Who is really more dangerous?

 Which is more dangerous: Allowing people to vote OR allowing people to own a gun?

I am confused (normal) and I am asking for help.

Below I list some points. Accept them as fact for right now. I’ll get to my questions afterward

Posit 1 - In countries with properly elected leaders, voters decide who runs the government.

No proof or source offered for this.

Post 2 — Asking for ID to be able to vote is wrong. The right to vote is fundamental and a reason we fought the War of Independence. Example - “He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.”

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript 

Posit 3 - Demanding ID, background checks and restrictions on gun ownership is lawful and necessary.  Example - “Background checks for firearms have been conducted through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) since November 1998.”

https://www.nraila.org/get-the-facts/background-checks-nics/

Posit 4 - Background checks make the nation safer and prevent mass shootings, children’s deaths and so forth. Example - “In states where elected officials have taken action to pass gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence.“

https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/

Posit 5 - Government is the leading killer of people through gun violence. Just in war, a rough estimate is 570 million since 500 BC. And that is low. “This list broadly defines war as an extended conflict between two or more armed political groups. Consequently, it excludes mass death events, such as human sacrifices, ethnic cleansing operations, and acts of state terrorism or political repression during peacetime or in contexts unrelated to war.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll

Posit 6 - It is hard to get a firm number, but most estimates say the US has more than 20 hunters. I find no evidence of mass shootings of humans in the billions of hunts in the US. “In 2021, the number of people who participated in hunting in the United States (aged six years and older) amounted to approximately 25.87 million. “

https://www.statista.com/statistics/191244/participants-in-hunting-in-the-us-since-2006/

Posit 7 - 43% of US homes have a firearm. More than 80 million people own at least 1 gun.  “Based on NICS background data and manufacturing records, it is estimated that there are 500 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S.”

https://ammo.com/articles/how-many-gun-owners-in-america

Posit 8 - In the past Presidential Election, 154,308,000 voted.  Voter “turnout may reflect the health of popular democracy.  Well-functioning democracies are more inclusive and will have higher turnout.“

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/voter-turnout-in-presidential-elections

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voter-turnout-2020-2024/

I explain my confusion.

We elect people to office. 

Those elected are supposed to serve us, do what we demand and in general, handle business subject to our approval. 

These elected officials start wars, sending us and our children to die and to kill other people and their children. 

I Samuel 8:11-12 is a good example. “And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.”

R and D administrations have launched wars and continued wars.

Lemme make this clearer.

People vote -> Government is created to work for the people -> Government has a war -> People die from the war’s gun violence.

Who is at fault? Who is the real danger? Who is the killer we should be most concerned about? If government works for us, where does the buck stop? 

This may be illogical or flawed. If it is, please point out where the chain of thought collapsed. This may be why I am confused.

If I am correct, please explain to me why we should not have an ID to vote when the US government, the people voters put in place, killed and continue to kill untold numbers of people in mass attacks and individual attacks.

Please explain why an ID and background check are needed to buy a gun when millions of gun owners, about half of the people who actually voted, have never shot anyone and hope they never have to shoot anyone.

Guns and voting are both are rights enshrined in the Constitution

Who really is the most dangerous here? What am I missing?

Based strictly on ALLLLLL the evidence I can gather, voting is way more dangerous than owning a gun.

You want IDs and background checks to buy a gun. I want the same exact rules, whatever they are, applied to voting.

Another rambling rant

 

Accepting reality whether I want to or not

This week (week of 2 March 2026), I have dropped my face into my hands and dang near wept.

I may yet do so before the day (6 March 2026) is over.

This is not a column on religion, but I must make one reference to get my point across. I understand more and more why “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. He was utterly heartbroken at how incredibly dense people could be. He was simply flattened because people refused to accept the reality standing before them.

Ok then. To explain in secular terms:

HOW STUPID

Never underestimate how deliberately stupid a person can be.

Before you get excited about that, that statement includes you and it includes me. Over the years, I’ve become better at not being deliberately stupid. Sometimes I slip.

Also, never underestimate how much hypocrisy one person can spew with full righteous fury.

Today, I refer you to politicians at every level and leaders of various countries around the world.

I tellya, it is enough to make a preacher cuss.

Yep. I have resorted to profanities more’n once where the current state of affairs rests. This situation reaches from my small community in Southwest Georgia all the way up to the international stage.

GETTIN’ LOCAL

Gettin’ local on you, I also say the sheer ______ _______ __________ stupidity evidenced by some of the folks here in Turner County, Ga., is not unique. It is not rare. It is not unusual. It is entirely commonplace.

I have lived in Georgia, Alabama, Nevada and Florida. I tell you this: Change the names and the geographic location and the negative IQ among the leaders is exactly the same.

To the north of us, Crisp County has imploded over and over and over.

To the west, Dougherty County actually got bad enough to merit a letter from the Georgia Attorney General. The AG basically said, “Stop being naughty.” I have addressed the Attorney General's deliberate impotence elsewhere. Won’t rehash here.

To the east, Irwin County has suffered through meltdown after meltdown.

I am surprised the newspapers covering these mass self-done and intentional lobotomies did not spontaneously explode into flames in the sales racks.

This does not apply to all leaders. Some are actually good, worthwhile and are doing what is right regardless of the consequences. They do not last long. They are hounded until they retreat to a cave or are killed.

FERTILIZER

Why do people put up with this high-grade organic bovine fertilizer? Because people are generally weak, want to be led and hate the idea of thinking for themselves so much, they happily farm the task out to whomever yells “I AM THE GREAEST” the loudest, the longest and the mostest.

Yes huhn.

Only a very few are willing to say “Nah. I think I can do a better job of running my life than anyone else can. If I cannot do a better job, it is still life to run as I see fit.”

These people do not last long. They are hounded until they retreat to a cave or are killed

Monks walk for peace

This is here for a reason, but I can’t remember why right now. Something to do with politics whether the monks wanna admit to it or not

THE POINT I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE

If you have read this far, here is the point I really wanted to make.

We have some ______ _________ ______ ___ ___________ _____ _______ idiots in office and in positions of leadership here in Turner County. Again, change names and geography and I’ll say the same thing.

It is like these leaders have farmed out their thinking to AI, Artificial Idiocy. Apparently, their own idiocy was not sufficient. Reinforcement and all that.

If someone else came at these leaders with that same line of _____ ____________ ______ _______ _______, these leaders would be offended, irked, irritated, mad, angrily amused, annoyed and so on.

But when THEY do it, noooooo. They are the Supreme Galactic Overlord handing down a pronouncement.

One of these “leaders” is raising hell over what this “leader” sees as nepotism.

Apparently, someone has a daughter (shocking) with a boyfriend (EGAD! How dare she) and this boyfriend got a job (horrendibilus) and the daughter’s parental unit (imagine a child having a parent!) is one of the boyfriend’s superiors in the hierarchy (an organized leadership chain of command, unfathomable!).

This “leader” had the power to hire or fire - get this! - the leader’s own progeny. Never any question but that the offspring had to be hired.

But that’s different.

I assure you, I am not spreading guano on your crops. This is a bona fide reality where I currently hang my hat, collect tax notices and pontificate on a Macintosh.

DOUBLE WIELDING DAMOCLES

What we have here is an elected official going Florentine with a Sword of Damocles in each hand.

https://geddon.org/Florentine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_of_Damocles

This elected official has no idea how to sword fight, to extend the metaphor.

In a ... well, dang. Hang on.

Most of the other elected leaders involved in this matter have sided against this “leader.” They all sit on the same board.

The hierarchy of the “leader” and the cohort supervise have also arrayed against the leader.

This is a mildly surprising display of cohesion and unity in the face of well-precedented blatant hypocrisy (example at the federal level - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-kills-effort-release-congressional-sexual-misconduct-harassment-rcna261679) and a thorough, deliberate ignorance of the law, some important contracts and chains of command.

Leaders can come together to oppose another leader and they do so frequently.

At the same time, the leaders’ opposition is very often just as wrong as the leader they go after. This time in my community, they are in the right. Mostly.

As to the rest of my descriptive phrases above, I say deliberate et al and I mean it. In the Peach State, elected officials are required to have a certain amount of training, which includes:

• Updates on laws affecting their jobs
• HR
• Policies and how to implement & use them
• General information on how to do the job

This training is too often like pouring water into a bass fishing dip net. Something happened, maybe, probably not and if it did, it was not worth paying attention to.

_______ _______ _____ ____________ ________ _________ ________ AND ______ ___________ EVERY ___________ ___________ __________!

OFFENDED

You might say I am offended by this. You are not entirely wrong, as evidenced by the blank spaces above representing words I am not using in this post.

I am more disappointed.

I am, increasingly, annoyed with myself.

To ‘splain

Not long ago, Mike M. attempted to talk me down as my internal boiler was reaching critical pressure. The situation was simply: Some people did not do what they repeatedly stated they would do. This is sometimes more than I can handle.

https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/when-autism-and-adhd-occur-together

Mike tried to tell me I cannot expect others to live to my standards and expectations. He is right. 100% He got that from the Stoics. However, in the middle of an ... attack for lack of a better word, my grey matter simply does not process this.

In hindsight - “When you are offended at any man’s fault,” Epictetus tells us, “turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”

Yeah. Thanks.

So, as I rail against our leaders, I stop to see when I have done the exact same thing. I realize i am no better than they.

However, I am not in a position to make a decision that will affect the lives of thousands and thousands of people for better or worse. These leaders are.

They abdicate or, even worse, abrogate the responsibility to do what is right.

My negative emotions and reactions are further fueled by my inability to make needed changes. One man, one vote can make a difference, but it is rare. I have seen local races decided by 3 votes. What little I can do (this blog being evidence), I do.

Too often, I feel that I am calling for Pancho to saddle my steed, for there are dragons to be slain.

We have met the enemy and he is us - Walt Kelley from the Pogo comic strip

Let's talk about countries.

Call the nation Wlhud (We Live Here You Don’t).

Imagine if you will Wlhud has repeatedly attacked and periodically invaded other countries.  These are not defensive attacks. These attacks are attempts at regime change, attempts to shut down various lawful activities, proxy battles between Wlhud and Tioc  (This Is Our Country). Sometimes these attacks are resource grabs because Wlhud is big enough, strong enough and mean enough to just go in and try to take it.

Tioc defends its way of life and that of its allies. Tioc insists there is nothing wrong with the way people in its country and other places are living. Tioc also says invading to grab resources, regime change and so far is plainly wrong.

Consider also that Wlhud has broken more treaties than any other country in the world.

Whoops. Got that backward.

Tioc is the one doing the attacks. Wlhud is the other side.

Ah crap. I had it right the first time.

Sheet. Maybe it is reversed.

Eh.

The leaders of Wlhud make sure none of the leaders’ family members get involved in combat. If a family member accidentally winds up in the military, strings are pulled to make sure Family Guy is a REMF (rear echelon mother fucker) in no danger whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Tioc makes sure to take the poor, those with limited prospects, sometimes criminals and put them in the military. Yes, some to most of Tioc’s forces are volunteers and joined because they actually wanted to, for whatever reason. Still, Hobson’s Choice ain’t a choice at all.

Hang on. Did I get that one backward, too? Y’all let me know.

Wlhud goes out and kills civilians and children in other countries. Collateral damage. It happens. Wlhud excuses this as just a cost of war and it was nothing personal.

Homes are bombed into dust. Hospitals are shattered. Infrastructure is demolished and vital supplies like water are cut off, often poisoned and so forth. Crops are razed before harvest. Wlhud said this demoralizes the enemy and is a quick path to victory.

No, sorry. That is what Tioc does. I am sure of it.

Meanwhile, Tioc oppresses its citizens, violates basic human rights and insists it is a paragon of virtue. Any criticism of how citizens are treated are shouted down, loudly and repeatedly, with plenty of finger-pointing at the accuser’s own record of human rights violations.

Tioc citizens died because they cannot get the medicare care they need. They go hungry sometimes. Relief is often shanghaied and dumped into the leaders’ pockets and their friends. This is either covered up or a token arrest is made, usually someone who offended the leadership. An example is made and the leaders roundly back slap each other and tell citizens what a good job they are doing.

Yanno what? I believe that is what Wlhud does.

Arg.

Confused yet? Why? It’s very simple.

Do this -

Strip away the country’s name and its geographic location. Remove identifiers.

Now look at the records I mention above. Go with JUST what that country does and forget the name and location.

Sheer numbers. Straight numbers. Only numbers. No identifiers.

Now you tell me, which country is which.

You can’t.

You tell me children and civilians are dying and it just happens. Really. Bombs go off on your community and you lose family members, will you still say "it just happens?" Will you be as nonchalant when the water you drink is fouled and poisonous? NIMBY much? Why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps