Follow Jezblog:
I try to be polite about the culture of others....... Their religious beliefs and the things they hold dear in ritual and in daily life. People say you should respect the religions of others, I think that may be taking it to far, respect is earned you either do or you don't have respect but certainly politeness is a good way to go.
I have decided to deal with some aspects of American culture in the same way. I have tried to deal with the gun in locked drawer rather like the statue of the Buddha in the corner in another home ....... Not something that plays a significant cultural roll in my life...... but I understand that some people have an identity that requires it. I am polite to Buddhists and to Hindus and to Sikhs and followers of Judaism and Islam and Christianity of all types and indeed I am generally polite to followers of all religions.
I am polite......... to gun owners in the same way. But when I see these massacres of innocents at schools I find it hard to remain politely silent. Clearly it's disgusting that a man suffering mental illness can get a military style gun and slaughter children. That a military weapon was freely available to him in his house is completely wrong. There I have said it. I try to be polite and almost respectful of peoples desire to have weapons in their houses but in the end it's not possible, especially if they want to have military weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds in a minute. A weapon especially designed for use in war...... a weapon thats only real use in actual civilian life is to slaughter children at schools or shoppers at the mall........ When someone demands the right to keep a weapon like that at home....... Well, in the end its hard to go on being silently polite........ I don't agree that chat show hosts should be outright rude to their guests....... But you can't help but have some sympathy with Piers Morgan ........
Come on no one should have an arsenal of military weapons in their house clearly it's a danger to children and all members of society ....... Its crazy that you cannot buy many French cheeses in the US or Kinder Eggs (Chocolate eggs is a plastic toy inside) because they are deemed be too dangerous and yet anyone can pop down to Walmart and buy assault rifles and other military weapons.
Only nutters fearing a zombie apocalypse or people planning a mass shooting outrage really need one. Lets just not make a fuss, lets make a small move to protect children from slaughter and stop selling nutters assault weapons. Even ordinary gun owners can get behind that surely? Lets try to have fewer children killed in mass slaughter at their schools surely we all want that?
Er..... lets not pretend the way forward is to have armed guards at schools...... I once knew an armed guard at posh little school in DC....... he was such a nice guy crossing the children over the road ........ saying grace at school meals ....... he started having a relationship with a teacher....... when she wanted to break it off he ended up killing her with his gun ....... the police then shot and killed him ........
I will go back to being polite about the need to have a gun in the house ...... even though logic and statistics tell you the guy with the gun ....... is of course not necessarily safer because he has a gun ..... if his gun ever kills anyone ..... it is statistically most likely to be him..........
Anyway each to their own........ But those assault weapons really are a proper threat to children and the rest of society in general ....... As are all guns of course ....... But those military weapons represent a hugely enhanced threat ......... I'm glad to see President Obama has said he will attempt to reinstate the Federal law banning assault weapons.
I hope even ordinary gun owners and supporters of 'the right to bear arms' will see the logic of supporting the Presidents move. After all the 'right bear arms' goes back a long way....... But the right to keep a modern military assault weapon in the home is pretty new ........ and it has lead directly to some horrible crimes and slaughter.
Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
www.jezblog.com
Comment: Name: Website: Email (not visible to others) remember me
More+
.... The photography and slightly mad life of reportage artist Jez Coulson ....