Buffalo & Uvalde

SC Carry is extremely saddened and dismayed by the recent events in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.

This is an emotional time for all of us because we all recognize evil when we see it and these events can be described no other way.

Although many politicians will take this opportunity to seek more "gun control", it's important that all Americans realize that such actions will never completely eliminate such threats.

We must endeavor to discuss difficult topics with others who don't completely share our point of view if we have any desire to arrive at resolutions together.

We can be empathetic to the fears of others while politely and kindly remaining unwavering in our commitment to our rights.

We must also realize that there are some who will never hear what we have to say so it's best to limit our interactions with those folks.

All that being said, as advocates for gun rights, we should all take this opportunity to thoughtfully educate the public about these facts:

• Evil will find a means to enact harm and does not always use a gun (Timothy McVeigh, Waukesha Christmas Parade);
• There are currently thousands of gun laws from 18 U.S. Code § 922 to all the additional state and local (outside SC of course) statutes;
• Expanding the NICS background check system will not help since there is no one responsible for the correct operation of that system (18 U.S. Code § 922 section (t));
• Mental health in this country is a serious issue and more resources are needed to address it - placing people on drugs is not enough;
• Properly addressing mental health issues will eliminate the need for "Red Flag Laws" since someone with mental health issues is a prohibited person (18 U.S. Code § 922 sections d.4, g.4, s.3.B.iv);
• "School shootings" began to rise less than a decade after the Gun Free Zone act of 1996 and the government has done little to improve the safety of schools in the last quarter-century;
• More ideas like this that we can all agree upon need to be put into practice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcpsnrxHdCc)

We must find a way to do this without discarding, shaming, or criticizing those who do not share our views or nothing will ever change.

We can simultaneously be understanding of others' fears, advocate for change, and remain steadfast in our commitment to our rights; that is how we solve these problems together.

Stay safe.