Sedona AZ (February 10, 2013) – The first thing that hit me when I attended the Hot Topics Cafe at the library on Tuesday evening February 5th was a statement by Andea Houchard that they had been advised not to hold this discussion about gun control because it was “too dangerous”.
There were no goals, consensus to be reached, or viewpoints to won over. The idea was to provide a nonpartisan platform for people to talk about what they think about certain “Hot Topics”. There would be no winners, no losers, no one changing another’s mind. Simply be there and listen and share. Do you know how hard that is? It’s been said that if you’re talking, then you’re not listening. People were very civil, with only a couple of talk-overs. One could cut the passion permeating the air in the room. And…there were no guns present, nor were there police to keep the peace. Just heartfelt sharing in a safe environment.
Ideas tossed out at the meeting included unresolved mental issues are sometimes contributors to gun violence and that people on meds are often overlooked as possible agressors in gun violence. Maybe gun violence is more of a mental health issue rather than a gun issue. Also considered is the possibility that the media creates sensationalism to advance political gains at the expense of the families of the victims. It sometimes takes events like this to wake us up, said another. A comparison to automobile ownership can be made: ownership information for auto owners is readily available but not on gun owners. The 2nd Amendment states citizens have the right to bear arms and that it should not be infringed. Period. No other discussion after that needs to take place.
Should we ask ourselves what have we become here in America when talking about gun control and gun rights is too dangerous? Where does fear like this come from? A large part of the problems we face today are a result of we Americans not talking about what problems are facing us. Have we been spoon fed information that we accept as truth and believe that it is news, when it is actually it is infotainment. The issues connected with gun control and the 2nd Amendment need to be discussed openly and the way to solve our country’s challenges is to make conscious decisions, based on fact and not fear through forums such as Hot Topics Cafe.
3 Comments
Good article, Steve, I’m glad you covered this. Videos were excellent as usual.
Thanks
Succinct and to the point – well done. Would you like to travel to D.C.
and give our representatives a few lessons in how to get a job done?
Many intelligent points and issues have been brought to publicatention to the disclose the FACT that gun possession needs to be regulated and owners be reigned in just as we regulate drivers. Automobiles are a serious posession, driving them needs regulation and the same needs exist for gun ownership and use. Guns are a more
serious and responsible possession than automobiles. There is a certain amount of macho in both camps.
The point I want to raise is not openly presented. It comes from the inference in the second amendment that the citizenry need bear arms in case the government becomes tyranical or oppressive. This might have seemed an issue in the very early days of the nation before our checks and balances and our rule of law and system of laws protecting us by rights and limits of government . We have these rights and limits on government firmly established and in place, not quite perfect, but a system that can solve problems far better than some uneducated groups with guns attempting to set things right. Hey, they call that TREASON. Something the Communists called for in the recent past with their purpose of overthrowing the government. I am against both. My patriotism is aroused in either case. Justice comes from laws, not guns.