both sides of my family, maternal and paternal, I grew up with stories of cousins and an uncle who left this world as a result of murder. Two were the result of a gun and one was the result of drowning.
For many people those deaths were probably just another news story, but to my family it was future generations growing up with only stories and a handful of pictures, not true experiences with a loved one.
It meant sons experiencing their formative years without their fathers.
It meant mothers burying their first or only son.
It meant wives being turned into widows.
And it made little brothers suddenly big brothers.
One less gun could have meant one more life for countless families.
But to some, one less gun means one less deer to place on the mantle.
America has a serious gun problem.
I am the first to admit that the soul of America is at peril and simple gun control legislation will not work.
But if one is battling a terminal illness, they will try experimental drugs with no guarantee of success if there is a small chance that it is successful.
While we need to address the lack of morals and lack of God in our society that leads someone to the sin of murder, faith without works is dead.
If there is a chance that one life can be saved because of an experiment or hunch from President Obama, what do we actually have to lose?
So what if a hunter has to wait a couple of days longer to purchase a gun.
Hunters would just have to plan accordingly and purchase their guns a little earlier than usual when deer season nears.
Delay, as it pertains to hunters, is always better than death as it pertains to human lives. I am just glad we have a president with enough heart to realize the difference.
Magazine Topics:
- Obama Weathering the Storm of the Presidency
- Nikki Haley’s Comments Shows Rewriting of Black History Has Always Happened to Comfort Bigots in Doubt
- Debates Show Black Male Stereotypes Even Apply to POTUS
- DeSantis Channels Inner Bishop From ‘Juice’ By Appearing at Vigil for Black Hate Crime Victims
- GOP Elects Election Denier, But Dems Deserve Some Blame Too
- Gov. Abbott Please Show Same Empathy for Anti-Black Racism as You Do For Antisemitism
- Modern GOP Needs More Ken Bucks, Fewer Josh Hawleys
- Rick Santorum Says Quiet Part Out Loud About Threat to Democracy
- Yes, Trump is Still Clear, Present Danger to American Democracy
- Hard to Understand Why So Many Believe Biden Has Not Done Anything for African-Americans
- If He Wins Reelection, Biden Will Go Down As Most Consequential President of Century
- Trump, MAGA Republicans Got Black Folks Bent if They Think Mug Shots, Sneakers Will Win Our Vote
- Trump, Stop Insulting Legacy of MLK By Comparing Him to Reprehensible N.C. Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson
- To Think Trump is God-Sent, People Must Be Worshipping God Without a Conscience
- Is the Democratic Party Really a Plantation for Black Voters?
- Why Can Convicted Felon Run for Presidency Although Some States Prevent Felons from Voting?
- Trump Wants Police Immunity; But What if the Shoe is on the Other Foot, Racially?
- Stop Chalking Up Trump’s Evil Rhetoric to Coincidence
- Extra Scrutiny for Politicians Nothing New, Not Necessarily Witch-Hunt
- Vengeance Reserved for Jesus Christ Not MAGA’s Fake Savior, Trump
- Potential Loss of Democracy Result of Black Political Progress Just Like Jim Crow Laws Were
- Salute to Queen Taraji P. Henson for Highlighting Project 2025, Waking Up Sleeping Giant
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Should Not Be Bad Word for Businesspeople, Politicians
- Attempted Assassination: American Unity, Peace Will Come From God, Not Donkey or Elephant
- Don’t Compare Jan. 6 to President Biden Stepping Down