Thursday, January 28, 2016

Do I even know my neighbor?

I’m convinced at least part of the reason why so many of us place faith in guns is related to the decline of cohesive, homogenous communities where everybody knew one another. It has been said, “We used to be a people who depended on our neighbors and didn’t worry much about strangers. Today, we’ve become a people who are totally dependent on strangers and are afraid of our neighbors.” Instead of reaching out and getting to know neighbors, far too many of us build walls.—America and Its Guns: A Theological Expose, page 88

3 comments:

Smartasawhip said...

I am 72 y/o and although I lived in a poor, mixed neighborhood in the central city of Milwaukee in the 1940's and 1950's I remember that everyone knew each other and it was a stable neighborhood in the 1940's and early 50's During that time, yes, people watched out for each other but I think it was something else that caused guns to not be news worthy. For one thing the general attitude was that a person was responsible for their actions and not some inanimate object. The principle was universally accepted that you punish someone who has committed a crime not a person who might commit a crime merely for the fact that a person owned a particular inanimate object. Also, their were not the crime, drug, and gang problem that there is now so that the average person was safer as he walked down the street. The laws were more sensible so that if a woman walking down the street was attacked by a man, all other men were supposed to come to her rescue and they dud not have to fear jail or LAWSUITS FOR DOING THAT AS THEY DO NOW. I think there are many reasons for increased crime now and the reduction in safety of the individual that requires that a person go armed to increase his or her safety.

jps said...

Thanks for the historical perspective. Yes, things were different then. I'm only 60, but I recall firearms being fairly common in my small town Wisconsin community. But, they were used for hunting deer and the like. And they weren't semi-automatic weapons, either.

As for the safety issue, see today's post. Further, more often than not, the weapon is used against the person carrying it.

James

Smartasawhip said...

Thanks for your reply,James.Yes, and the dear hunt was also a cohesive event cementing neighbors and community. 5 or 6 men and maybe a woman or 2 would hunt dear for several day and the time together in Nature would cement friendships. Maybe there were no semi auto dear rifles in the group you hunted in but there were in mine. Some people were experts are working a bolt action rifle in order to get a second shot at that prized buck but I wasn't an I am still not. A semi auto dear rifle made that second shot on the deer much more possible for me and they are irrelevant as far as crime goes in my opinion. Any fire arm in the hands of a law abiding person is not a danger to anyone. It is the crook and murderer that is the danger, no mater what kind of lethal weapon he or she has.James. Thanks again for the reply.