Let’s be clear Gilbert Arenas is not a thug in the least bit, so the way he’s being treated right now by the NBA and the Washington Wizards concerns me. To be honest, if Blatche had done this, I’d be all for suspended him for the rest of the season because I’ve seen him around and although he’s a pretty cool guy, his circle concerns me like Zo’s did when he was with the Hoyas. Gilbert is a joker and probably went too far, but we are not talking about some thug. And I actually buy his excuse that he didn’t want the guns in the house after his kids were born.
But this reminds me of something I said back when Plax got caught up, I feel sorry for professional athletes. You basically have free access to information about their finances and they stand out as some of the richest people in a city most times. In order to avoid violent situations they have to protect themselves and often times that comes in the place of a firearm. I think that the NBA could potentially solve this issue by doing two things I think eliminate excuses from professional athletes. Provide a security detail, and tell them that if they want a firearm it cannot leave a lock box in their house. That way they can’t complain about not feeling safe when they go out. Second, provide them with a driver. This way when someone gets a DUI they have no excuse and they should be suspended for a minimum 25 games with no pay. It makes no sense for a guy making millions of dollar to not spring for a driver, but the NBA/NFL can eliminate this excuse by just providing it. After all the owners are stacking enough bread to do so anyway.
Few people know this but DC’s ban on guns actually makes sense. A lot of people complain about the right to bear arms, but let me be honest with you the NRA is not complaining about this because they want to protect their homes, they just want to go hunting. If safety is a concern you have to understand that DC is dumb small and you are never too far from police authorities who can respond to a situation. (I won’t make any comments on whether they will actually show up, that’s another issue.) But in a major city like DC, to have a handgun in your crib is excessive.
I also think that no one owns a gun without planning on using it. In addition I don’t live in fear. I lock my door every night before I go to bed and if someone really wants to get in they will. But I won’t keep a firearm because I don’t want to live in fear. The mere presence of the gun says, I’m concerned that someone may try to take ill will against me. And I’m not ready to give up on the Creator just yet, I believe that he has a plan for every one of us and if it’s your time to go then it’s your time to go.
What I hope comes of the Gilbert situation is that he is able to reach a plea deal and avoid jail time, he’s no hard criminal. I also hope that his suspension is lifted and he’s made to do a rack of community service and be an example in the community. He should be going around talking to everyone about why guns are a bad thing and in addition he should be at the forefront of the Metropolitan Police Department’s efforts to collect hand guns off the street. But let the man play some basketball and get back to life as planned, right now, he’s not in a safe place because he’s just sitting at home doing nothing and nothing good can come of that.
These are just my thoughts.
1 comment:
hey J :)
I like this post as it points out a man made a mistake and should be cut some slack. He didn't carry the guns with ill intent and shouldn't be as harshly punished although he did violate the law
Secondly I agree with that whole not livin in fear thing. I live on a first fl apt in SE washington dc and this friday my window ac unit was kicked in (its too heavy for me to move alone and I just never got around to taking it out). They stole my laptop and kid's Wii. First thing ppl say is MOVE. NOPE..you not running me out my house. My windows are more secure now and I feel just as safe as I did before. Eff it.
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