A child’s curiosity and natural desire to learn are like a tiny flame, easily extinguished unless it’s protected and given fuel. This book will help you as a parent both protect that flame of curiosity and supply it with the fuel necessary to make it burn bright throughout your child’s life. Let’s ignite our children’s natural love of learning!
photo credit: Nonsense Pop
The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech has brought the gun control issue back into the spotlight it ever so often enjoys.
Gun control advocates naturally use such tragedies to their political advantage in an effort to enforce further gun control, citing the weapon as the cause of the crime. The media helps the cause, pointing out to the viewer simple statements and facts that aim to draw a correlation between the weapon and the cause.
Anybody who has played the game “Clue” (or, likewise, anybody who has a clue) knows that the weapon is the tool, not the cause.
Gun control advocates seek to shift responsibility and remove accountability. They blame violent video games, rap music, movies, cultural upbringing, or whatever other external influencing factor with which they can make the least amount of connection.
Here’s a simple fact that such lobbyists ignore: the criminal is accountable for his or her own actions.
It’s not that hard to understand. Take a few breaths to clear your mind, and re-read the sentence. The key word is “accountable”.
Will playing violent video games negatively affect a person? Of course. Will pornography? Yes. Will suggestive lyrics and horrying movie scenes do damage? You bet. But the fact remains that the individual choosing to consume this media and expose him/herself to such things is accountable for such actions.
One such example of blaming the influence rather than the individual occurred after the Columbine massacre. Then-Judiciary Committee Chair Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) commented as follows:
“Congress must address the cultural influences that cause young people to become violent,” declared Hyde, blaming movies, music, and video games. “Let us examine what it is in the psyches of these young people that made them want to kill.” (emphasis added)
Enforcing further gun control is not an option. In support of such a bold declaration, we have a statement made last year by Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker. Hincker, commenting on the defeat of a bill that would have allowed Virginia Tech students to carry concealed weapons on campus, said the following:
I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.
You and I are sure about completely different things, Mr. Hincker. I myself am sure that had that bill passed, there might have been a student armed with a concealed weapon amidst the victimized masses who could have prevented a large number of deaths this week. I am sure that nobody “[felt] safe on [your] campus” without any method of defending themselves against a murdering lunatic. I am sure that in hindsight, Mr. Hincker, you are rethinking your statement of one year ago. At least, I hope so.
Proponents of further gun control would have to use their twisted logic to impose more restrictive laws on automobiles, knives, matches, and a plethora of other things that have killed people. The fact remains that almost anything can be used as a weapon, and anybody determined to use a gun can obtain one despite whatever legislation may be in place.
The adage “when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns” holds true despite claims to the contrary. Outlawing and restricting guns will only provide more unarmed, defenseless fodder for would-be murderers looking to cause as much death as possible.
Brother Brigham summed it up best:
As for this people fostering to themselves that the day has come for them to sell their guns and ammunition to their enemies, and sit down to sleep in peace, they will find themselves deceived and before they know, they will sleep until they are slain. They have got to carry weapons with them, to be ready to send their enemy to hell cross lots, whether they be Lamanites or mobs who may come to take their lives, or destroy their property. We must be prepared that they dare not come to us in a hostile manner without being assured they will meet a vigorous resistance and ten to one they will meet their grave. (Brigham Young, via Quoty)