It's Not That Easy

So Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock think handguns shouldn't be legal. During halftime of Sunday night's Cowboys/Eagles game, Costas quoted part of Whitlock's column concerning the tragedy caused by Jovan Belcher. ''In the coming days, Jovan Belcher's actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? But here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe. If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today," Costas said while quoting Whitlock. This is incredibly irresponsible and inappropriate. 

First off, why is Costas on a soapbox during halftime of an NFL game? This isn't a news or opinion broadcast, this is a sports broadcast. He is certainly entitled to his opinion, but it was neither the time or the place for him to express it. One of the websites I contribute to has started a discussion forum about this very topic and already someone has brought up a great point; what about Chris Benoit? If you're unfamiliar, Benoit was a very popular professional wrestler who killed his wife, his son (age 7 at the time) and himself, all without the use of a firearm. So to say that Perkins and Belcher would be alive if he didn't have a gun is just wrong. He can't know that. You can't know that. I can't know that. Is it possible they'd both be alive? Absolutely it is. But it's just as possible that they would both still be gone.

I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm pro-gun. I'm a firearms enthusiast, but at the same time I can see the other side of the issue. I know guns are dangerous. They're not toys, they are tools. For that reason, I fully believe that anyone who is legally allowed to own a firearm should be able to if they so choose. It's a cliché, but if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. People who commit crimes don't care about the law, so outlawing guns won't stop them from owning, carrying, and using them. I'm not saying everyone should be armed to the teeth, but blaming guns isn't the answer. If guns commit crimes, then they also do a lot of good. Guns took out Bin Laden, not the heroes of Seal Team Six. You and I both know that's incorrect. A gun is a useless chunk of metal until it's in someone's hands.

Blaming the legality and availability of firearms isn't right. But it's not right to say that firearms had nothing to do with this either. Clearly Jovan Belcher was an irresponsible gun owner. I am curious as to whether or not he did legally purchase the gun he used, and if had it registered or a permit for it. That's not to suggest Belcher wouldn't have got his hands on a gun otherwise, or that if he didn't have a gun this horrible tragedy would still have happened. But to blame the gun, and not the man, as Costas and Whitlock did just isn't right. I feel bad for Perkins' friends and family, and I do for Belcher's. I feel the worst for the 3-month old baby who will grow up without either parent because of this. But placing the blame on an inanimate object? It's not that easy. There is far more to this horrific event than a gun. It's sad that NBC would allow Costas to make such a point.

I know everyone isn't going to agree with me on this. I realize there are people who are anti-gun, and that's fine. You're entitled to your opinion just as I am mine. If you'd like to discuss this further, I encourage you to comment. But if you're going to do so with a closed mind, save us both the time.

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