Thoughts on Gun Control

Thoughts on gun control.  A few weeks ago there was a big police stand off in my sister's very nice neighborhood. One of her neighbors, a licensed gun owner had been shooting his gun. Apparently, he had been taking Ambien and he doesn't remember the incident. 

My daddy owned 33 guns, was a proud Democrat and a proud member of the NRA. Years ago, my father, a licensed gun owner who kept his guns in gun safes, shot a hole in the ceiling because he thought he heard something outside. He had been taking a narcotic sleeping medication.  We found out that he was only supposed to take it for two weeks and he had been taking it for two months.  Years earlier, although my father kept his guns in gun safes, one day his wife got hold of one of the guns and shot a hole in a window. 

A couple of years ago, my friend's 18 year old brother got into his father's locked gun safe and went out and shot and killed someone. His father wasn't aware that his son could get into the gun safe. He is in prison for a long time. He says the voices in his head told him to do it. He and his father were licensed gun owners. 

A few years ago, a classmate of my son's committed suicide - with a gun. A couple of years ago, one of my daughter's classmates got hold of his father's gun. His father was a police officer. The boy is dead. They said it was accidental. 

Many years ago when I was teaching middle school, two of my students skipped school and got hold of one of their parent's guns. One girl shot the other. She shot most of her guts out. She survived but would have to have a colostomy bag the rest of her life. 

 A very long time ago, my grandfather ran a pawn shop. He was robbed by a man who tied up his hands and put him in the bathroom, took the money and merchandise and left. So, my grandfather got a gun. He hid it in the bathroom and drilled a hole in the door to shoot through. The same man returned and robbed him again and put him in the bathroom. He was so drunk, that he didn't do a good job tying my grandfather's hands and he quickly got free and retrieved the hidden gun and shot the man through the hole in the door. He killed him. The police were glad because the man had been robbing many shops. My grandfather was horrified because he had not intended to kill the man, just to stop him. He quit that job and could no longer work there because he was traumatized by what he had done.

Guns are for killing.  They shouldn't be considered toys or collector's items.  

We need much stricter gun control laws and we for need the laws that are in place to be followed and carried out.