I'm sure you meant "guaranteed."
They are innumerable rights given to us by God or any other a posteriori or a priori ideas you have about moral ethics. A couple of written words on a document can never guarantee you or take away the rights you simply have from being birthed. The forefathers were rightfully afraid that without detailing some of these rights, people would try to strip you of them citing the 'times' they live in. They had amazing foresight. Read about some of their qualms. It's incredible the issues they thought the country would face in the future.
Okay an a posteriori idea of moral ethics may dictate that the rights you have are from the culture you live in; but, I don't buy that. You are naturally allowed on an animal instinctive scale to defend yourself from all threats. Be it physical, mental, etc. If someone else is trying to screw with you, you have a right to not be screwed with. I have a right in both philosophies to not be enslaved. After all, the scholars that believe in a posteriori arguments believe that slavery is wrong. You know, because it's not good and stuff (and they'd be incredibly unpopular if they were cool with slavery.)
The thing about a posteriori beliefs is that it all comes down to your culture. Basically, your culture dictates what is and is not okay. But it shifts doesn't it? From one culture to the next, it will change. There is no way that it can't, if your truly follow it. (Most don't.) They'll try to leverage their personal beliefs on you and cite "the cultural standard" to back up their ideas. Because you know, they define what they believe to be the social standard. Slippery ain't it.
A priori people believe you are just flat out born with some rights. It doesn't matter where the hell you're at, or what time you're born in. You have a fucking right to things. Not to be subjugated, not to be limited in your socio-economic mobility, to do what ever the hell you want to.
So if some a posteriori guys in the northeast believe one thing. Is it okay to rob the mid-west people of their believed a posteriori ideas? How? Why? Would it ever be okay to subjugate others to your beliefs? Is it okay to accept the subjugating? If your culture doesn't allow itself to heed to others demands outside of your culture, who is in the wrong?
Use this to your advantage. Most don't want to talk about moral ethics because they will lose.
If they want to get academic, get academic with them. We will win. It doesn't have to do shit with a movie. It really doesn't. It has to do with people. Some will never heed to an a priori idea. They simply can't. Don't engage them. "Never argue with an idiot, they're drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."
Guys, the way we can win this is with a smile and a head nod. There are people we simply can't convert or educate. So why spend time on them? Move on, and invite a non-gun, non-shooter to the range and teach them about marksmanship. Volunteer for Appleseed, become an instructor, send your money to anti-gun states. It's only through positive action we can do it. Wasting your time on idiots and ideologues serves nothing. Get on the streets and in the trenches, that's where we'll reap the most. Arguing amongst ourselves accomplishes nothing. Hell, go to a Starbucks, make a friend and get them to the range. Be proactive! Sitting in our nice little homes with our rifles does nothing, we must expand our ranks. Go out and make it happen. Skip lunch at the local fastfood and put that money into ammo and get more people to the range.
My favorite teacher in high school was vehemently against guns. She was from Maine, and hated firearms. After Sand Hook I sent her an e-mail trying to feel out her ideas about anti-gun things. Because in my little mind, I couldn't figure it out. That's when I read something that blew my mind.
"I appreciate your confusion; I've gone through something similar in the last year. For a few reasons, George, my husband, thought that we should have a gun in the house and be trained to use it. First, there was a kidnapping of a woman about my age here in Double Oak. She was taken from her home and had no way to defend herself. She was recovered and is fine, but the impact of being that vulnerable remained with me. Then, as we approach the next phase of our lives when we're moving onto a boat (some people retire, but we're going to sea), we realized that we'll be pretty defenseless without any weapons. So we went through gun training, and even went on to get our CHLs. We haven't actually starting "packing" but I know how you feel in this circumstance.
I think the best commentary on the CT tragedy (and the Aurora movie theater, Fort Hood, etc., etc.) is to look at the whole picture: Yes, easy access to guns with few requirements is a problem, but so is the lack of good mental health care, the lack of monitoring Islamic extremists, the inclusion and influence of violence in our society, and the dysfunction of many family relationships. Guns by themselves are neutral; it's their usage that determines if they're destructive or defensive. Any partial patch on the dilemma, like more gun legislation, will be incomplete and ineffective.
Buying and learning to use guns was such a paradigm shift for me that I literally got sick the first few times I shot them. (Really--I threw up in the parking lot!) But then I realized that my fear was more based on my lack of knowledge rather than my knowledge, and that's often the case--fear is frequently a function of ignorance. So perhaps that's a track you can take, being the ambassador of weapons knowledge, not overtly or pushy, but as people ask. When we're confronted with information that doesn't fit our prejudice, we have to adjust our expectations and view of the world. When you meet or talk to someone about the validity of having weapons, you can be the calm, considered, and convincing voice of reason, which will probably be at odds with their preconceived notion of "gun-toting crazies" the media likes to promulgate.
Your impulse to want to have saved the children of Sandy Hook is exactly right. It's the reason to have a CHL--not to start something, but to prevent or resolve it. I'd say "stick to your guns," but that's too easy...so I'll just say carry on (whoops, another pun!). Continue to be the solid and representative of the community that rejects easy and illegitimate answers, and engage in conversations that reflect your interests. People who judge quickly are rarely fair or accurate, and you can't change people's minds who are determined that they are right, regardless of any evidence to the contrary; so just carry on being the voice of reason. Your actions and resolve will be louder than their arguments."
Take people to the range. Teach. We are the only ones to can educate others. Make it happen and stop bitching about it not working out.
-Aur0ra145