Disingenuous Claims & Use of Statistics

One of the most frustrating angles to consider concerning our American Gun Violence problem is the disingenuous use and presentation of gun violence statistics.
Here are two for us to consider:

"In 2018 there were nearly 40 thousand Americans killed by a gun !!"

We will see this claim quite a lot. It is true from a certain angle but disingenuously presented because the people saying this, purposefully lump all gun deaths together. Suicide is gun violence, Yes. But suicide is primarily a mental anguish issue. There is really very little anyone can do about suicides with a gun unless the underlying mental issues are addressed. Suicides make up 60% of that 40k number. In our fervor to present outrageous numbers to further our cause for less gun violence, the rest of the deaths by gun in that 40k number are lessened in the public eye.
This does not help, in-fact it lessens the "anti-gun" position.

The numbers for purposeful and accidental gun violence are bad enough without this skewed presentation. We can still champion less suicide by gun and keep these numbers related, yet not lumped together. All of our American gun violence problems are primarily mental anguish and incompetence issues no matter how they manifest.
It is those issues we need to address.

Here is another:

"Every year, guns are used over 80 times more to protect life than to take one !!"


That is an actual verbatim claim from a very pro-gun "statistics" site here on the net. But honestly, from a very narrow angle, I can see how people are thinking when saying that and it isn't completely wrong, just presented wrongly. But if presented correctly, the pro-argument is lessened.
We cannot say that we stopped gun violence merely by showing someone a gun when they were acting out. We have no idea, nor can we make a viable guess how any situation would turn out no matter how we threaten. The only number we can trust in this respect is an actual verified circumstance number. One of the good things about this skewed presentation is that it has brought this issue forward and these actual verified numbers are being collected and presented.
These numbers are actually something to think about without any bolstering.
In 2018 there were 1888 verified defensive uses of guns. Thats a lot actually, but pales next to the purposeful shooting and murder number. That is why it's presented in this way.
Yes, the secondary use of a gun is threat, but this issue is about positive stop and aggressed stop situations. Imagining that a person was stopped because you wore your gun around town or in a store is ridiculous and lessens the argument, nullifying the actual value of that 1888 number.

If you read my book, you will read how we can bring these numbers down and the people together, while still maintaining our American Gun Rights without pitting Americans against Americans.
Honesty goes a long way towards understanding.

All statistics are from the Gun Violence Archive.

The Parkland Florida murders were two years ago today.

Today (and every day) tell someone you love them.

Live Love
Mac/

The Federalist Papers

How many Americans know what the Federalist Papers are? 
How many people have even heard of them?

Well if you are an American you should at least know more about the them than you do the locations of your local Starbucks.

The Federalist Papers have been the underlying reasonings and arguments that give YOU your American Freedoms. These papers were essays written by our Constitutions Framers. They were written and printed in the newspaper for the average American to look over and make decisions about ratifying the new proposed Constitution. These were arguments for our freedoms. Back then, nearly every American read the newspaper every day and what was there was discussed throughout the day with those around you. A kind of local area network of the day. 
You can look and even download them   >> HERE <<    From Congress.gov
But today, the only people that crack the book on the Federalist Papers are those looking to further their own agendas of greed and power.
I recommend all Americans at least peruse the listings of all 85 essays. When you do this, you may find that they are easier to understand than we have been led to believe. These essays that we have put together and now call "The Federalist Papers" were meant for people like you and me.
Written under the pseudonym of Publius, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay are the Authors of these documents and these three were united in their efforts.

This is something to think about.

How modern Americans leave the Federalist Papers to the lawyers to interpret. The documents that were offered up to the everday normal people of the United Colonies. Essays that are nothing more than reasonings for the parts of the Constitution they felt most important. Ideas written in common language of 1788 are now picked apart by lawyers to serve the interests of those with enough money, time and greed to take up the task.

We are now told that the common man has no idea of the depths and meanings of the Federalist Papers. If we look back in our own modern past we will find that all modern interpretations of the Federalist Papers and the parts of the Constitution that they address, have been claimed by Corporate America. All are interpreted for corporate advancement. And let us be perfectly clear, a business / corporation only exists to make money. Nothing else, no other reason, the rest is marketing. 

Money is not Freedom, it is the antithesis of freedom. Our Constitution should not be construed to champion money.

Freedom allows us to make money for our life's comforts and advancement as our personal intellect allows. Freedom and money do not go hand in hand.
Considering that the Federalist Papers were written for common man, lets take a light look at one paragraph in Federalist number 29.
Here is how it starts:

Federalist #29 - Concerning the Militia 
From the Daily Advertiser, Thursday, January 10, 1788 
Author: Alexander Hamilton as publius, To the people of New York.
(this was originally in the newspaper)

"If a well-regulated Milita be the most natural defense of a free country, it ought certainly to be under the regulation and at the disposal of that body which is constituted the guardian of the national security." - Alexander Hamilton

If we take this at face value, which we really know was the way it was intended, our Second Amendment arguments for private Militias are quashed and validation of our current National Guard fills the spot as the natural progression of service our Militias were intended to fill.
But, this Federalist #29 was merely an argument before the fact of actual ratification of our Constitution. It holds no legal or Constitutional weight. Yet it tells us something about the intent of our framers in relation to the Second Amendment doesn't it?
Our National Guard is a volunteer American homeland force, a Militia.
I started my own Naval service in the National Guard.

Then a lawyer will point out a different Federalist Paper where James Madison lays out an argument for private dissemination of firearms as a means to keep our Government at bay (you look that one up).
Lawyers will pit Hamilton against Madison when needed to serve the corporate interests of their clients, a practice that should not be allowed 240 years after the fact. This practice is about greed and power and taking control of the Government from the people and giving it to the highest bidder.

We die in the streets, at school, at a concert, in church...

The Second Amendment was about need for our country in the 1700's and their foreseeable future. Never about pitting Americans against Americans.

The Second Amendment says we can have guns... Great !! Really, I'm all for it !!

But it doesn't say we should digress as humans till the end of time. It doesn't take into account our burgeoning population, degradations of society, rampant mental issues from many unforeseen angles, our state of weaponry or unbridled corporate capitalism.

We know that our founders were moral, god fearing men. Their thoughts stood on a foundation of moral integrity based in their God and religion. So considering our modern 2020's American gun violence situation, where do you and your religion stand? Do you strictly follow your religion's tenets or do you skew them to fit your own agenda?

When one one of our loved ones are needlessly killed here in our own country by one of our own people, how will we justify ourselves to our mourning families and friends? 
Prayer?  Confession?  Allege it never happened at all until our own death?

We need to create a Federal Public Safety Policy that leans on personal responsibility and a staircase of vetting.

LL/ Mac/