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Hoplophobia

Let’s be honest: the only reason we still allow civilians to buy assault rifles and guns is so a tiny minority gets to fool around with really dangerous things.

One of the rarest fears in the world is the fear of weapons

Don’t understand many things. Such as how the universe can constantly be expanding. Or the meaning of life.

Or how some people like Victoria Soto find the courage to give up their lives to protect others, while some others can do nothing but stand by the sides and point.

One of the rarest phobias is hoplophobia – the fear of weapons. It’s so rare that this is probably the first time you’ve ever heard of it.

Don’t understand that.

If you should fear one thing, it’s something that spits 800 bullets a minute.

In an ironic twist, the exact same thing that happened here with Sandy Hook happened on the same day in China. There, not one person – child or otherwise – was killed. The only difference between the two events was the lethality of the weapon used: in China, it was a knife, in America it was a gun.

There are 310,000,000 non-military guns right now in America – those are nine digits. Why do we need even one more?

Because it’s in the Constitution?
So is slavery.

Because it’s tradition?
So was the aforementioned slavery and lack of women’s suffrage.

Because we need to protect ourselves from the government?
The government has stealth bombers and nuclear weapons. That’s laughable. I’m writing this on the most powerful weapon against oppressive government and this has been proven repeatedly through history both very old and recent.

So why then do we continue to add to that 310 million figure? Let’s be honest here:

It’s so people that love guns can continue to have them and the gun manufacturers that make a buck it from it can continue to do so.

This, I understand even less.

And I’m not discounting the need to discuss mental illness – I’m all for discussing mental illness – but it’s not a binary thing. It’s not (a) deal with mental illness or (b) have less guns. It’s both.

Been very ranty lately. I’m usually not. But I’ve repeated a quote on FB that I feel bears repeating ad nauseam:

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do harm, but because of those who look at it without doing anything. – Albert Einstein

Victoria Soto gave her life to do something. The least we can do is ask of those that profess to represent us to do something about this beside talk.

Beside trade hot breath and lies.

People on my Facebook page were upset because I wrote that “I am shocked at how little anything shocks me any more.”

  • 310 million guns already, more being produced.
  • Mental illness as a stigma rather than a health issue that needs to be dealt with.
  • The Snookification of fame – where it doesn’t matter how or why you become famous, but merely that you get famous.

How is this – honestly – shocking to anyone? In 2012 alone we had sixteen (16!) mass shootings.

Don’t understand why more people don’t have hoplophobia and I don’t understand how any one can honestly be shocked by this.

Angry, upset, heartbroken, furious, livid, despondent – these words I can understand.

But shocked? Shocked?

I seriously doubt anyone is truly shocked that something like this happened.

———-

Here are 10 Arguments that Gun Advocates Make and Why They’re Wrong.

Location: my head
Mood: disappointed
Music: There is no music today.
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8 replies on “Hoplophobia”

I agree that a mass shooting is not shocking, but devastating and maddening. What IS shocking is how hard he fought to get into a school to slaughter (I repeat for effect – SLAUGHTER) innocent children. This was not a teenager at a school shooting his peers. This was a very sick individual who sought out and fought with determination to get into this school to murder kindergarteners. That is what is shocking and unfathomable.

I agree with you that I am not usually shocked by the terrible things I see in the news, but this story I cannot handle. It is shocking and disturbing. So much so, that I have yet to intentionally watch or read a news story about it. I don't care to know the details. I don't care why. Why doesn't matter to me in this instance, because there is no rationale that can solve it or make it less difficult to process. This story is, indeed, a shock to the system.

When the assault gun ban was in place, violent gun related crimes went down; when it expired, it immediately went back up. I def. think a ban on assault weapons is a baseline start.

Logan, agree 100% that the reinstating the ban on assault and semi-automatic weapons is a baseline. We're not in the 1790's, guns are no longer our way of life. At the writing of the 2nd amendment the best weapons could fire one ball at a time and at a maximum of 3 per minute. They also had an effective range of about 50 yards. The 2nd amendment was not about Bushmaster M4's.

I am hoplophobic – anything that can turn any garden variety nut into the equivalent of 267 revolutionary soldiers scares me witless. I've had them pointed at me (in more interesting parts of the world) and nothing quite gets your attention like a half inch hole at the end of a barrel.

Exactly – a different time calls for different laws. I've guns pulled on me twice in my life, and both were completely terrifying. The amount of effort necessary for someone to have taken my life in those two moments is laughably small.

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