Story Sent in by Suzanne:
While volunteering for a peace activist group in college, I met John. He was the group's treasurer and the main organizer for its protest marches. The group had at least one march per week, either at the school's administration building or at the local courthouse or sometimes even at the state capitol. John was inspiring and passionate and I think that's what attracted me to him. We started dating my first semester of sophomore year.
A few months after we started dating we went to a protest for gun control. There were probably fifty people there, total, representing both sides of the issue. While the demonstrations started out orderly, someone from the other side threw a cup of soda at us and it was on! The more aggressive of us leaped over the barricades and counter-attacked the other side.
In the hubbub I lost track of John. I don't like violent confrontations so I backed off. Police swarmed in, anyway. Amidst the tumult, I spied John beating on an old woman. His eyes were nearly popping out of his head and he wore a maniacal grin, like he was really enjoying beating the stuffing out of some old lady who just came to peacefully protest (even if it was for the other side).
John was totally arrested and when he called me from jail I broke up with him on the spot. He was sentenced to community service and when the activist group found out that he was stealing money from the treasury, they kicked him out. As for the old woman he beat up? Maybe no one will ever know what happened to her.
Oh my... where to begin?
ReplyDeleteSo, you join a "peace activist group" that seemingly gets in fights at the drop of a hat. Someone threw a soda? Really? That means "it's on?" I'm sure that's EXACTLY how MLK would have handled it, too... :::eye roll:::
And since we've now established that you know nothing, stop trying to take away my guns! People like that poor old lady need them to protect herself from psychopaths, as evidenced by your BOYFRIEND. Hopefully the next person he tries to attack will show him firsthand the importance of the 2nd Amendment.
In all fairness, OP purposefully didn't say which side she was protesting for. And I'm also glad her psychopath boyfriend didn't have a gun on him.
DeleteShe said she went to a "protest FOR gun control." Not a protest AGAINST gun control. So I read it as she was FOR gun control, which would seemingly jibe with their "peaceful" nature (yeah right).
DeleteOP's all like "Erhmahgawd, let's ban guns so no one has them anymore, then we'll live in a peaceful utopia!"
Worked great in the war on illegal drugs, didn't it?
She said she went to a protest for gun control and there were protesters for each side of the debate. She didn't say which side she was on and that looked very intentional to me so people wouldn't get side tracked by her stance on gun control. I'm also not an American person and my country has gun control. I can't really comment on American gun control (so don't flame war me) because I really don't get the argument.
DeleteIn the US a peace activist would be pro-gun control. They do not believe in our 2nd Amendment. They would rather see me on the ground bleeding out after being beaten and raped, instead of me standing over a potential rapist with my 38 Snub-nose.
DeleteI don't even know what to say to that, other than that as a non American, I don't own a gun and would never allow one in my house. But around here it isn't even an issue.
Deletea) 'That old lady needed a gun,' isn't true at all. There are plenty of non-lethal weapons (like pepper spray) that can be used in self-defense, but can't be used to kill ten people before the police even get there.
Deleteb) I've never heard of a single group that wants to take away guns, or even completely ban selling them. Most likely, they were rallying for more extensive background checks, magazine limits, banning some types of massive gun (things like machines guns are NEVER necessary to civilians, unless you're planning a mass shooting), etc.
All completely reasonable things, which actually would've let that old lady have a gun.
Now, turn the situation around. If a psychopath like the boyfriend had a gun, that old woman, and possibly several other protestors, would definitely be dead. Which is why the things mentioned above are needed.
@ JMG - Love the title!
ReplyDeleteI feel like there is a lot of contradiction in this story. John was inspiring and passionate (about beating the crap out of old ladies) and that drew you to him but when he got arrested for being "passionate", you broke up with him on the spot. You were excited that a soda was thrown and a fight broke out but you don't like violent confrontations. I think you liked the IDEA of a passionate and inspiring boyfriend more than the real thing.
As for that old lady, I think we all know she is still looking for your ex.
Also, I'm with Steve. That being said, I don't mind registering my guns as I bought them legally and am not planning on using them for any crimes.
And, just for fun.
Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse? Cuz I sure am...
DeleteI got my Lobo and my .22 so I'm all set.
DeleteAhh, but do you have plenty of ammunition?
DeleteAs a person with very middle-of-the-road views on gun control (my parents own a few guns but also believe in having laws in place to monitor who gets them and how they do), all I can say is, why would a pro-peace group get in a fight? And I'm a liberal, so I'm not saying this to mock you- I'm legitimately curious how your group rationalizes that, because I don't see how that can be rationalized.
ReplyDeleteIf you believe in having laws that monitor who gets guns and how they do, I'm pretty sure you're liberal.
DeleteMany pro-gun groups talk about people who want to 'take away their guns,' or ban all guns, but the truth is, there isn't a single significant groups that actually wants to do that. Most hardcore pro-gun-control people still want guns to be legally allowed.
(by 'you're liberal,' I meant 'you're on the liberal side of the argument,')
Delete> Maybe no one will ever know what happened to her.
ReplyDeleteBecause you killed her. You killed her, didn't you OP? Because you couldn't risk her talking about what she might know.