GUN VIOLENCE, by Louis Husband (aka: RayLove)

I honestly never gave too much thought about gun violence in my 36 years of living until recently. As a person that grew up in a city, a neighborhood, where the environment was thick with gun violence, it became a “normal” part of living, sad to say. By the age of 12, I was able to obtain my first gun, which was very easy to get. From the age of 12 to 23, I owned more than 15 different guns, two of which were assault rifles. Growing up I adapted to my environment which I believed groomed my thinking to view gun violence as something “normal” because I’ve seen and been around it so much. Having a gun became like an accessory to an alfit. Guns became an extension of my persons like an extra limb. I’ve seen and heard of people fall victim to gun violence, but like I stated before, I never gave deep thought to the issue until this latest mass shooting in California. It struck an emotional cord within me. Maybe because I’m no longer in a gun toting environment…maybe because I’ve grown up and my way of thinking has changed, or maybe it was because I was watching the daytime show, “The REAL” seeing the raw emotion pour from the hearts of those women, embodying the families of how America feel. It could be a million little things that resonated with me causing me to give thought to gun violence, gun “control”, gun laws, etc.

I remember feeling a certain type of way, as we all did, when I seen on the news the mass shooting at Sandy Hook. But after that, I would hear about so many other shooting on the news that, through the years, like growing up in my neighborhood, it became sort of the “norm”, desensitizing us shortly after these senseless acts of violence. It seems like when it doesn’t affect us personally, when it doesn’t hit closer to home, we seem to move past the last act [of violence] relatively quick until the next tragedy, not giving us enough time to grieve in between. When it happens way too often it molds into a norm. I believe In 2018 there has been 308 mass shooting, in 311 days! Terrible! We want a solution. We NEED a solution to this problem. So what do we do!?

I understand that there are people fighting for change but, I’m always HEARING about GUN control, changing GUN laws, GUN reform and all these other things that we want/need but, changing “guns laws” is not a solution nor is it a start to the solution. That’s just a teardrop in this oceanic mess that have been building for hundreds of years. Its like putting a bandaid on a shark bite. I understand we all want quick fixes to the problems we have but, the amount of time it takes to recognize a problem, it may take up to the same amount of time to completely fix it…maybe longer.
I may not have the solution to this problem but maybe my idea for a solution could spark the idea that begins to change things.

I believe we’re too far along in history, in regards to gun production, to take small steps, small jestures, or express the most minimal action, and think that it could resolve a problem that is GRAND….a problem that is massively out of control! I believe our steps and jestures needs to be as grand as the problem, maybe even grandER, as well as our actions.

Imagine a 50 year old man never cut his hair since birth. His many thick dreadlocks grew long from his scalp down to his knees. He realizes one day that at the root of each dreadlock there’s a growing yeast-like infection that threatens the health, integrity and existence of each dread as well as his scalp. So after many failed attempts to get rid of the infection by washing it with several different shampoos and other products, he takes an 6 inch comb to one of his many dreads, and attempts to pick through, to untangle the dreads to get to the infection. After completing this process, he realizes that in order to get rid of the infection he must get rid of the hair.

Taking out dreads is not impossible but it is a very long, and strenuous process. I imagine it would be hard for him, or anyone, to voluntarily lose his hair because for most it is an identity. But it would be best he cut off his hair and start over.
As a people, making the decision to start over completely in any situation is a difficult one. Only when we’re forced, only when we have no other choices do we accept a new beginning, and try to make the best of the new beginning moving forward taking with you what you learned from your last experience.

My suggestion is to start over. I know and understand that there are laws and rights concerning guns, and I’m not extensively knowledgeable on those laws, only that the constitution protects our right to bare arms (any & all information about gun laws is welcomed). Obviously we can’t take guns away from everybody in America but, if not the guns, what about the ammunition? Are there laws/rights on ammunition? My thought is of a nationwide sweep of ammunition. Obviously we also can’t take ALL the ammunition from the people who already has them but, putting a temporary band on the manufacturing, distribution, and sells of any/all ammunition in every city of every state, confiscating them into the custody of the F.B.I. or ATF, until effective change become noticeable. THEN set new laws, new rules, new requirements, new regulations etc. moving forward. This is the type of grand jesture, the type of grand action we need to fight a grand problem.

Guns are nothing without bullets. Things have gotten out of control on a scale of which we could not have foreseen but, there always was potential for so many bad possibilities. We can’t be there the moment when sinister thoughts are born, turning a seemingly stable person to a motavated monster. A piece of paper instructing a person to “Stay Away” from another, can not stop a violent-driven person. Unfortunately laws are broken, people turn bad, and police make arrest AFTER a crime is committed, not before. Hard decisions for grand action needs to be made.

Louis Husband
DOC #518-177