GUNS: A Tool For The Weak?
Gun-related homicides have slightly increased each year since 2002. People between the ages of 15 and 24 are most likely to be targeted by gun violence as opposed to other forms of violence. Intimate partner violence can be fatal when a gun is involved – from 1990 to 2005, two-thirds of spouse and ex-spouse homicide victims were killed by guns* (usdoj.gov).
In a 2002 crime study* (UN/OCJS) the United States ranked #4 (behind South Africa, Colombia & Thailand) in gun-related homicides [#8 per capita].
Let’s compare that with our neighbor to the north, Canada.
United States- 9,369 ¤ Canada- 144
In Detroit, a US city fairly well-known for its crime, recorded 308 criminal homicides in 2010 (a 15.4% drop from 2009) (DN). However, a tweet from director Michael Moore alerted me to the fact that Detroit’s city across the river, Windsor, had a total of ZERO gun-related homicides. Whether you are a fan of Moore or not, you have to ask yourself a question, what is it about us that drives us to kill one another? Is it because of our gun laws? How about our access to guns? Is it just our American nature?
I posted a video on my facebook page on Monday that featured musician Henry Rollins in a 1994 MTV ad on violence (the video). In this clip, Rollins proclaims, “…The strong don’t need guns. Guns are tools of the weak.” I got a fair amount of comments on this video, and I’m glad it attracted the attention it did. This topic has gone on time and time again, and yet, gun-related homicides continue to rise.
My (personal) stance on guns?
Guns serve little purpose in today’s society other than: getting people hurt, creating accidents (many-times harmful and fatal ones), and killing or maiming innocent animals for sport (which I’ve always been against). Guns, to me, are relics of a by-gone era. While I understand that our military and law enforcement may need the protection of a ballistic weapon, our “every-day-citizen” does not.
What about my Second Amendment right?
Yes. This Constitutional amendment “protects” the right of the people to bear arms. But with this, I think back to the words of comedian Chris Rock that said, “You could drive a car with your feet if you WANT to, that don’t make a it a good &%# idea!” What are we scared of that we need a gun around for? Le révolution?
Ok. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. So there’s a revolution.
My next question would be, “Who do you think you are?” Am I trying to be funny by asking this question? Well, yes AND no. While it may be exciting to think that we’re a Clint Eastwood character, it’s humorous to believe you’re going to “Make someone’s day” without first getting yourself killed. Your best bet will be to drill for oil/”juice” and barricade yourself in your fort (see film, The Road Warrior).
What about hunting?
Too cruel for me, but if that’s what you enjoy doing…and if you’re like Dexter and you need to exercise that need to kill something (or you’ll just blow your top), then go right ahead. I can’t stop you. But why not try to wrestle an elk down with your bare hands? Why not learn to spear fish? Give the poor animal a fighting chance, by God! Don’t just dangle its food source in front of him with a hidden spike in it! Wow, you out-smarted a fish! Wow, you sniped a deer as it was walking through a meadow (which was probably the only natural clearing available with all the nearby freeways). I might be impressed if you smeared yourself with dung, crept within range and used a slingshot or bow and arrow to bring the animal down, but that’s just my opinion. Whatever you do though, don’t display the animal’s head on your wall and grin with pride. How barbaric… but then again, somewhere inside of you you must feel that it is too.
Additional Note
If you do plan on owning a gun, make sure it is stored in a safe place and you educate yourself properly on the care, use and handling of the firearm. Understand the state laws and keep in mind that injuring and/or killing (even a criminal or attacker) may like hold with it a prison sentence for you.
Suggested Reading: “Facing Violence” by: Rory Miller.
We’d love to you what you, our readers, feel on the subject.
The underlining question IS, however, “Are guns needed” and “Are guns the biggest problem with America (when it comes to violence)?”
Sources:
United States Department of Justice, The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends &, Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002), The Detroit News. January 2010 (Hunter)
combativecorner.wordpress.com 
February 18, 2011 at 12:08 am
(by: Rob G- via Facebook)
Eh I’m a ex marine, I don’t like guns to be honest. But people kill people ! If it’s with a spoon or gun people kill. I love rollins but maybe he should ref the middle ages. Man is violent it’s that simple. And Americans live in a lie. The world is a very dark place.
February 18, 2011 at 12:09 am
(by: Ashlynne K- via Facebook)
Nothing shameful about admitting you are physically weak and need the assistance of a firearm in order to defend yourself.
Violence is rampant even in countries where naked tribal warriors kill each other with sharpened wooden stakes…So it can’t be guns causing the problem.
If I am in a car crash tomorrow afternoon and lose all use of my body from the hips down, I would like to be able to defend myself against a 200 pound man. A gun is the only way I could stop him from kidnapping me if I were in that situation. What about the elderly, who could not defend themselves from a murderer any other way besides using a gun?
February 18, 2011 at 12:12 am
Guns give you a psychological edge (above a spear). guns are a relatively clean way of disposing of someone…as well as a way to keep your distance. guns and gun ownership should be a well thought-out process that takes into account the necessity, your limitations, your surrounds and your personal beliefs. the negative aspects of guns outweigh its benefits. self-protection is 66% psychological. if you have a gun, it causes you to think only about shooting. Your safe, but you may kill someone. It might even be someone not deserving to be killed. in my opinion… i give the gun priviledges to law enforcement and trust my instincts and my own abilities (and my keychain!) to overcome the obstacle.
February 18, 2011 at 12:31 am
(by: Ashlynne K- via Facebook)
But if a large, scruffy dude wearing a leather jacket, with tattoos all over his body starts yelling that he’s going to rape the 130-pound woman (even if he’s just trying to scare her and has no intention of actually fallowing through with his threats), he is taking his chances that he very well could be shot.
If the next 100 guys who tried to rob/rape/kidnap someone were all shot, the others would all think twice about trying something like that and crime would drop.
February 18, 2011 at 12:45 am
(by: Andrew W- via Facebook)
Guns are for cowards! Shalom 🙂
February 18, 2011 at 2:39 am
(by: Michelle C- via Facebook)
Guns don’t hurt people, people hurt people. A gun is just another object that can be used as properly intended or for evil. The gun itself is just a tool. Knives for that matter are the same, a knife is great for chopping veggies but could just as easily be used as deadly weapon. My two cents is that guns are not the problem. Problem people are the problem.
February 18, 2011 at 3:19 am
(by: Barbara M- via Facebook)
As a responsible gun owner, all I can say is huh?
February 18, 2011 at 4:43 pm
(by: Steve K- via Facebook)
There are a lot of people that support the right to bear arms. I have mixed emotions about giving untrained people guns but I also respect the right to bear arms. I carry a gun 24/7. I’ll post it on the front page if you would like some comments. Below are some of my media I have done on the subject.
CNN – Students trained to attack gunman
Nancy Grace -Wife killed in sex play with gun
Inside Edition – Virginia Tech
CNN – Teachers Armed
Fox 5 – Virginia Tech
February 18, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Guns are a tool. If outlawed then they will start with Swords. Then Slingshots. Why not just hold the person RESPONSABLE that uses it wrong. It is that simple and because people will use them against you there is a need to be prepared.
February 19, 2011 at 2:05 am
Darn toot’in guns are for the weak ……and for the strong and for everyone in between!
If you are too old to fight and too disabled to run you definitely need a gun!
Guns are the only reason civilized societies remain civilized. The idea people should wilt under the evil of threat rather than resist with every means available to them is barbaric.
In Liberty,
JJH
February 21, 2011 at 2:52 am
[By: Rob G – via Facebook]
Oh I’m all about everyones right to speak out for peace. But !!! Their is very evil minded people out there. The sad part is we can’t remove guns from the planet. So now were stuck with a very scary problem. And that is the balance of good to combat evil. War is tough to balance. And the profit brings shit from both sides.
I stopped two rapes in a bar as a bouncer. It fucked me up as a man. There was no hero movie moment. I was sick and both were drugged. There is no rage it’s just shock and both men were not huge guys. They started crying when I grabbed them. That’s reality. It’s fast it’s sneaky and it’s totally sick.
So I think that while all woman should train in very real martial art self defense. Weapons and guns should be a very real option for females. The first option ! And rely on martial arts as back up if your weapon fails. Cause woman needs to balance the scale in attacks.
February 21, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Interesting discussion. Living in Canada makes me feel unable to argue one side or another since I have not had the experience of having a gun or living around people carrying them. It would be easy for me to say one should not carry a gun since it seems unnecessary here in Canada, but perhaps if I lived in some parts of the U.S., I would change my tune. I normally have a strong opinion one way or another, but normally I have a solid understanding of both sides of the discussion. Thanks Michael.
March 26, 2012 at 1:08 pm
The US has 10 times the population of Canada, and far less land to share. So the numbers are about the same proportionately.
As for being a tool for the weak? They are a tool. Any tool is “for the weak”. A hammer is a tool for the weak. A drinking glass is a tool for the weak. It just saves time and energy to accomplish a task.
Unneccesary violence is the problem – not the tool with which it is executed.
March 28, 2012 at 1:21 pm
Barbara M. [via CC Facebook]
I am a gun owner, when I needed it to protect myself it was legally there. I have friends that live off the land. I think that’s fine. No heads hanging on the walls. Just good food grown and hunted, fished from the waters.
March 28, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Joe N. [via CC Facebook]
Guns can kill. Knives can kill. Swords can kill. How many children were killed or seriously injured last year in drive by attacks from guns? How many from knives? How many from swords? If people want to bear arms, let them use bladed weapons. At least it should help to reduce the number of innocent bystanders shot and killed while lying asleep in their cribs.
July 20, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Combat Corner has nicely put into words almost exactly my feelings on the subject. What really shocks me is that why many states allow people to “conceal & carry,” it’s against the law to carry a nunchuku or a knife longer than #inches–neither of which is lethal over a distance of more than a dozen feet or so. Yet a single wild shot could conceivably take out one or more innocent bystanders hundreds of yards away. Oh yeh, that’s right. That’s happened several times already. Thanks for taking a brave stance on this issue.
September 9, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Guns are not the issue, nor have they ever been. There are many factors why gun violence is higher in some nations vs. other nations. Ever watch the BBC? How much violent television is present? Not much. Now look at America, the news is full of nothing but the worst, invoking persistent fear. Violent video games, movies, tv shows and reality shows. Most of them about violence. That’s an environmental issue, not the gun. I’ve been around various cultures for 15 years and can tell you that what we covet has a lot to do with why guns become the first choice as a means of defense or aggression towards others. Now I’m not saying fill our daily lives with Sesame Street, but incorporating violence into every fascet of our lives creates a whole lot of unhappy violent people. My son is an example one who is responsible with guns, but shies away from violence. He doesn’t like violent tv or video games. He likes positive things. Some of that attitude has to do with both myself and his dad went to war.
If you cause people to fear everything, then they may act irrationally. I don’t consider a gun for the weak. If an intruder entered your home with a big knife, would you use a knife or something stronger to protect yourself. You can learn martial arts all day, but if the intruder knows it too and has a knife, he’s got your number.
As far as aggressive people, they used a gun because something inside is not right. No amount of gun control would ever fix that. People and their environment need fixing first.
Hunting, hmmmm…… Well, there’s a choice with that. Hunting has two lanes these days; sport and food. I am not a fan of hunting for sport, nor would I ever mount a critter on my wall. Even if you eat the meat, if you mount its bust then you were doing it as a sport. However, I would hunt for food and to help keep the population healthy. Studies for decades have shown that without natural predators, adequate food sources, or natural space and migration patterns, animals overpopulate and then disease starts. Regulated hunting controls that issue. If you think people overpopulate and are to blame, you are correct. So, who wants to be first and help control human population? There’s a hungry bear in the Tonto Forest looking for his next human victim! Or we could just turn it into the hunger games!
I’ve said a lot, but what this all boils down to is that there is no easy answer, and comparing Canada to the U.S. is like comparing apples to oranges. Different laws, population, hobbies, entertainment, news, politics, etc.