Throwing My Two Cents Into The Air

Open Letter to 'The Morning Grind', AM950 KTNF Twin Cities. The host again used a phrase this morning on the gun control debate -

"...to keep them out of the hands of felons and the mentally ill..."

- that honestly grates on me, so I again put pen to paper fingers to ah, screw it, making letters appear on a screen in some specific order.

(Just to be clear, I genuinely like this cat, even though I have been abused for 'squatch love, but he's a good host, and I agree with him far more than not.)

Mr. McNeil, Mr. Wonderful,

I would like to take a bit of issue with one of your common constructions regarding background checks for gun purchases -

"...to keep them out of the hands of felons and the mentally ill.."    

- specifically, the "mentally ill". 

Certainly I understand what you are saying, and agree on universal background checks at a minimum.  But I know and have known many people who based on the DSM-IV have various mental illnesses, and I believe that much mental illness is never diagnosed. The vast majority of this population, like the majority of the overall population, don't have guns, don't want guns, believe in background checks, are not violent, are in complete touch with reality, and could be totally trusted to behave responsibly with a gun. They simply have some extra challenges to tackle and don't need any more grief, or to become the scapegoat Fox desperately needs. 

We are, however, missing a category. Actually, category, hell - we are missing a mania. That mania is that of the gun fetishist, one of the fastest growing categories of anything in America, including flavors of fruit-juice.  

I do wonder why, at this time, what could have changed over the last few years. Something... But I digress.

These are the people who need to own more and more weapons, telling themselves that it is to ward off the thugs, or the jackbooted UN inspectors, or the damnable Zombie Apocalypse (whilst I welcome our undead conquerors and will cooperate fully in exchange for the Boundary Waters.) I suspect it has more to do with concern over the functionality and size of one's genitalia, especially in consideration with, say, Bob down the street, with the 10" barrel. Regardless, it is these people, with an overwhelming desire to own weapons, take them out, shoot them, carefully oil them down, and dream of defending the neighborhood against the urban hordes who are the sick ones. I'm saying that a need for more guns than you have bedrooms should disqualify you immediately, light up that background check form with the blazing of a nova-ed sun. I know, it won't happen, but I believe my point is valid. 

Again gentlemen, I recognize, as do all your listeners, that when you refer to keeping guns from the mentally ill, you mean men whose names I won't mention, as their names should smoulder on the ashheap of history, not be given a Fox Primetime Special, 'The Many Loves Of Serial Killer', or interviewed on the Today Show. I guess I just wanted to voice my two cents and ask for that clarification once in a while. 

Thanks,
paleotectonics

Just my opinion, but I am pretty cheesed off at Congress, especially Harry Reid, the damnable NRA, people I know who are basically average people but who polish the hell out of the Second Amendment while clamoring for the end of  the First Amendment, and ignoring my rights not to have a bunch of gun-toting lunatics surrounding me in the movie theater.