Daniel Gwynn Blog Update
Date: 5/14/12

Gun Control

Gun control in America is a joke. Law-abiding citizens meet with great difficulty in legally purchasing a gun to protect their families & homes; while criminals can get as many guns as they want illegally through the back doors of our broken system. The gun laws are supposed to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, but these laws are too often skirted due to lobbyist, distributors, manufacturers, politicians, criminals & even government agencies out to make a buck or build a power base. There's no regard for the safety of our communities.

Illegal guns flood the streets unchecked, and end up in the hands of children, drug dealers, gangs, violent criminals, & the mentally unstable. The oppressive poverty-stricken environments of the inner cities we survive from day to day are perpetuated by a defunct government embittered by all manner of prejudice, hypocrisy, greed, jealousy & discrimination, which compels the disgruntled populace to fight for survival by any means. Too many have often picked up a gun as a tool for achieving their goals, and strike out against anyone in their paths.

From day to day, there are too many good people all around this great nation struggling to feed their families, maintain a household, and face down the staggering costs of living. We're living in a society where the politicians are doing more harm than good, by refusing to work together to fix our broken home. Failing to give us hope for a better future.

We can't stop the guns from hitting the streets when there are government officials plotting against us. In the 80's & 90's, there were a group of rogue cops from the 25th & 39th districts terrorizing at risk youths, and flooding the streets with drugs & weapons. It was a hostile environment.

I grew up in this inner city neighborhood that was infested with gangs, drug dealers, violence and corrupt cops & government officials. Everyone was angry & frustrated about something, and it manifested in many ways (drug & sex addictions, depression, mental illness, etc.). We had to find ways to survive and defend ourselves amidst the chaos. We also needed to vent all of that anger & frustration, which was often misdirected & self-destructive.

People around me were sporting guns as if it were the latest accessory. I've never liked guns, nor did I own one. Once you pulled that trigger you couldn't take it back. The damage was permanent, and the consequences too severe.

I believe that guns aren't the problem, it's the need created for them. We could alleviate some of the need for the illegal guns on the streets by fixing our broken system: expel corrupt officials; create comprehensive laws & regulations, then enforce them; provide affordable quality education, jobs & housing; cut wasteful government spending; and quash all political defamation without proof (it's causing civil unrest).

I'm not looking for a Utopia, nor am I a rocket scientist so I don't have all the answers. I'm just your average inner city victim of this broken system, just asking for an environment that could afford us a chance to live free of rampant crime & violence as a viable option, so that we may flourish towards our greatest potential.

The consequences of possessing & using a gun illegally will never be as daunting as living life on the mean streets without one. We were struggling from one day to the next, with no concern for the future. What we could get right now is all we were striving for -- instant gratification. When you're beaten down so much with such frequency like I was, one tends to give up like I did. But there are so many people out there that are still holding onto the "American Dream," and all they're asking for is that chance.

We can save ourselves by giving the people the courage to not pick up an illegal gun, and instead, march as a united force on our respective capitals and demand our rights to a just society. For "We Are The People!"