Take No Offense. I Mean You No Harm.

I have two guest posts and an interview on stand-by, and many guests posts and interviews I, myself, need to write. However, I need to say something first. I need to speak out. To remain silent would be hypocritical of me. This post hereby defects from my usual rants about writing and puppies and the like—please, stay with me. I have a point, and that point is not to insult you. Take no offense by this post. I mean you no harm.
This is not a political post. I will bash no one’s party. This is not a religious rant. I will deny no one’s spiritual beliefs. I am not here to tell you that you are wrong because you vote red or blue. I am not here to tell you to take down your flag or tell you to put away your holiday decorations. Do not take immediate offense. I pose no threat to your values. Do not turn off or click away from this page because you think I’m about to shut down your proclivities or insult your intelligence. I’m not. Please, do not tune me out, but hear me out. All I’m asking for is an open ear, and your voice.
There is an epidemic in this country. There is. It’s evidenced by the innocent lives we lost yesterday in Oregon’s college shooting—one in a string of many senseless shootings that never should have occurred. People will say it’s because of the gun problem. People will say it’s because of mental health issues within our population. People will say other things. People will say, and say, and they will not agree on the “why.” Honestly, I can’t tell you what the “why” is. I’m no CIA analyst, nor do I have a doctorate in Psychology. What I can tell you is that something needs to change, and that change will not occur until we turn to each other, open up a dialogue, and talk about it—
—Without the insults. Without the close-mindedness and the ardor, and without trying to shove our own proclivities down each other’s throats. What we need is to be adults, to mediate the issue through active communication and thoughtful listening. We need to come to understand that our viewpoint, while valid in its own way, might not be the best viewpoint for the community. That’s what we need to be worried about here, friends. Not ourselves. Not our rights. The community.
Yes, way back in 1776 a piece of paper was signed by a few men, and that piece of paper upholds the way we govern our land. To repudiate that paper would be to throw us into anarchy, wouldn’t it? We can’t go against what our forefathers said! How would we govern? How would we uphold peace and justice?
Well, way, way back, say, 2,000 years ago, the law said that adulterers were to be stoned to death. My neighbor cheated on his wife a few years back. Never did I see the collective of Knollwood Acres gather together to throw stones at him until he took his last breath. I still see him pass by my house every day on his way to work. He receives a few dirty looks now and then, but he lives on.
Because we, as a community, came together and realized that stoning people to death was wrong. We also realized that slavery was wrong. We realized burning witches was wrong and we realized a whole lot of other things along the way, too. Why can’t we realize, then, that giving every one a gun might just be, kinda, sorta, just maybe, the wrong thing to do?
Take no offense. I’m not asking you to clean out your gun cabinet. I’m not saying that banning guns is the answer. I’m not saying that we should take guns away from every American and replace them with popsicles. I’m not. What I’m saying is that we need to have a discussion about, dare I say that nasty, nasty word, regulation. Yes, mental health may to be to blame for these killings. Why then, do we provide firearms to the mentally ill? Why no lengthened screenings, no hefty background checks? Why no regulation? Because it’s the American right to own a firearm? I’ve been saying this for years, friends, and I’ll say it yet again: just because it’s your “right” doesn’t make it right.
You’re a good Samaritan. You pose no threat to society. You own a gun because you feel safer, you want to defend your family, and that’s fine. That’s understandable. I get that. I’m no taking that away from you. Take no offense. But, your neighbor, he’s a touch…off, isn’t he? On a few prescriptions for mental illness? History of anger management? An arrest record? Do you really want him lurking just beyond the fence with a tool that could end your loved one’s life in the blink of an eye, simply because a three hundred year old piece of paper says it’s his right to have it? If we’re going to stick to every law we’ve ever written down on parchment, then I suppose we should go track down that Duggar guy and string him up—but first, let’s us all head down to the quarry and find ourselves a healthy supply of decently sized rocks.
It is not about taking away your means to protect your family, your community. Take no offense. It’s about providing further protection for your family, your community. Will background checks and stricter regulation help? I just don’t know. Because we aren’t talking about it. We’re either too busy shutting down and yelling at each other, or remaining silent. And that’s another problem.
We can no longer hide from this issue, friends. We can no longer ignore social media posts and news articles about it. Innocent people are dying. They are dying a dime a dozen. Where’s the outrage? Where’s the public voice? Why aren’t we sitting around and talking about this, adult to seasoned adult, in a calm and rationalized manner? Why are we so offended because our rights are being examined? Why are we so worried about what people think of us? So worried, that we won’t stand up for what we believe in?
It’s time to speak out about this, friends. It’s time to become unpopular. To lose a friend or two on Facebook. To lose a few book sales because of an unpopular opinion. It’s time to stand and say, “Yes, there is an issue. I see that. I’m open to discussion.” No longer can we cling to our ideals because they are safe and familiar. I will openly say that I disapprove of guns. I wish they were banned. However, I’m also open to the idea that banning all guns might not be the answer. That a change is necessary, though that change might be less than what I’d like it to be. The important thing is that I’m open. I’m willing to listen to your opinion, hear your answer. Why aren’t you?
There are those of you who will say, “It doesn’t matter if I speak up. My voice won’t change anything.” To those who remain silent because they believe their voice will change nothing, I offer you the following history lesson: Rosa Parks refused to give up a seat on a bus: look at how powerful that was for Civil Rights. Alice Paul wouldn't eat her milk and eggs: look at how powerful that was for Women's Rights. Patrons in a bar in Greenwich Village refused to yield to the police: look at how powerful that was for Gay Rights. One voice, one action. That’s all change needs.
 Friends, take no offense. I mean you no harm. I just want you to open your mind to the possibility of change, even the slightest of change. I just want you to open your hearts to the twenty-six families who lost their precious little babies in Newtown, and to all those who have lost a loved one before or since. I want you to open your voice and do something to actively change this rampaging illness our society is plagued with. To bury your head in the sand and to refuse to re-examine your ideals because you are comfortable is to betray the very freedom your troops fight for, the very freedom your forefathers died for. To refuse to listen to anyone who doesn’t follow suit in your exact way of thinking is archaic. These killings will never stop until we, as a people, talk about it. They will only grow worse until we agree to put aside our proclivities and to listen to each other, to actively pursue a solution that, while it may not be ideal for us as individuals, is ideal for us as a community.
That’s my opinion. That’s my voice. Take no offense. I mean you no harm.