{"id":2184,"date":"2013-01-14T19:34:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T19:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2013\/01\/gun-control-and-the-facts-that-mess-it-up.html"},"modified":"2013-01-14T19:34:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T19:34:00","slug":"gun-control-and-the-facts-that-mess-it-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2013\/01\/gun-control-and-the-facts-that-mess-it-up.html","title":{"rendered":"Gun control and the facts that mess it up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I haven\u2019t waded much into the gun control debate of post-Sandy Hook. \u00a0I\u2019ll admit, my first reactions that day were based on \u2019round\u2019em up, round all the guns up now!\u2019 \u00a0That\u2019s why policy shouldn\u2019t be decided in the heat of the moment, not unless massive human life is depending on it. \u00a0The same could be said, of course, about the death penalty. \u00a0I\u2019ve always been against the death penalty, largely on the grounds that no legal system is perfect, and one innocent person executed isn\u2019t worth the feelings of justice that capital punishment evoke<\/a>. \u00a0Still, there are times when I would gleefully pull the trigger if given the chance, simply out of the horror of what criminals are sometimes capable of. \u00a0Hence the need for reason to check emotion.<\/p>\n

So rushing to policy decisions when something like Sandy Hook occurs is not, IMHO, a great idea. \u00a0It\u2019s better to take a deep breath, and look at the facts. \u00a0Like these, that suggest gun ownership and mass shootings really aren\u2019t connected<\/a>. \u00a0Naturally\u00a0there could be other facts that suggest other things, and I\u2019m fine with looking at them all to see what we might see. \u00a0You never know. \u00a0I doubt there\u2019s anyone who doesn\u2019t pray there will never be another Newtown. <\/p>\n

But the price is too high for\u00a0knee-jerk\u00a0reactions and emotionally driven responses. \u00a0Sure, it\u2019s an emotional topic. \u00a0Who wasn\u2019t cut to the heart that day when the news of Newtown first broke? \u00a0But the goal is finding a solution, not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. \u00a0Not to base solutions on ideas that are\u00a0refuted\u00a0by actual facts. \u00a0Certainly not rushing through things that could do more harm than good. \u00a0And yes, that means compromising our liberties. \u00a0I, for one, have been shocked that individuals who have spent years trashing our government over its claims that our liberties might need to be\u00a0re-imagined\u00a0in our war against terrorism are suddenly acting as if any damn fool knows we should be ready to compromise our liberties to\u00a0prevent\u00a0another Sandy Hook.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s that sort of thing that we must avoid. \u00a0Sit down and find answers? \u00a0You bet. \u00a0Look for solutions? \u00a0Oh yeah. \u00a0Do whatever it takes to prevent another Sandy Hook? \u00a0No. \u00a0Not whatever. \u00a0Because there is an immense volume of terror that can be put into a term like \u2018whatever\u2019. \u00a0And if our desire is for the best for everyone, we\u2019ll not forget it. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I haven\u2019t waded much into the gun control debate of post-Sandy Hook. \u00a0I\u2019ll admit, my first reactions that day were based on \u2019round\u2019em up, round all the guns up now!\u2019 \u00a0That\u2019s why policy shouldn\u2019t be decided in the heat of the moment, not unless massive human life is depending on it. \u00a0The same could be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGun control and the facts that mess it up<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I haven't waded much into the gun control debate of post-Sandy Hook.  I'll admit, my first reactions that day were based on 'round'em up, round all\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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