Charleston - Think About it

A warning to those who follow this blog for cycling, skiing, or fly fishing and who are anti-gun - we're going to talk about guns here today. And a warning for those who read for hunting and shooting - I'm going to step out of line with the NRA party line. Call me an equal opportunity offender...

The events in Charleston this week have really given me pause. As a gun owner, they've caused me to re-examine some thinking. As an American, they've stirred a lot of thought. And as a human being, they've caused me to be really disappointed in my fellow man.

Hatred
I heard a talk radio host yesterday posit the theory that the problem is we all hate each other - blacks hate whites and vice-versa. I'm sure he was firing for effect to keep the program lively, but it was a legitimate theory. Do we really all hate each other? My take is that there are extremists in every group and those people probably do hate each other. But the vast majority of us don't share those feelings. Unfortunately, social media, the Internet, and the 24/7 news cycle have given the limelight over to the extremists. Sad. We've become a nation focused on the extreme. Maybe it's time for the Moderate Majority (yeah, damn right, I capitalized that...) to seize control and get this place straight.

No Gun Zones
This one's ticklish, but this particular case is illustrative. An Emmy-award winning reporter from a Dallas TV station told the tale of an interview with a family member of a victim that Dylann Roof reloaded FIVE times. As a long-standing concealed carry permit holder, I know that churches are an identified gun-free zone. Curiously, I think this is more of a legal thing -- churches and stadiums both hold a lot of people, and therefore are gun-free. Sad, I'd actually think you'd do it out of respect for the Church as a place of peace. But I digress. He reloaded five times. And you've got to figure a 21 year old isn't going to be trained in eyes-off reloads. So he had to look down, drop the magazine, grab another, insert, and rack the slide to chamber a round. I wasn't there, so this is merely speculation, but I have to believe that during at least one of those reloads, a savvy concealed permit holder could have ended the situation. Does this mean I'm advocating eliminating gun-free churches? I'm not willing to go there yet. But in Michigan you can carry in a Church if you have written permission from the priest, minister, rabbi, etc. Makes you think.

Politics
We don't do this much on Get Outside - polly-ticks that is. I'm a confirmed fence-sitter who's beginning to align more with the Libertarian mindset. If there were really any moderate Republicans or conservative Democrats, I'd probably vote for them. But I'm incredibly disappointed in our President who took this opportunity to use this tragedy to push his personal "no guns" agenda. That's shameful. And to say that "this doesn't happen in other developed countries..." is just outright rubbish. Seen what's happened in Paris in recent years as it became a melting pot of cultures? Would you consider Pairs a developed country. This was a time for our leader to express the Country's grief for the victims, their families and loved ones, and the people of Charleston. Period.

More Politics
Obama's decision to focus on guns took everyone's eyes off the real issue. The gun in Dylann Roof's hand didn't kill those people - his finger pulling the trigger did. And his decision to reload and pull the trigger again. I own a number of firearms. None are equipped with a self-pulling trigger. The gun is simply a tool. He could have killed those people with knife, a bomb, or even a folding chair. What Obama glossed over is our utterly ruined mental health care system. All reports indicate that this was a truly troubled young man, with a history of drug abuse and violent statements. We see this pattern over and over in these shootings. Virginia Tech? Same deal. Aurora? Yup. So, I would issue this challenge to our government - how about if you devote 50% of the time, energy, and money that you spend trying to prevent law-abiding citizens from having guns and put it into fixing our broken mental health system. I have a number of friends who are mental health professionals. All will tell you the system has been gutted by cuts. It's time for real reform. And remember, this is an anti Big Government guy suggesting this...

The NRA
Sorry folks, its time to stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. We need to stop protecting the rights of people like Dylann Roof and Adam Lanza. People with a history of mental illness, drug abuse, and/or violence shouldn't be able to own firearms. Period. Do whatever it takes to find a solution. Show that you are the good people you claim to be. If that means stronger background checks - good. A national database? I'm not thrilled about some aspects of that, but maybe we need to look at it. One logical place to start, in my opinion, is levelling national policies rather than the current State-by-State model. A friend told me that in Indiana you can get a concealed permit by having a simple chat with the Sheriff. Seriously? I've been an NRA member for years, but this is my last unless they start to find some way to collaborate and seek solutions.

The Family
You need a license to drive a car. A special certification to operate a motorcycle. A CDL for commercial truck drivers. And, what do you need to have a kid? Just a few sweaty moments. Dylann Roof's parents saw the external signs of hatred -- he wore Apartheid patches on his jacket and had a Confederate flag on his car. So what do they do? Buy him a gun for his 21st birthday. That's some solid parenting there. Adam Lanza's Mom thought that somehow having a Bushmaster AR would be a good idea with a kid with clear mental health issues in the house. She paid for this mistake with her life. Do I have a solution? No, but there are plenty of smart people who study family dynamics. I'm pretty sure if you got a few of them in an apolitical room, you'd get some clear, simple answers. I will give you one piece to think about -- I enjoy and value my guns. But if a family member in the household begins to have issues, they're out of the house. Immediately. The guns, BTW, not the family member...

Charleston
This city has long been one of my favorite places. It's hard to describe, but it's a place with soul. I love the State of South Carolina and the city of Charleston. I can only imagine parents in the United A.M.E. trying to convince themselves and their families that the church IS a safe place. It's a city that's had a rough year of senseless violence. Honestly, I don't know how I'd cope with it if I lived there. Just know that you're in the thoughts of an awful lot of Americans right now.

So there you go. I suppose I wrote this for me more than for the readers. Just putting some of this down was cathartic. I hope perhaps for you as a reader it was, too. Just one man's opinions.

-Sean-