Here it is, Sunday afternoon, the day before Labor Day, and I am on the fence about what I am about to say. Yet another mass shooting has occurred and I am over it. I know that the following words are going to piss some of you off, but there are a few things to take into consideration first. #1. This is my blog and my opinion. I am aware of the facts and those facts can be interpreted in various ways, depending on who is presenting and how, more like a glass half empty/half full situation. #2. This is not a personal attack on any person or group, just my observation from 48 years of living on this planet. #3. I am a gun owner, a proud one at that. But I am also not so tied to that thing that I lack the ability to back away and have some semblance of objectivity. With that being said… 

I think that most Americans are so tied to their love of guns out of pure laziness. I wish that I had a nickel for every time someone would respond to my talking about the importance of martial arts/self-defense training with “yeah, but all I have to do is pull out a gun.” My response would be, “What if I attacked you right now? Where is your gun? By the way, what do you do if/when your gun is taken away/runs out of ammo/jams?” Often, I would be met with blank stares or some BS answer that isn’t remotely plausible in a high stress situation. People want to believe that a gun is the “great equalizer” and it can be, but to place your faith in it being the ultimate in protection is so off. It does not replace the human brain. It does not replace common sense, knowledge and observation. We have been told that “a good guy with a gun can beat a bad guy with one,” but in the majority of these shootings, the “good guy with a gun” rarely shows up. Plus, if there is a good guy with a gun and law enforcement shows up, doesn’t it make their job even harder to determine the good from the bad if there is a full-on gunfight breaking out?

We have been sold this idea by an industry that needs us to buy into it to survive. We’re also being told by those adjacent to said industry that, regardless of the US being the ONLY industrialized nation to have so many mass shootings, especially in the last 2-3 years, that the blame is on everything else, not the gun. It is the media, video games, movies, rock and rap music. Other countries have the same video games, music and movies that we do, yet we are the only one to have mass shootings on an almost weekly basis. Would regulating access to weapons or high capacity magazines stop the shootings? I don’t know, maybe, maybe not. But all of the pearl grabbing and hopes and prayers aren’t working, though it is making sure that the pockets of the gun industry are properly lined with green.

I’m not saying that I have the answers, because I don’t. But I bet if you talked to someone who had some type of self-defense training and asked where they stood on the gun issue, they would probably say that it is a tool, one that can be taken away in any situation, so you better learn how to protect yourself in other ways, too. You may not agree with this piece and that is your right to do so, but at least step back, separate yourself from your politics and take an objective approach to this issue. Think about the why at the center of the rash of mass shootings and who stands to benefit from our inaction. Also, think about who ultimately ends up losing.