There was a time in my life when I used to be a big time gun control advocate. This phase of my life coincided with my identification with the Democrat party and my mistaken belief that government was the balm that could soothe all societal ills. However, things change; after enduring two years of homelessness and realizing the true sources of injustice, I walked away from the party I once proudly supported and did so without exchanging one plantation for another by becoming a Republican.
With my new found independence arrived the ability to assess sociopolitical matters sans partisan blinders that prevent rational deliberations. Consequently, I’ve changed my mind on a litany of hot button topics and wedge issues that have splintered our country and locked us into a perpetual battle of talking points and tropes that do nothing to address the problem and prevent any sort of consensus from emerging. What is imperative at this moment is paradigm shift that could incubate the critical mass needed to overcome the political inertia that has crippled governance and turned us into a nation of bickerers.
Y’all think the same politicians who drop bombs on thousands of ppl everyday actually care about a few ppl being killed in a mass murder?
When we say these people are psychopaths, we mean it.
— Joe Biden Hates Black People (@nikoCSFB) March 24, 2021
One of the beliefs I’ve revisited is the idea that gun control is a much needed panacea that could magically reduce the number of deaths attributed to guns. Though mass-shooting events capture our attention and shock our collective conscience, the reality is that the vast majority of gun deaths are suicides that assaults weapons bans would not mitigate—people rarely don’t commit suicide with automatic weapons. Moreover, even when it comes to homicides that involve guns, only 4% involved rifles and only a fraction of that number involved “assault weapons” like the AR-15 used by used by the Boulder mass-murderer. Unless the aim is to disarm all Americans and shred the second amendment, gun control legislations proposed by Biden and the Democrats will not make a dent in the number of Americans that tragically lose their lives to guns on an annual basis.
Beyond the sheer uselessness of these proposed gun control initiatives, the reflexive turn to this favored Democrat scheme prevents a closer inspection of why these horrific mass-shooting events keep popping up every couple of months. Instead of having serious conversations about the rot within our society and the hopelessness imbued by an economic system that has turned us all into indentured servants of corporatism that give birth to senseless acts of violence, we keep being gaslighted to scream at the symptoms and turn deaf ears to the disease. Beyond the fact that mental illnesses are skyrocketing on a year to year basis, even those who are not beset by mental afflictions are nonetheless dealing with the depression and anxiety of keeping up with the rent and remaining viable in this never ending rat race.
The shocking images of mass-causalities and candle light vigils to commemorate victims will only grow in frequency and gun control will not ameliorate this problem. I’m not about to turn to the non-sensical talking point that if you take away assault weapons, people will just pick up knives to commit mass-atrocities. I understand that 10 or 20 victims will not be taken down by a madman wielding a knife the way they are picked off easily when he is in possession of an assault weapon. But focusing on the most sensational aspects of gun deaths affiliated with assault weapons while ignoring the vast majority that are connected to lesser weapons is a practice in political demagoguery.
There is another reason why I have pivoted away from gun control and that has to do with the way our government has decided to treat us—the people who are supposed to be the bosses of our democracy—as threats to be mitigated instead. The continued militarization of the police, the decision to weaponize three-letter agencies like the CIA and NSA against American citizens and the way the US military is now conducting operations domestically in direct contravention of the Constitution are ominous developments as we creep closer to outright totalitarianism. The tyranny that the founders of this country rebelled against and the imperialism that gave birth to the American Revolution have been revived by the duopoly in DC.
This sprint towards fascism that we have been on ever since Bush implemented the “Patriot Act” has made me see the Second Amendment in a new light. Where I once believed that the idea citizens armed with guns cannot possibly defend themselves from tanks and F-16s has given way to a new perspective rooted in the understanding our national psyche. Though our political sophistication is nominal compared to other countries, we nonetheless have a mean independent streak. We do not like bullies and we do not abide being pushed around. This idea twinned with the knowledge that a significant number of Americans are armed gives our government pause when it comes to treading on our rights.
Handing the illegitimate government that rules without our consent a total monopoly of force while disarming citizens will only further incentivize both parties to act with impunity. If the ruling class do not have a modicum of fear for their constituents and instead snatch away our freedoms piecemeal in the name of security we will never get, we might as well put cuffs on our arms and shackles on our feet. This rush to curtail gun ownership has everything to do with an impending social strife that will be wrought once Dow Jones experiences another swoon. The establishment, and their corporates overlords, are preparing for a mayhem to come by making sure we don’t turn to guillotine solutions the way Parisians did during the French Revolution.
I fear more the excesses of my government than the chances I will be gunned down by a crazed mass-shooter. This is not to minimize grisly nature of these tragic events nor is my aim to downplay the grief shared by so many each time a community is ripped apart by a storm of bullets. However, the number of people who perish at the hands of assault weapons is miniscule compared to the number of people who die from the poverty, despair and inequalities that are the byproducts of a Ponzi scheme that is perpetuated by a government that is in the pockets of globalists.
In Milan, which used to be the economic center of Italy, there are endless lines just to receive a pack of bread. This is what globalism has done to Italy, but people are not fighting against those who are starving the country.They're fighting against those who do not wear a mask pic.twitter.com/43sp0QkPlv
— Cesare Sacchetti (@CesareSacchetti) March 20, 2021
If we are to solve the vexing issues that are gashing our country and the planet as a whole, we can only do so through calm conversations and reasoned dialogues with people we do not agree with. Declaring rhetorical violence with the aim of decreasing gun violence is an exercise in futility that will only worsen the animosity that has gripped our country and made a mandate to act all but impossible. As I mentioned yesterday on Shannon Joy’s show, most of us, irrespective of identity or ideology, actually have a lot more in common than we have that differentiates us. Martin Luther King once noted that darkness will not drive out darkness, neither will rage stomp out rampages.
While both parties have zero interests protecting the rights of Americans and safeguarding the public, I realize more than ever that Democrats are twice as insincere when it comes to using the pains of the marginalized and the tears of victims to push their pernicious agendas. Like ambulance chasers listening to CB radios for reports of major accidents, Democrats pounce into action each time there is a killing spree that involves an assault weapon to convince all Americans to abandon their Constitutional rights. Churchill once said 'never let a crisis go to waste', Democrats heeded his advice as they advocate gun restrictions while fanning the flames of inequalities that exacerbate these heinous mass shootings with their economic policies. Click To Tweet
If you appreciated this write up and believe that articles like this should be widely read by others and if you likewise support truly independent journalism, I ask you to support my endeavor. As noted in the Ghion Journal statement of purpose, we are a media entity that disavows corporations and we do not raise ad revenue, we are 100% supported and empowered by our readers and writers.
The donate button at the top goes to the Ghion Journal general funds to offset costs and to grow our capacities, the contribution button found the bottom of each article goes 100% to the respective authors. Contribute you can, but most importantly, continue to share these discussions. We are planting seeds, it is up to the readers to nurture it.
Teodrose Fikremariam
Latest posts by Teodrose Fikremariam (see all)
- Why I Changed My Mind about Gun Control - March 24, 2021
- We are the Canary in the Coalmine: the Insidious Campaign to Destroy Independent Media and Free-Speech - March 23, 2021
- Be Kind to Yourself: Dedicated to My Mom and Others Who Struggle - March 21, 2021
