Lost in the South

So, there's been another mass shooting.  This time some fine black folks were mowed down in church of all places.  It's too much.  It was too much when all those second graders were shot in New Town. Too much blood.  Too much insanity.  Too much hate.  And, very likely, too many guns.

I live in Georgia and I've been in the South for 30 years. As a natural born Yankee, I never gave much thought to the Civil War until I moved here.  I never knew how deep those wounds ran here in the South.  I never realized that people here are proud of their efforts back then to leave the Union. There are still those who would secede today, given the opportunity.  I've gotten used to it, though I do not agree with this feeling.

The United States is one country, North and South, East and West, black and white.  We have our problems, but guns are not the answer.  They were not the answer during the Civil War and they are not the answer now.  Can we not agree to give guns the same kind of oversight we give vehicles? We not only register them, but we test for skills, we fine infractions, and we revoke licenses for the worst offenders. We even require insurance so that if someone is hurt, they can be compensated.  I understand that illegal guns can be gotten but we make that so easy.  It should be made more difficult.

If you must have a gun, why would you object to the same regulations as on your car?  I just don't get it.  The government isn't coming for your guns unless you do something irresponsible or criminal with them.

If one cannot see; one cannot drive.  So I think it follows that if one is unstable, mentally, one should not own a gun.  And if one has a history of violence, why allow them a gun?  And really, does anyone need an automatic assault rifle?  Can we not use common sense?  Apparently not.

Take down the flag.  It was treasonous before and is widely regarded as a symbol of racial hate now.  One can be proud of the fact that one's relatives stood up for what they believed in without perpetuating the problem into new generations.

Let us vote for candidates that support gun control.  No one will come for your guns unless you use them against others or become incapacitated. Enough blood has been spilled.