A guest contribution from Shane Roehl. Guns go Bang!

This is a piece written by Mr. Shane Roehl, after the shooting in Oregon on October 2, 2015.
Every Time there is a mass shooting, I am going to re-post this, until this country WAKES THE HELL UP!!!!!

You won’t read this…because "it's a lot of words" and this is the internet, but I needed to rant after watching the news and viewing social media in the wake of another mass shooting. While it's a long rant, at least I inserted some foul language and sarcasm to keep you entertained. 

Hell, I may even imbed a cat video half way through to keep you engaged.  That said, here we go…

I would like to start by offering a preemptive rebuttal to my friends, family members, and anyone else that would fall into the "passionate gun owner" camp.  

Now, before the avalanche of piss poor 2^nd amendment interpretations come in response to this post; before you try and justify a foolhardy belief that having a gun makes you safer; before you shout “gun control won’t work” and attempt to discredit this argument by posting a YouTube video that fails to even begin to touch  the nuance of this issue; before you just yell “but, but, but, Chicago!  Murders! nnnguhhh….!!”  or something of the like, know that I’ve heard it…l have already followed you down your rabbit hole.  I have listened to experts and assholes alike and have read countless books and columns authored by people who ACTUALLY know what they’re talking about and in every damn case, you’re full of shit.  

So, with that, shall we proceed?

Ideally, I want you all to just be honest about something first…be honest about why you’re so passionate about guns.   I’m simply asking you to think for a second and be honest about your beliefs and your situation (note:  this is when you stop making shit up to justify your actions and really think about why you’re doing something.  I believe alcoholics call it a “moment of clarity”).

Now, your passion for guns isn't really about personal safety is it?   It can’t be.   If it is, then you have no clue about what the statistics say re: gun use in a violent situation.  Go look it up, Jesus knows you look every other fool thing up via Google in the name of confirmation bias.  Let's try the objective truth this time…you know, facts.  

What you will find, regardless of the study cited, the conclusions come up the same.  The vast majority of you are untrained, and unskilled, thus the thought of you having a gun is TERRIFYING.  At the end of the day, you're a bigger risk to yourself and others than you are an asset.  Everyone seems to think an active shooter situation is going to be some sort of John Wayne/Clint Eastwood shit.  Fact is, without the proper training and education, you just have a really expensive and dangerous rock in your pocket.

It’s not about protecting your home in the middle of the night either.   Again it’s just math, you sound like a crazy person thinking that anyone would give a shit about you and your stuff.  

Furthermore, countless studies conclude you’re actually safer with a something like a baseball bat or a knife next to your bed during a home invasion situation than with a gun (its true…go fuck yourself). 

Comedian Jim Jefferies covered that point pretty well here:  (https://youtu.be/0rR9IaXH1M0, https://youtu.be/a9UFyNy-rw4)  I think and in a far more entertaining fashion than I ever could. 

Finally, the most laughable rationale people use, when invoking their right to gun ownership is that of the tyrannical government.  

Look, that ship sailed the minute tax money funded military research and development. You’re a loon if you think otherwise.  How do I know this?  Well, I don't care what gun you have, or how much ammo.  You don't have F16’s, bitches.  Not to mention things like tanks, drones, missiles and shit…good luck out there with your sideways glock nine. 

 “Tell me again about the AR15 you built…”

So, what is it then?  Why do guns mean so much to you?  Just take a deep breath and admit it…these things are cool.  That’s why you like them.  They’re badass and fun and we’ve been playing with them since we were children in some form or another right?!

I concede, they are extremely interesting and cool pieces of precision machining and technology.  They go bang (I mean, what’s not to love right?!) which makes the base of our brain go nuts with dopamine and other hormones.  Other bonus, you can go out and “harvest” dinner with them if you were so inclined.  But most importantly, they make your dick hard.  Like, really, “love me some America, bald eagle eatin’ a piece of apple pie while watchin’ a ballgame” kinda hard…fuck yeah!

I mean, I get it, and it’s a super fun hobby and activity.  The security theater that comes along with it is just an added “bonus” of sorts and allows you to further justify your ownership.   You feel better, but you’re not making one damn person safer.  The fact your right to gun ownership is protected under the 2^nd amendment is like a double-secret, “holy shit they HAVE to let us get away with this” kind of bonus.

OK, now that you’ve come to grips with this reality.  Take another deep breath and press on. 

If you have admitted to the above, I would sincerely hope that at some point, you must realize the following:

These mass shootings (defined as 3 people injured or killed people at one time) happen in these United States, more than any other place on earth.  It’s not debatable.

STOP!!  You stop right there…don’t you dare bring up that one shooting that one time, in that one place in that other country, or those ISIS fuckers, or a war on Christians…stay on target…stay.on.target….

So, why is it that it happens here more than anywhere else on the planet, and by an exponential margin?  Be honest? Could it be, that we have sooooo many guns here, they are for sale everywhere, AND, it’s tougher to get a food handler permit than it is to own a piece of equipment capable of FUCKING KILLING SOMEONE with the simple movement of a finger?

I ask again, why does it happen here?!  Could it be because, we have zero regulations on how they are to be stored privately?  Could it be because we allow undocumented private sale of these things?  Could it be because there are zero penalties for the owner of a gun who stores it improperly or is negligent in securing it?   What should become of these lazy fucks, should their gun be stolen and used in a crime?  Could it be all of these things and MORE? 

No, you’re right, it’s none of this and has everything to do with mental illness, a few bad actors or “bad people”.   There’s nothing we can do, just sweep it up under the rug and rest easy because you’ve got your gun.  Somewhere. 

Bottom line is this, you fucking guys ARE the problem and you’re too jacked up on patriotism and a misunderstanding of your rights under the constitution (ignoring context and historical perspective) to do anything about it.

In short, your anti “gun controll/don’t tread on me” argument is invalid, primarily, because you do two things. 

First, you conflate any attempt to make firearms more difficult to buy with an attempt to “take your guns.”  Get fucked.  That’s not what’s going on here, not in the least, nor should it be.  Also, it’s political suicide in every state to even suggest this, so don’t worry, you can keep your toys.

Second, you automatically assume that if you require more education, more intense background and mental health checks, and force people to handle these things correctly in the home, and hold them responsible when they don’t,  that ‘bad guys will still get guns.’  So fuck it…you effectively choose APATHY, when has this ever solved a problem?!

I’m going to spare the lesson in how the black market works, by simply saying that’s not something you need to worry about right now as there is no need for a black market.  The open market works just fine for ‘bad guys’.  It also works for the depressed guy that just lost his job and decides to take out his family.  The Grandmother in Florida that sleeps with a .38 under her bed and accidentally shoots the grandchild mistaking her in the middle of the night for a burglar.  This shit happens every. Single. Day.  And no one here in the US seems to give a shit.  We chalk this up to the cost of doing business.  

So I’ll ask you this, how many of your kids is it ok to kill this way? You’re happy to continue overlooking these preventable deaths, as a cost of doing business, or the "cost of freedom" as it were?

The shootings that cause the most terror and make the headlines would likely not occur if we handled ourselves like adults (like the rest of the world) and admit that the biggest culprit of many, if not the majority of over 11,000 gun deaths per year (rough figure, I think it’s way higher) was not mental illness...but access.  Pick a mass shooting and tell me that access to these firearms was not a factor.  Your constant excuse of "the guns were purchased legally" doesn't explain the event away, it MAKES MY POINT FOR ME.

This is not a call for your guns, or even an argument to remove all guns from society.  This is about comprehensive reform, being honest about your motivations for gun ownership, and honest about the way we view firearms as a part of our culture.   Until you are willing to discuss a comprehensive plan for reform that includes education for gun owners and non owners alike, tighter background checks, stringent mental health screening, stronger laws and regulations regarding storage and gun security, and more strict and meaningful penalties for those that break these laws, or are negligent with firearms, then nothing will change.  People will continue to die in silly and at times, horrific ways.  Your objection to these changes makes you complicit in their occurrence.  To that, there is no rebuttal.

An Open Letter to my Republican and Christian Friends:

As I watch this election progress, and see the support that is growing for Donald Trump, I shake my head in wonder.  Not so much because I am a reformed Republican, and now Democrat, ( that is a completely different conversation) but because it simply astounds me that there are people I know and respect that have said they will vote for him.  

What I can’t figure out, is how so many people can simply do away with their principles, and support a person who stands for EVERYTHING they are against; a man who is the most un-christian, and un-republican candidate, and a man who has no principles nor values what-so-ever.

As a Republican, what does Donald Trump stand for?  The most I can figure out, is that he stands for nothing really; with the exception of making money.   He has changed his positions on EVERYTHING, and not just over a period of time, but sometimes over a matter of hours.  

I can go down a list of Republican Doctrine, and point out where Donald Trump has had the opposite position last year, yesterday, or an hour ago. The list is simply too long.
But I can say with certainty, that he doesn’t support the two major pillars of Conservatism - fidelity to the Constitution and commitment to reduce the size of a bloated government.

My main quandary, though, is regarding my Christian friends.  I have a hard time believing that you, whom I have known and respected for years, can simply set aside everything you base your life on; everything you believe in; every tenant you tout; everything you have taught to your children; to support an individual who is an admitted philanderer, a proven liar, (over and over again), a spreader of lies, a cheat, a man who lacks compassion, a man who is vain, and a man who is vulgar. These are just a few of the undisputable FACTS about Donald Trump.  I know you have seen very clear examples of every egregious fault I have listed.  

So as a Christian, I ask you, how can you support such an individual?  How can you so easily brush all of your integrity aside and get behind this type of individual?  A couple of possible answers:

You won't ever vote for a Democrat. Or maybe you would, just not the one on this ticket. I get that. Or you simply hate Hillary and think all of the detestable attributes of Donald, are encapsulated in Hillary as well.  I get that too actually.  

You must agree that there is a reason Paul Ryan is not endorsing Trump.  He has integrity.  I may not agree with him on policy, but at least he stands solidly for the Republican Platform and has integrity.  He has a sense of principle and a sense of reason. I respect him for that.  I respect that he holds onto his principles and doesn’t just wash them away because the crowd so easily does. I would be surprised and disappointed if Paul Ryan acquiesced and came out in support of Trump.

Ask yourself, will you have those same standards as Paul Ryan, or will you throw those aside? If you do throw your integrity out the window, as  you go to mark that ballot for Trump, how can you not just throw-up in your mouth?......Especially when you have an alternative……

Yes! There is a way out that you don’t have to compromise your character, nor your integrity....  Two options actually….. You can simply sit this one out and not vote.  I know for many of you, that doesn’t seem like an option, but for 8 years, I refused to even register to vote, in protest. (that too is another conversation altogether) Or you can vote for someone who does live up to your standards.  That may sound surprising to you, but there is a very reasonable, and attractive candidate team out there that you may not have yet heard of, but you will.

It is likely that two formerly die-hard Republicans, Gary Johnson of New Mexico and Bill Weld of Massachusetts, both of them popular ex-state governors, will get the Libertarian party’s nomination. I won’t go on and  tout their attributes, as that is for you to study and decide. But I can only hope that you won’t sell your soul, abolish your life’s work of integrity and principle, and mark that ballot for Trump. I like you too much to risk losing all respect for you.