I was thinking of your situation actually. Have you been telling your family members that killing is forbidden in all circumstances or that it's acceptable in some? Immature minors tend to misinterpret these things with tragic consequences.
I'm aware that I'm being extremely harsh here, and I'm sorry if I am causing you pain, but I figured the touchy-feely approach doesn't work given you haven't made the connection, as evidenced by your willingness to do guest posts in favour of guns despite what has been happening to you in the last week...
P.S. I hope for your family's sake you have cleared your home of all ammunition just to be safe - don't be daft like that Connecticut woman.
You aren't capable of causing me pain, although it's nice to know that if you could, you'd be willing to apologize after the fact.
Nothing about my situation involves a firearm or even hints at the involvement of a firearm, so I'm not sure what connection I'm supposed to be making between homicidal ideation that does not include or reference the use of firearms
in any way and violence that is firearm related.
If you can illustrate how my opinions on firearm regulation should be influenced by fistfight statistics, stabbing incidents and arson, it would doubtless be an illuminating experience for both of us.
As to the moral tone of my household, we discourage the use of violence actively at every opportunity, and have never endorsed it in word, or by action as a suitable method of conflict resolution.
This is part of the reason why this entire sad affair came as such a shock to me, because we've been hyper vigilant in our desire to avoid desensitizing our kids to violence from the beginning. I've never struck or threatened anyone in my home with physical violence, and I've only raised my voice to a level above what could be considered normal speaking volume once in the last two years.
As to the safety of my family, I've taken every possible precaution, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, because I don't really think this is a situation where the "threat level" ever goes completely back to zero.
Our lives will have to be
permanently adjusted in order to accommodate a new set of safety protocols in an effort to limit our exposure to a variety of potentially violent situations.
The difference between you and I is that I don't let my emotions cloud my reasoning when I attempt to understand fundamental concepts relating to liberty, freedom, and the rights of men to determine their own destiny. You do, however, which is probably why you have such a problem with firearms.
It's apparent from your tone that they frighten you, but more than likely what you are actually afraid of is the evil that lurks in other men's hearts, and the reality that ultimately, no-one can promise you complete and total saftey in a world of infinite possibility.
However, rather than facing the fact that the universe is an unpredictable place, rife with the potential for evil and wrongdoing and preparing yourself accordingly, you would instead limit the rights of all men out of your own paralyzing cowardice, laziness, or both.
It's a poor solution to a problem that has existed since Cain whacked out Abel behind the gardening shed, and your myopic suggestion that the solutions to the larger issue of the root causes of violence can be found in the tools employed in it's administration proves that you are unfit for serious discussion on the matter.
