Guns, Guns, Guns

So I'm watching the news earlier this week and the big story seems to be the new measures that Barak Obama took to try and curb gun violence in the States.  He used his executive powers to pass a bill that would potentially make it harder for people to obtain guns.  In the States, if you wanted to buy a gun from a gun shop, you had to fill out a form so that the government could do a background check on you.  They wanted to make sure you weren't a convicted criminal with a history of gun violence.  Makes sense to me.  But, if you were such a head-case, you could always go to a gun show or by a gun from a private seller, because there were no background checks needed for such transactions.  Makes no sense to me.  President Obama agreed with me (we talk on a regular basis), so now background checks are required for any gun sale in the U.S. of A.  Holy shit, did this cause some controversy.  Some people said this is an unnecessary step, as responsible gun owners and gun show reps would only sell weapons of destruction to whom they thought were responsible enough to own them.  Right.  Some said this was an abuse of power by Obama, claiming that the Senate would never pass such a bill and Obama was simply trying to make a big name for himself before he leaves office.  Uh huh, sure.  Some say his tears during his press conference were faked or at the very least manipulated out of him when he was talking about children being killed by some gun-toting maniac.  These people (Fox "News", I'm looking at you) are the exact reason I hate most of the breathing population of the U.S.

     And then there is the NRA, the National Rifle Association of America, a group founded way back in 1871 as a way to train the Union Army to, basically, shoot straight during the Civil War.  Somewhere along the line, the NRA became more about what they felt were the right to own guns, no matter what anybody said, than anything else.  They bastardized the meaning of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to suit their needs and gather a following of millions.  They have a five-point mission:

     1. To protect and defend the Constitution Of The United States
     2. To promote public safety, law and order, and the national defense.
     3. To train members of law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, the militia and people of good repute in marksmanship and in the safe handling and efficient use of small arms.
     4. To foster and promote the shooting sports.
     5. To promote hunter safety.

Now, to the first point.  The only part of the Constitution the NRA is trying to protect and defend is the Second Amendment.  But the part they focus on, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall no be infringed", does not mean you have the right to stockpile weapons in your Main Street duplex.  If all things went to shit in the States, and the majority of population felt they needed to take control of the government, the Second Amendment says they can do so with weaponry.  Now, this fallacy of it meaning anyone can "protect" themselves with guns for their own private purposes has been disputed in the United States Supreme Court a number of times, sometimes resulting in a broader meaning and sometimes resulting in a narrower meaning.  What nobody ever seems to do is use common fucking sense.  The Second Amendment was written in 1791, a time when law enforcement was near non-existent.  You needed to keep shotguns near you because buddy over the hill wanted to steal your cows or horses.  The only people right now that have taken the literal meaning of the Second Amendment to heart are those nutty folks in Oregon that have taken control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Beyond all this, because there is no way a gun-loving 'Merican would ever admit to being wrong, the NRA should support the measures that Obama is taking.  He's trying to keep guns out of the hands of crazy fuckers that may want to walk into a school and shoot a bunch of kids.  Of course this type of insanity won't completely stop, but what if it stops two people this year?  What if it stops ten people next year?  Obama doesn't want to come into your homes and take your guns away, like the NRA would like you to believe.  If you want to keep your loaded .45 on your kitchen table for your five year-old to blow his or your head off, great, fine, go ahead and keep it.  But maybe you won't feel like you need it as much when you realize it's getting harder for those that want to commit violent crimes to get a gun.

The United States has the most ass-backward way of thinking when it comes to owning guns, and it's something I just can't wrap my head around.  What I can wrap my head around are stats:

Gun Ownership per 100 residents (as reported by The Washington Post in December of 2012)
The USA - 88.8
Switzerland - 45.7
Finland - 45.3
Saudi Arabia - 35
Iraq - 34.2
Sweden - 31.6
France - 31.2
Canada - 30.8
Germany - 30.3
Greece - 22.5
Australia - 15
Mexico - 15
Italy - 11.9

% of Homicides By Guns
Switzerland - 72.2
The USA - 67.5
Italy - 66.7
Mexico - 54.9
Greece - 34.9
Canada - 32
Germany - 26.3
Finland - 19.8
Australia - 11.5
France - 9.6

Yup, Switzerland has more of a percentage of homicides by guns than the US.  Switzerland's population is 3.4 million, with only 57 homicides by guns in 2012.  The USA's population is 270 million, with 9,960 homicides by guns in 2012.  Some would argue that if more people owned guns, the homicide rate would go down, stating the criminals would think twice about robbing you if they knew you had a gun.  I just can't comprehend that logic.

I realize the craziness of the gun-loving nation to the south of us will never subside.  I also realize that everything I've written here can and will be turned around for the gun-lovers' own needs.  But the measures that Obama has taken is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction.  It's a small step, granted.  There are many other avenues to help keep those insane clowns from shooting up schools or movie theatres.  Better mental health education and treatment.  Keeping a record of every gun sold in the nation.  Any ideas take money, and the States is one of the poorest rich nations in the world.  What Obama is saying is, let's start...let's do something.  And anybody that can't see that, that can't see he's trying to save people's lives, like a great leader should, is clearly fucked!