My Virtual Neighbor Reports True Story Regarding Neighbors and Gun Control

HOUSTON, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The driving force of My Virtual Neighbor is safety. We believe that communication between neighbors can decrease crime and increase awareness about neighbors who armed and helpful and those who are armed and dangerous.

We thought it was worth sharing how a real world experience affected people irrespective of their stance on gun debate.

"We don't have all the answers," said Founder Amit Mehta, "but what we saw is a much bigger fundamental issue which needs to be addressed beyond gun control i.e. community feel.  Fact is liberals, conservatives and other groups all stay or live nearby." 

It is typical for neighbors to live near each other for years and never see each other. Such is true in the situation told by Mehta.

Before the incident none of the neighbors talked to, smiled at, or even looked at each other. Everyone stayed busy with their own daily lives.

The liberal was an anti-guns owner and, until they were robbed, never knew value of owning a gun. The conservative was also robbed despite the fact that he owned four guns as discovered later.

As bad luck would have it, one of the residents opened the door to enter his home while the robbery was in progress and was stabbed in the arm by the robber. Luckily he survived, but he could have lost not just valuables but his life. Even if the resident was a gun owner, the gun may not have saved them.

When both the gun-owner and non-gun-owner were robbed, they finally decided to say hello and get to know each other. During exploratory stages of building the relationship, they found their neighbors all had difference stances on gun-ownership, but they all decided to work together for the greater good. Today, the non-gun-owner feels safer knowing his neighbor is armed in case of an emergency. The gun owner feels good about the fact that he can be there for his neighbors and can respond faster than law enforcement.

So when it comes to protection in the above case both liberal or conservatives were at risk of losing valuables and their lives.

Gun education has become a topic of discussion among neighbors. Some citizens suggest it might be a good idea to have gun-owning friends take their neighbors to a shooting range and educate them about guns.

My Virtual Neighbor doesn't necessarily take a side on the gun control issue, but we do believe it is important to be aware of your surroundings. With that in mind, we have implemented a new badge that indicates a user is a "Proud Owner of Gun." Gun-owning users can post the badge to profiles, and let their neighbors know they are armed in case of an emergency.

At this point, the most control citizens have over the gun control issue is to stay informed and make themselves aware of their surroundings. We urge you to invite your neighbors to join www.myvirtualneighbor.com, and work together to become a more informed neighborhood.

SOURCE My Virtual Neighbor