Use Caution

I understand that when someone famous says something publicaly that is so ignorant, so wrong and so dangerous it is natural to want to call names and point out in colorful fashion the error of his ways, but I wonder if that is the most constructive way to response.

The top people in this country want to take our guns and they don’t care about truth or what is right. They do not care about the Constitution, the rule of law or common decency. They want power and control, but of course we are not yet a dictatorship, so they can’t, at this time, just walk in and disarm us. What they need is the people or most of the people on their side. If they can convince enough folks that guns are bad and citizens do not need them then they can pass laws and make major changes. Guess how they do that? They use people with a voice.

This sports announcer made a statement on Sunday Night football and it went viral in about half a second. I would say most people hearing his words now don’t really care. Don’t have an opinion, but they are reading and watching. What do you think when they see a bunch “crazed” gunners spewing hate and name calling? It feeds right into the antis portrayal of us.

Sure we can say who cares, they won’t silence me, I don’t give a crap. That’s fine, but I want to keep my guns. I am truly concerned about keeping my guns. I don’t want to be forced to walk around without having some ability to tip the scales in my favor. I know people say “from my cold dead hands” and if it comes to that, I guess we all have a choice to make, but to be honest with you, I would prefer not to have to die in order to secure my rights to carry a gun.

The truth is people who are willing to kill themselves or others are deeply disturbed and will commit their evil crime regardless of the tools available.  In addition no amount of control will eliminate guns. Especially for a person with power, influence and money such as a pro football player.

As a society we will never ever eliminate all bad guys or eliminate their desire and ability to to harm. No amount of hugging, self esteem workshops or hours of watching Dr. Phil will create a perfectly safe world. In the end the best we can do is find ways to limit the amount of harm those evil doers do. My choices are fairly limited and disarming me cuts my chances of survival dramatically.

Unfortunately, I have personal experience on both sides of this issue. My brother abused his wife and then took his own life.I loved my brother or I tried to. Lots of us did, but truth be told he was a mess. He was selfish and mean. He was self destructive and destructive to others long before he pulled the trigger to end his life. He had reasons. Valid reasons why he would be off. Our childhood was beyond violent and abusive, but all along the way he had choices to make. He was not mentally ill. He didn’t have a psychiatric disease. He knew he was hurtful and he chose to deal with it by making excuses until he no longer could. Sure he was in real pain and he truly struggled, but at the end of the day he made choice after choice that was in favor of destruction and harm. For whatever reason he decided the only way to end his pain was to end his life. He was determined to do so. Gun or no gun he was going to end his life. No amount of gun control, knife control or rope control was going to stop him. He broke many laws and breaking one more to get his hands on a gun wouldn’t have mattered one bit to him.

Conversely, I am law abiding. I don’t break the law. I don’t carry where I am not legally allowed too, but in order to be law abiding I am putting my fate in the hands of a bad guy. I have been in the hands of a bad guy and with every fiber of my being I do not want to be at his mercy again. There is no mercy to be found there.

If I had a chance to speak with Mr. Costas, that is what I would say.

25 thoughts on “Use Caution

  1. A Girl, I hear you, and hate speech is not the answer – agreed. We don’t have to agree with people like Mr. Costas and we should not hide our opinions either. We do need to articulate the short comings of his statements and arguements. While on his soapbox, Mr. Costas didn’t mention domestic violence, didn’t mention booze or pain killers, just that guns are evil and do not make you safe. However, Mr. Costas has an advantage that you and I do not. For 90 seconds he got to tell one side of a story to 10 million people directly without any rebuttal. That’s why you and me are writing about this today. One more thing, even if the majority thinks you should not have guns, remember the majority can be wrong the founders called it tyranny.

    • Yes! That is why I wrote about it and that is why I hope many, many, many others will. Hopefully, someone who isn’t already in favor of the 2nd Amendment will read something and rethink their point of view.

      He abused his position. He has a right to his belief and to write it etc, but not as a commentator during a football game.

  2. I did call Costas an “idiot” on the God, Gals, Guns, and Grub Facebook page because I think his statements show ignorance about guns, murder, and suicide… When I worked as a police officer and since then I have seen suicides occur with rope, sheets, cars, guns, knives, suicide-by-cop, and even a lawnmower in a garage…

    I’m so sorry to hear about your experience with your brother… Costas blaming the gun for a murder or suicide is naive and even dangerous… There are usually significant underlying problems that are in place when most folks decide to take their own life or the life of another… to blame the gun assumes that if you get rid of guns, all those other things would magically disappear… that is ignorance… and that is why I feel Costas is an idiot… for publicly showing his ignorance in a forum where his audience isn’t there to listen to his expertise or opinions on guns or suicide…

    I appreciated your post on this today…

    Dann in Ohio

    • Dann, I agree and I am not perfect. I lashed out too and said some not so nice things about him, but mostly out of frustration and fear. When I stop to think about what I want and how best to achieve those goals. I think calm factual arguments are the way to go.

      We are right and many people who have been brainwashed might get it if they can truly see they have been lied to.

      Thanks for your comments!

  3. Costas ceased to be relevant many years ago. Many ignore and have ignored him for years.

    But your post says it much better.

    • When I was very young I loved Costas. He had a late night talk show, but about 15 years ago I stopped watching him.

  4. Completely agree with all of the above comments, and the original post. While I understand that there will be gun owners/concealed licensees that will go around spewing invective at all things anti-gun (human nature dictates that there *will* be a few), I think that a calm, reasoned, logical rebuttal is the way to go. And that includes ALL arguments with the anti-gun crowd. They have no facts or un-tweaked statistics to support their claims, so they have mastered the art of “spin”, and will prod the gun community until someone has enough and says something like “poo-poo head” (or worse), and then all fingers are pointed at the “irrational, hate-filled rants directed at us”. I’m going to try to do some research on my own (yeah, I know…me? Educated? Maybe the Mayans did have it right and the world is about to end!) and post something. Will it change Costas’ mind? Nope. His mindset is set, and he (and those like him) are not about to be prodded from the path of the knee-jerk reaction. But, as you mentioned, there are millions who don’t care one way or the other, or haven’t made up their mind one way or the other. THOSE are our target audience (pun not intended, but welcomed anyway).

  5. As Modern Musket so clearly stated, this is our opportunity to come forward and say, “My gun will never kill anyone, unless I’m using it as last resort to defend my life, loved ones, or liberty.”

  6. It’s terrific to hear such a measured, rational response in this matter. Thank you.
    Not being a sports guy, I only heard of his pronouncement second hand, and it angered me. He reminds me of so many of those ‘Hollywood’ folks with access to media.
    YES, he is allowed to have an opinion – so am I, so are the rest of us. How come HE gets media coverage and we don’t?
    THAT’S the larger issue.
    Too bad the commenter couldn’t have been say Tom Selleck?

    • “From my cold dead fingers”…..

      I think there is more to this, re the rampages of the anti’s. I would not be at all surprised to find that they are in a way being used by the present administration to inflame the general public. Comes under what obama calls under the radar. In regard to suicide and murder…this past week there was a murder and suicide at the community college in Casper WY. Only this was a bit drfferent, it was done with a compound bow and a knife. No gun or guns involved. Now, personally, I don’t really care how one commits suicide. Doing it or not doing it is a individual’s choice. Sorry to appear hard hearted on this but I neither endorse suicide or condone it. Kind of funny in a way…..there is a law against it…or at least in aiding it BUT I never have ever heard of someone commiting suicide successfully and being arrested and tried for it. Something else, and yes, it may appear to be a bit of a tin foil hat thing…but I really wonder if some of these shootings are not really set up. By that I mean suppose the shooter really plans to commit suicide and then in some way communicates that to a anti group or even to the powers that be…..all they would have to do is set the person up so they could accomplish it. Far fetched? Yes, it is BUT it would not really surprise me. In truth, some of these terrorist people of the radical islamic belief do the same thing.

      As far as dying for my right to keep my guns…I am at that age where yeah…no problem with it. For two reasons….I no longer give a shit, considering where this country is going and two, I have “lived” my life to the fullest I could. Does that mean I want to do that? Of course not, BUT…if it comes down to the wire…..

  7. Very well said and I completely agree. Admittedly, the first round of thoughts that went through my mind were not nice, however they didn’t come out of my mouth nor did I send them out via the internet. My concern, like yours, is that if I had made public those personal emotions I would in fact have done more harm than good. I will absolutely stand for my rights and I will speak, sometimes loudly, but the words will be more carefully chosen and constructed to help our cause, rather than hurt it.

    Thank you for what you shared here.

  8. I agree that the gun control battle is a culture war, and being “the reasonable ones” (and letting the anti-gun folks have the screaming, foaming at the mouth side of the debate) goes a long way toward winning hearts and minds. You’re absolutely right that rich, powerful people who think they’re untouchable can almost always get weapons even when they’re illegal otherwise. Look at the current state of affairs in Mexico, where it seems the only private citizens with guns are the narco-terrorists.

    On the other side of the coin, if Kasandra Perkins had been armed and trained, maybe she’d have been able to save her life when faced with the bigger, stronger, homicidal abuser.

    Also wanted to say “I’m sorry” for what happened with your brother. The knowledge that people make their own choices, for good or for ill, doesn’t make the spillover of those choices onto the innocent any less painful, I’ve learned.

  9. Thank you for your honest comment. This is so much more than what we get from the other side. I don’t think I have ever commented on your blog, but I am a long time reader, and I ask my wife to read what you choose to share with us. Best of luck and Godspeed.

  10. Well said, BUT… yeah, I know… Speeches like this must be countered… Too many people ‘automatically’ agree with the talking heads unless the error(s) are pointed out to them.

    • Yes, of course. I didn’t say be silent. The more people who speak up and point out how wrong, wrong, wrong he is the better.

  11. I’ve refrained from writing my letter to the NFL and the station until I could calm down and make a reasoned arguement. Mr. Costas missed the mark – he had 90 seconds to shed some light on domestic violence or drug abuse. Instead, he chose to blame the gun, not the person holding the gun. I suppose he blames the knife for his good buddy, OJ Simpson, killing his wife, too.

    • Yes, last night I could not have written this post. Last night I turned off the game and ranted and raved to my drug enduced comatose husband(very sick & on cold meds).

      Again, I agree 100%. Why would he choose highlight anything other than this young woman, her life, and the crime that is domestic violence.

  12. Great post girl! Very well “said.” Hate speech gets us, and our cause no where. Gun owners must band together and make an intelligent statement and impact in order to protect our second amendment right.

  13. Well said. I’ve seen so much domestic violence that it was one of the things that decided me to go ahead and pull the plug when I did. It’s always ugly and often tragic and the presence or absence of guns doesn’t change the crime scene one bit. It’s a crying shame that Costas used his time to miss the point so badly.

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