Hey Comrade, We’re Playing Russian Roulette

The Google search engine defines Russian roulette as “the practice of loading a bullet into one chamber of a revolver, spinning the cylinder, and then pulling the trigger while pointing the gun at one's own head; an activity that is potentially very dangerous.”

On a national level all US citizens currently participate unknowingly in a game of Russian roulette.  Instead of loading a lone bullet into a chamber there are an untold number of guns with magazines loaded with bullets that could be fired at anytime.  The tipping point is when the owner becomes mentally unstable for a myriad of reasons, but the main one is that they believe killing people will solve their problem.

We have allowed this to happen because … well I am at a loss for words to succinctly describe how the electorate allowed themselves (today it is “ourselves”) to be duped by marketing interests that twist(ed) and manipulate(d) our patriotism to fill the coffers of a few with nary of a concern and respect by those few for America’s core value of “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”   This misleading marketing wrapped up in the American flag has gone on for such a long time (in excess of 50 years), it is hard for people to see, let alone say, that they have been duped so they continue promulgating the message; that message essentially being, guns for everyone. Even the lead creator of the manipulative messaging, the NRA, got duped as evidenced by the picture below when some of its high level executives unwittingly and infamously visited Russia a little over three years ago.

As a result of this avarice a third of Americans now have enough guns so every American can have one.  Yet, do we have mandatory:

1. Firearm training on a periodic basis, no less than 2x a year
2. Firearms under lock when not in use and
3. Mental health checks to ensure one is of sound mind to handle an instrument of death?

No, no and NO!

As result, we can be shot anytime, anywhere for no good reason – kind of like Russian roulette.  Look at my posts from last week.  Better yet, walk less than a mile from my house and you will see the scene of a shooting that occurred less than 2 hours before I started writing this post.  The shooting left a bicyclist dead. DEAD, spelled with a capital “D,” capital “E,” capital “A,” and a capital “D!”

For 10 years I rode my bicycle to work.  Numerous times I almost got hit because drivers did not know the rules of the road.  If I could I would engage the driver in a conversation to help them know what rule they broke.  Sadly, I got in yelling match with one driver, he finally came to his senses when I told him I may be right, but I do not want to be dead right.

We do not know whether the above killing was crime or road rage related.  Regardless of the impetus, the use of a gun is highly destructive and should only be used as a last resort in saving one’s life; there are many other things that can be done prior to getting in that situation, such as walking away.

Separately, I recently attended an event at a Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) facility to watch a one of my children in a play sponsored by this local JCA.  As I sat there, I wondered if someone might walk in at anytime with a weapon or two to kill us just like what happened in Pittsburgh of Colorado or.... well, you get the picture.  Others did too, sadly, as evidence by armed security guards standing out front at the same performance the following week.

This is sad on many levels.  Sad that:

• I and others have lost some freedom (of thought) as we now have to think about how to protect our lives and those of our loved ones and
• The local JCA has to now spend money on non-accretive activities instead of enriching programs for its members 

It does not have to be this way. I do not want to be in this game of Russian roulette. If you do not want to play Russian roulette then I encourage you to:

• Have conversations with extended family members, friends and neighbors and
• Tell all of your elected representatives that we want and must have “people laws” to ensure responsible gun ownership by only those deemed capable of owning an instrument of death because “guns do not kill people; people kill people.”

I provide scripts below you may consider using to overcome what I believe are the four (4) main objections heard when discussing how to end gun violence.  These 4 are:

1. There is no need for more restrictions, as guns do not kill people, people kill people.
2. The US Supreme Court Opinion for DC vs. Heller says that I have the right to own a gun for self-defense.
3. Per capita death rates have declined over the last forty years; we do not need gun restrictions.
4. Restrictions will infringe on my Second Amendment Right

Good luck and I look forward to learning from you how we may improve this dialog to end gun violence and this game of Russian roulette.