Bob Costas Said What

Last Sunday night during halftime of the NFL game being shown on NBC Bob Costas made a big mistake. He addressed the issue of gun violence in the United States through the lens of the awful incident that had taken place in Kansas City last weekend.

Stating that it was likely that if no guns had been present in the home both the killer Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend might still be alive.

The reaction was swift and predictable. Costas was a sports guy who dare he comment on such an issue? Costas should keep his mouth shut. Guns don't kill people, people do.

I think that we need to recognize a few things in America.

The NRA when I was growing up was a wonderful organization. When my older brothers were growing up it stood for the rights of hunters and sportsmen and stood for responsible gun ownership. Often times the NRA sponsored and supported gun restrictions.

In the mid to late seventies however it was discovered that values voters could be manipulated with fear. After that everything changed. Soon we had Charlton Heston claiming they would take his guns only from his cold dead hands.

Soon the right to own an Uzi assault weapon was clearly stated in the Constitution.

This week Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn sponsored or suggested a bill that would allow mentally ill veterans to buy firearms.

That sentence should tell you all you need to know about how things have changed.

Fifty years ago that would have never happened, the NRA would have been against it tooth and nail.

Now the NRA fights for guns in churches, voting booths, national parks, anywhere people want.

Two of the best, most honest and reputable, people I know, my best friend and his brother are staunch gun rights advocates. They believe as many good people do that if everyone carried a gun these mass shootings would never happen. They are most likely right. What that does not address however is the danger of letting a child play with fire.

We all know that many if not most of gun deaths are emotional decisions made in the spur of the moment. We know also that if people do not shoot each other, they can stab, strangle or maim in any way possible. We also know however that with a gun present in takes only a momentary lapse of reason. Jovan Belcher was a 300 pound man, he could have killed that woman with his bare hands. The fact is however he did not, he got angry, went into another room, got one of his eight gunzzz that had jokingly been texting about only an hour earlier and shot this woman nine times.

Some things to make sure are said.

People can own guns if they like. Most gun owners are responsible.

The question is why do the responsible gun owners stand up for the rights of morons, felons, the mentally ill, and others to get a gun. Why does a responsible gun owner have an issue with a waiting period to get a gun.

Let me tell you about a discussion I had with my son. He said what if the end of the world comes and you need a gun. I told him I doubted zombies would appear anytime soon. He countered that what if the government started getting out of control and we had to protect ourselves.

This, the militia argument, we have to be able to protect ourselves from the government argument. Explain this to me, why is it that ninety nine percent of the people who do not want to have a waiting period for guns because they do not want the government to know who has guns are the same people who are for The Patriot Act and other intrusions against civil liberties. These same people have no problem with the illegal search and snoops allowed under the act, they have no problem with the phone tapping and email sifting that takes place on anyone the government wants. Often I hear them say I am not doing anything wrong let them look, which is ok if that is your thought, but you do not want them to know you have a gun.

One thing needs to be made clear. Our government can send a drone half way across the world with a camera and find, aim and kill anybody they want. Do you think your three guns holed up in a cabin in the woods is going to keep the goverment from you if htye want you. You are fooling yourself.

I made my wife mad a few weeks ago. We were talking about DWB. That is Driving While Black. She said that if she were black and got pulled over all the time she would be very angry. I said I understand that I would too, but I also would be angry at other black men for committing so many crimes.

She and I am sure society thinks I am wrong. I am a numbers guy. The numbers do not lie. To me if a high percentage of those people who do certain things are a certain race, or certain profession, or a certain anything I think not profiling on that nature is a mistake.

I think if I had a brother who kept committing a crime and I kept getting stopped I would be frustrated but I also would tell my brother to knock it off.

For this same reason I would like the NRA and gun rights advocates to not have a knee jerk reaction against any reasonable gun laws and restrictions. By eliminating the psychos and crazies these responsible people will only increase the rights and respect of those who do the right thing.

Our culture celebrates violence. Football players, rappers, and other heroes of the modern culture, the often times black led culture, flash gang signs, talk about guns, and caps, and of course bitches and hos.

110 pound white boys sitting in my living room wear their pants so low I know what color the stripes on there underwear are and we laugh at their foolishness. We do not however question why this is so. The same people wearing there pants so low carry guns and talk about bitches and hos.

So this woman went out too late for this mans taste. So he shot her. Should we be surprised. No, life is not a vacuum. What we are exposed to if we have no way to filter it gets into us an sometimes comes out in unpredictable ways.

When I talk to my kids about rap music, and my middle son about his pants, they tell me I am being silly. I do not think I am.

When I tell my friends that they should want to restrict gun use to people like them they tell me I am being silly. I do not think I am.