Since the Florida high school shooting, there have been numerous people who have used social media as a platform to state their opinions on gun control. Not only has it been used as a political platform, but also as an arena where conservatives and liberals battle over whose opinion is right.
When it comes to politics, three main groups are in the spotlight; conservatives, liberals and those who don’t care about politics. Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have turned into a place where you can state your political opinion. However, a person can no longer openly state their own opinion without getting attacked by the opposing group. Both conservatives and liberals feel that it is their job to tell a person of different political views that their opinion is, “wrong”, “stupid” or “unmeaningful.”
Fun fact: I am a liberal, and I believe that no one “needs” a gun. However, I am not a “Dumb liberal who has never touched a gun before in their life and doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” I have shot before and given my military experience, I’ve probably shot more than the average person. Just because I believe that guns are not the answer to solving problems doesn’t mean that I’m stupid or weak; that only means that I fully understand the responsibility and power I hold in my hands every time I’ve ever picked up a WEAPON.
Recently, I shared a post that someone else came up with about how men are more violent than women because if you look back at history, men are the ones who have resorted to violent measures. The post said: “ Women have mental illnesses too. Yet 98% of mass shootings are committed by men. This isn’t about mental illnesses. This is about violent men and their easy access to killing machines.” Not too long after I shared that post I was attacked by people who are pro-gun and this is what he had to say about this opinion:
Comparing someone else’s opinion to a disorder more than 3.5 million Americans have is disgusting and wrong. It was an opinion and there was no need to say such an insulting comment like that. However, liberals and their anti-gun opinions are not the only ones who are the victims. There have been conservatives who have been labeled as “violent psychopaths,” because their hobbies include hunting.
Instead of attacking other people for an opinion you believe is wrong, listen and try to learn from it. There is no wrong opinion. By arguing with peers on the internet over gun control laws, they become so consumed by their argument that they forget about all the innocent lives that were lost that day because someone who may or may not have a mental illness was able to get his hands on an assault rifle. A person’s main concern should not be correcting a person who has different opinions, it should be trying to help those who have lost loved ones due to mass shootings.