A note about gun ownership

Another re-post from the old blog, from 4-9-04:

I wanted to briefly blog about having cleaned my gun for the first time and the fact that our family got a membership to a sporting club, but came upon some comments from a reader. I'm not trying to make a spectacle of him, but I do want to address his points publicly for the purpose of education.

"I will never, for the life of me, understand the fanaticism over guns and linking that to personal freedom and American identity."

In my case it's hardly fanaticism, it's the simple reality that, if ever faced with danger, I will be completely unable to repel it of my own force. I am now responsible for the safety of other people, and I take that responsibility seriously.

"As much as I understand that the founding fathers knew the importance of the right to bare arms (sic) I would also say cop-killer bullets, fully automatic and assault rifles was not what they had in mind."

Who's to say what they had in mind? I believe every person has a right to decide for themselves what they need for protection. Much like the "war on drugs," all these weapons bans have done little to nothing to reduce crime, and have in some cases resulted in a disarmed populace (especially in poor, crime infested neighborhoods) who are now at the mercy of the criminal element, who don't care about gun bans.

"Secondly, the whole argument of empowering people to rise up against an illegitimate government is out of the question now. The strength of our military would easily squash any attempt at insurrection."

If that is the case, then why have we not won the Iraq war? ;)

"There seems to be a lot of ill-spent energy defending the right to own 500 thousand and one handguns but little upset when real civil liberties are endangered (ie Patriot Act)."

If you read about this issue a little more, you'd find that many pro-Second Amendment folks are also wary, if not outraged, about the Patriot Act and the potential for serious abuses of civil liberties.

"Lastly, I would think having a gun around the house puts your children more at risk than some burglar whose only intention is to steal. All the great tragedies that have involved teens and high schools came from kids having access to parent owned armaments."

Since his only intention is to steal, I should be happy to give a burglar my posessions and escape with my life? I simply do not understand that logic. Many rapes, assaults and murders start out as burglaries. Can you read the mind of a burglar? I can't. If I cannot protect myself, who will? The police will only be there after the fact. That is unacceptable to me.

There's a curious thing I've noticed about people who are anti-gun, and that is, in general they have an underlying belief that the average Joe is too stupid to own and handle one safely. The assumption that simply having a gun in my house automatically puts my children at greater risk is ignorant at best, and shows a lack of knowledge of both gun safety and child rearing. My children are in more danger from the kitchen stove, electrical outlets, falling down the stairs etc. ad infinitum, than they are from my safely stored gun. There are millions of responsible gun owners in this country, and my right to defend myself should not be infringed nor questioned because of a handful of idiot parents who don't know how to do the right thing.

"The whole fascination with guns seems inextricably tied to those primitive, Neanderthal emotions, the ones that should be left behind if society is to move forward, even if at a crawl."

There have been a few break-ins in my "nice neighborhood" in the 11 months we've lived here, and I have a responsibility to do what is necessary to protect my family. This point was driven home to me when a friend's house, not far from mine, was broken into in broad daylight by a crackhead. Said crackhead was able to attack my friend and her daughter, attack her husband with a knife, attempt to steal her 2-year-old granddaughter, trash her house, trash their car with a 2x4 and FLEE THE SCENE before the cops arrived. The 911 fairy wasn't able to save them, and the now three-year-old is still traumatized to this day.

I'd say they were attacked by a Neanderthal. If I ever need my "primitive, Neanderthal emotions" to fight back against such a beast, then so be it.