Growing up with Guns

I’m worried about the current climate in the United States. For so long I’ve felt secure and protected in the US of A, but now I feel as though it’s a place with a pistol hiding in every nook and cranny - waiting to be picked up by the wrong person. I mean, for goodness’ sake, I grew up in a household in which we had at least 10 guns (that I can count off the top of my head). There’s a reason why the rest of the world would be shocked and it’s not because, “It’s my right,” and, “Freedom, Liberty and all that jazz.” It’s simply unsafe. 

Even before I was 12 years old, I knew where to find, how to load and how to shoot a gun. I was in 6th grade at that age. Clearly I never committed any atrocious acts, but the fact is that I could have if I wanted to. The current state of gun control in the United States allows practically anyone to possess a weapon and do what they want with it - not out of necessity but desire. It infuriates me when people assume being able to do what they want with a gun is, "protection." Protection is using a gun to defend yourself, family, friends etc. So yes, I can agree that guns can be used to protect. However, currently in the US we aren’t dealing with bandits, raging bears, and armies infiltrating our homes. What then, exactly, do we feel we need to protect ourselves against? 

The argument could be made that we’re defending against other people because, "people kill people, not guns." But isn’t that counterintuitive? "Let’s allow guns to be owned by a huge percentage of the population. In doing so, if half of those people choose to go on a killing spree, the other half can kill them after they already killed one or more.” Yes, I also agree that there are heroes with guns that have saved many lives and we should be grateful for them. But we can’t just ignore the problem and focus on the things we should be thankful for if we don’t want this to happen again. Yet it seems the only talk I hear is, “Focus on the hero and the lives lost instead of the murderer,” and, “Democrats are just using this to push their agenda.” Well shouldn’t we discuss why a gun was in their hands, how they got ammo for it and proceeded to take the lives of others?

Another point made is, “It’s my constitutional right and my freedom to own guns.” From a simple standpoint, yes that is also true. According to the constitution, “The freedom to bear arms,” is a constitutional right. However, when your freedoms and rights infringe upon the happiness, especially the basic human right to live, you’re not celebrating your freedom, you’re prioritizing your wants and desires over the lives of others. Essentially the message being sent is, “Having the right to own guns is so important that if some die, it’s well worth it.” It’s gotten to the point where we can’t make moderate changes in gun control without an uprising and claims of the government taking away everything we own. It’s saddening that a large part of society is willing to put their desires over the lives of others. But we’re the land of the brave and the free, right?

Claims have been made that without guns, people would just continue to kill people by other means: i.e knives, forks, spoons, spears, bleach, etc. In reality, murders are committed with these objects and many more with guns being so present. And to be honest, I feel like my chances of survival would be much higher against someone with a knife than a gun. There's a reason guns were made in the first place - to kill quickly, effectively, and on a large scale.

If we were so brave, wouldn’t we put down our weapons, our attachment to guns and the desire to bear arms in order to save innocent lives? If we wanted to be completely free, wouldn’t we free ourselves from the necessity to always be ready to shoot another human if the time came? If we were truly entitled to a right to live, why do officers of the law have the right to take lives of citizens if they feel it, "necessary?” As much as I want to talk about police brutality, I digress…

I’m not saying to do away with guns completely; they’ve become too integrated into our society to be eradicated. At the same time, we need change. Children shouldn’t have access to a weapon. Semi-automatic and automatic weapons should not be accessible to citizens. Guns should not be able to be bought and sold to just anyone if they take a three week class about gun safety. Lives shouldn’t be lost and then forgotten about to maintain the desire to bear arms.

I was raised around shotguns, pistols and BB guns. I’ve grown up loving target practice and shooting ranges. It’s a unique experience, but one that I’m willing to give up for the well-being of others. Even though I could probably survive a zombie apocalypse, I doubt we’ll be having one anytime soon. At the end of the day, I’d rather not know how to use a gun and live in a society where lives weren't lost to police brutality, mass shootings, deaths caused by children with guns and robberies at gun point, than learn how to shoot in my backyard.

Jackass of all Trades

I think it’s interesting - the idea of nationality or nationalism. Essentially viewing one’s own nation as wonderful, the pinnacle of society, and sometimes, better than everyone else. I’ve never considered myself a nationalist and I don’t think I ever will. It’s something that I view as extremely limiting. In many instances, it inhibits the ability to appreciate another way of life and understanding that some people just do some things better. For example, I will continue to buy my cosmetic products from Korea and I will continue to eat steak in the U.S. because no offense, but I haven’t found a better place for a succulent Ribeye. Now maybe this will change over time, but it’s the principle of appreciating something for what it is. 

I think it’s a wonderful thing when certain nations specialize in certain products. It maintains a level of quality and encourages trade. It’s somewhat like a restaurant, (going back to food here) if I see a menu with 50+ entrees, I’m going to be extremely skeptical of the quality of each item and usually my gut feeling is right - my stomach is unamused. Whereas if I see a menu with 3 or 4 options, more times than not, every item on the menu is fantastic because the restaurant focuses on these entrees and does them right. Yes, that means I don’t go to the same place for spaghetti and sushi, but that’s the point: honing something specific rather than trying to be a jack of all trades. 

I think the issue in this instance is the want to expand, to be more, to have more. It’s problematic because it fuels a competition that will only result in inferior products; whoever can produce a product the quickest with the smallest cost while maintaining a decent* value will win in the end. This in turn destroys all other more-time-intensive, artisanal articles, which could have had a fantastic quality. Not to mention the ethical side of production that is often ignored when trying to expand and create mass production. The reason why I’m having a "brain dump” here is because I’ve noticed a huge difference between the U.S. and Germany. Certainly, I’m no expert, however seeing many small-scale shops here in Europe that are doing extremely well but witnessing as many such stores close so quickly in the States is so sad. I understand that this isn’t always the case and many things are governmentally subsidized here in Germany. I’m not an economics, business, or political person, but I think it’s extremely sad that, as a society, we’ve gotten away from appreciating the finer things and being willing to pay a certain price for it. Now the point can be made that this has changed so that goods can be more accessible to those who can’t afford to pay a premium, but paying for quality is an investment. Things would definitely need to improve for people to afford paying a premium for goods and services, considering the price for groceries and basic living necessities are quite expensive in contrast to a usually-low minimum wage in the U.S. Regardless, even though my Great-Grandparents had close to nothing, many of the things they bought during their lives - throughout the Great Depression - have survived to this day and are still of fantastic quality. Majority of the things I’ve purchased during my life won’t even last until I finish all of my schooling and I’m very fortunate to be in the financial position in which I am to afford such things. This brings into question how much we use and dispose of as a society and what we consider “worth it” and quality. I’m not trying to make a full-fledged argument here or a full-proof point, but it’s still food for thought. We want everything even though we could have fantastic quality if we simply focused on a few areas rather than trying to have it all. But I suppose that's what capitalism does - feeds the insatiable greed of man. In this instance, the present gratification is being far more indulged than the delayed gratification. 

Now to my point: I see a lot of parallel of this wanting to be a “Jack of all trades” in my own life. For so long I’ve had a plethora of interests and desires. I’ve wanted to be the best at so many things but never truly taking the time to invest in anything; I’ve simply skated on the surface of many areas of study and skills. In the end, it’s extremely unfulfilling. It feels as though I’ve done everything but nothing at all and I’m left wanting so much more: insatiable greed. I’ve wanted to be more than the person I’ve been at the expense of quality. Sure, I could talk the talk about anything and everything, but what are the topics in which I’m passionate about and can truly get into a riveting dialogue? How much am I missing out on from babbling about something I know nothing about, meanwhile I could’ve been listening to someone who is an expert in that arena. I don’t know if this applies to other people, but I’m tired of sacrificing quality for an instant gratification and a feeling of being more than I already am - it’s fake. 

When I take a step back and look, it’s as if I have a million hats on my table, but they’re all made of plastic. Whereas I could’ve spent my time making only a few, specific hats, but ensuring they’re the finest hats of their kind. (I love haberdasheries if you haven’t noticed). What I’m getting at is people should do what they’re passionate about and can do with great quality rather than trying to do it all; whether that’s at a national or personal scale. I think that would allow us to appreciate one another for our differences and skill sets, while also appreciating ourselves and what we have to offer. In the end, I believe it makes for a better society and creates a much higher sense of accomplishment. Because it’s really not the "Jack of all trades,” but the, “Jackass of all trades."