Wrong Place, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB and @Brianrrs37 on Twitter)

A few years ago
I noticed a house
On my street
Advertised on line

But when I looked
At the lawn
I saw no “For Sale”
Sign

I knocked on the door
And a lady answered
Seemed angered
And startled

I was glad she didn’t
Have a gun, she yelled at me
To go away
Which I gladly did

But I didn’t end up shot
Much less dead. I didn’t
Knock on the wrong door
Like Ralf shot in the arm and head

I wasn’t out
With my friends
Taking the wrong driveway
Where my life ends

I cannot tell you
How many times
I went to the wrong car
And inside I tried to climb

Innocent mistakes
Met with a gun
Injury and death
Swept under the rug

Arm more
Their battle cry
But the sane know
It is a deadly lie.
(end)

Most of you who keep up with the news know this poem is referring to three recent events in the past week. 1 a black teen going to the wrong house by mistake and the old man shooting an innocent person. Second story was a car full of young friends were looking for their friend’s house, took the wrong driveway, and the homeowner murdered one of the passengers. And yet another female teen shot in a parking lot because she mistook the vehicle as being the correct one.

I have done all those things throughout my life by mistake. And this is what the NRA lies about. They would sell you this fucking bullshit utopia that use of a firearm will always end up with Dirty Harry getting the bad guy. That is not the case. Successful use of a firearm against a stranger on stranger crime, IS THE LEAST LIKELY OUTCOME when using a firearm.

Mistaken identity is far more likely to get someone innocent injured or murdered. Especially in the home. The bottom line is that we have a flooded market and ease of access problem. It is way past time we stop letting the NRA and firearm industry control the narrative and hold our nation hostage to their sick worship of an object.