Julie DelegalThere is a middle-aged man I know who lives in a small structure — not the “main house” — on his family’s rural property.
The man is fond of alcohol, which might have something to do with why he lost his job and his marriage. In his eyes, though, the troubles in his life trace back to one person — President Barack Obama.
There are radio programs, websites, columns, and TV talk shows ready to reinforce his views. On any given day, the mantra of a subculture is easy to tune into: Barack Obama is to blame for all of our ills. And there are people who listen, watch, and read — people who absorb the hatred like sponges.
Several weeks ago, I dampened a paper towel in a restaurant bathroom to wipe down a table that the staff hadn’t yet cleaned. As I remarked to an older woman in the bathroom how busy the place was, she sympathized, and explained to me the real cause of my dirty table: Obamacare.
Hmmm.
The lady’s anger was tame, as anger goes, and she didn’t appear to be armed. Sure, there are plenty of haters on the left, too, who may be every bit as apt to share their political dismay with strangers in the ladies’ room. But are the lefties as apt to carry guns?
Political persuasion aside, some people seem to enjoy being angry and aggressive.
Like the rural Obama-hater, who is fond alcohol and guns, too.
Like the driver who followed me so closely yesterday that I couldn’t see the front end of her car.
Like the customer, next in line for a restaurant table, who shouted vehemently when he feared the hostess had skipped over him.
Like the man at the convenience store, who allegedly murdered a 17-year-old kid because the teenager’s music was too loud.
Like the man in the movie theater, who ended an altercation with a bullet, and who now faces a second-degree murder charge.
Movie-theater-man is a retired cop, like my own father was. Dad carried his gun everywhere, too, until his last days. I understand people who are attached to their guns. I understand self-defense and home protection and the guarantees of the Second Amendment. For those reasons, I’ve never been a crusader for gun control.
But Americans have shown, time and time again, that we can’t responsibly handle guns. Too many among us can’t manage our anger, our aggression, our simmering hatred toward each other. Some of us are even addicted to the adrenaline rush that rage delivers, no matter how fleeting, no matter how deadly.
Worst of all, though, we’re passing that anger down to our young people, our children. The Denver Post reports that the Columbine tragedy in 1999 marked the first of a series of 21 school shootings; Sandy Hook is number 19. Not on the list was the gun murder of Jacksonville’s Episcopal High School Principal, Dale Regan. Her life was taken by an irate, disturbed, young Spanish teacher.
America, if I were your mother, I’d lock up all your guns and send you to your room. I’d take away your television, radio, and Internet privileges, and I wouldn’t let you come out until I was certain that you were ready to interact civilly with other human beings.
Is it “fair” to restrict guns for everyone, including the responsible firearm owner, because so many of us obviously can’t be trusted with them? I know of a growing number of mothers — 26 of them in Connecticut — who don’t care about “fair.” They just want their children back.
