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Cars, Babies, and Guns
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/10/2015 12:34:12

Good Morning.

Let's think about a few phases of life most of us have gone through.

I'll start with a car. I actually didn't own my first automobile until I was 21. I had a rattly old deathtrap, my beloved 1973 Plymouth Scamp with sheet metal siding, vinyl roof long torn off (and primer showing), headliner in tatters, and big holes in the floorboards (covered by plywood.)



It was quite a journey to get there.

At age 16, I could get a learner's permit. (I did not - I didn't drive until I was 18). This requires a birth certificate, parental permission, a Social Security number, a copy of any prior driving record, and a Driver's Education Certificate proving I went to a state-certified driving school. In addition to that, the license itself is a "Junior Operator's License", with specific restrictions on when I could drive, where, and how many passengers I could carry...not to mention now there's all kinds of restrictions on hand-held device usage while behind the wheel. That doesn't even include the compulsory insurance in this state - I can't register a car and get a plate without proof of insurance...and as a driver less than age 25, the rates ain't cheap.

All that so I can drive from point A to point B of my own volition. But remember, cars are deadly projectiles in the wrong hands, as the news from yesterday so vividly illustrates.

Some of us may have gotten married, or at least hung around with another person enough to follow some instincts and want to see them naked and "do stuff". Sometimes nature takes it's course and we wind up with little copies of ourselves that we then need to care for for the next two decades or so. That's easy - no permits, permissions, or other guidelines are required. Like the advert says..."Just Do It". Of course, sometimes things like this happen.

But suppose "It" doesn't work, and you want to take on somebody else's offspring that they might not want, or maybe can't properly care for? I've been down this road before, and here in Massachusetts, Mrs. TriSec and I had to do all the following things just to prove we were qualified to be parents. Or....No baby for YOU!

We started with a home visit - the agency wanted to make sure we had proper living space. There were 3 years worth of financial records to make sure we could support a child. We had criminal background checks, and not just domestic - our fingerprints were run through Interpol. We needed personal letters of reference from 2 non-family members, plus a Catholic Priest (which was a requirement of the country we were adopting from.) We had to go to parenting classes...and join a support group. Not to mention the incredible financial burden. Mrs. TriSec and I essentially decided "Child" or "House", as the initial costs were about the same. But in the end, we did the thing, and you know how Javi is doing these days.

So how about those guns? Your mileage may vary, but there are some states in this country of ours where I can walk in, buy a handgun and a box of ammunition, and walk outside and open fire in under five minutes. Don't seem right somehow, does it?
 

1 comments (Latest Comment: 10/10/2015 16:39:21 by Will in Chicago)
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Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/10/2015 16:39:21
TriSec, thanks for the blog.

It is insanely easy to get guns just outside Chicago, despite the city's tight gun laws. A lot of surrounding areas have very lax laws.

In an article in the Guardian, it took a reporter two hours to be offered an AK-47 and an illegally modifiied AR-15. We are awash in guns and blood, with the mentally ill and criminals having easy access to weapons.