By: Luis Alberto Duarte

Luis Alberto Duarte — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:53:00 +0000

The Gun Control Polemics
While I strongly support initiatives like those submitted by
the President, considered steps in the right direction, it is believed that the
elephant is still in the room and those in favor or against gun control measurements
pretend to blind it. The fundamental issue remains untouched. Two colors may
uncover the elephant: education and responsibility. The color “education” reaches
far beyond the simple reading and light interpretation of the statements in the
Second Amendment. It includes the comprehensive understanding of the
implications of owning guns within the environment where each one of us lives:
family, schools, corporations, and government.
It includes the clear learning and acceptance of what is legally
required to do so and why; it includes the sincere, frank, and suitable
communication regarding our reasons, purposes, and intentions of acquiring guns
with those around us: room-mates; relatives; children; friends; class mates; co-workers;
associates; church members, and so on. It includes the convincing that the parent gun
owner must have reasonable, open, and interacting truthful conversations with her
children at any time, regarding the gun usage, the time to use it, and the
purpose and reasons for having it at home; it includes his living by example,
as a weapon owner. Once the scope of this first color is captured in her mind,
as a potential gun owner, for the love of the sport of for the purpose that she
may has in mind, she has to make a conscious effort to learn about what is what
she really needs. Then, with the true sense of “responsibility” follow the laws
and rules to legally acquire it, always being aware of his learning (in the
education color) that he has to be completely and rationally cognizant about
what he is going to do and what shall be his “responsibility” regarding those
rifles from the time they leave the gun shop in his possession. Educated gun owner citizen citizens shall be
responsible for the status, usage, storage, and location of those guns 24/7.
And his responsibility must involve having knowledge and accountability for
when, how and in which conditions each one of the bullets in each round is
fired. Even more, her responsibility shall include knowledge about the individual
who is receiving her gun (sale, donation, gift, heritage) when a voluntary transaction
takes place. Furthermore, an educated
and responsible gun owner should be able to make responsible provisions for
including his property guns in a Will or State. While, some of these aspects may be included in
laws, at the end of the day, the “brightness” of these colors resides only in
each one of us, the citizens of the US. These should be the focus of continuous
programs, legislations, and initiatives at the local, state and nation levels.

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By: Luis Alberto Duarte