Annie Get Your Gun
All the talk over at Don's about guns (and legalized killin) and TW's post about gun control has caused me to give some thought to the issue. I, like TW did not grow up around guns. Which considering that I was an Army brat, may seem a bit strange. I don't think I ever saw a gun up close and personal until I was in my teens. My view of guns was formed by observing the ways they were used in movies and on television. Guns were used to kill people. Cowboys killed each other (and the occassional snake or wild animal). Soliders used guns to kill the enemy, which were people. People on the news used guns for robbery's, or killing Presidents. So, it is little wonder that I had such a negative attitude toward guns. When I met Robert, he was a true Southern Boy. He hunted, fished, and on occassion bowled. Our first and only argument about guns came one Saturday afternoon when he and a friend returned from a morning of 'squirrel hunting. They had about 10 squirrels hanging from a stick and when they took them out of the back of the truck, Daniel , then about 3 came running in the house crying. I went outside, took one look at those little bodies, turned around went back in the house and slammed the door. Robert's friend sensed a coming storm decided he's high-tail it outta there. When Robert came inside he found Daniel and I sitting in the rocking chair, both crying. I looked at him and said, you get those out of my yard (done already!!) and you choose right now, me or the guns. Without a word, he turned went back out, got his gun, put it in his car and took it to his friends house and gave it to him. From that day on he never hunted again, or owned a gun. We never discussed it again. It was understood there would be NO guns in our house. I never realized at the time what a tremendous sacrifice he had made.
Over the years I suppose I have mellowed. I still won't have them in my house. I still strongly discourage my sons from owning them (none of them do). However they have all gone hunting and they are all familiar with guns. Josh and Robby are avid paint ball fans. They play whenever they have the chance. That's fine with me. I don't like guns. But, I don't think I have the right to decide what any other person should or should not do regarding owning them. I can't imagine why any civilian would need a semi-automatic. I would support a ban on those. That's just my opinion. I feel like every person who is a responsible ADULT (with NO criminal record) has the right to own a gun. Just as long as he doesn't live in the house with me.
Guns do kill people. So do knives, and cars. All it takes is a foolish or irresponsible person in control of them. Accidents happen. People die. Some things can be prevented some things cannot. Such is the fabric of our lives.