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| Completely random thought for the day... As odd as it seems, when you think someone's not being helpful or seemingly passing the buck, perhaps they're just too overwhelmed or lost to be doing what they're suppose to. | | |
| I have a good friend who recently purchased a firearm for defense, after a couple of robberies the past month spurred him to join "the dark side". Before this time he was very, very anti-gun. He felt that only business owners really had a need for them, b/c they've got to protect their livelihood (although the same rationale applied to protecting your family/loved ones never seemed to quite click in his mind).
When he first told me he wanted a firearm, I actually tried to dissuade him. Until his purchase, he had never handled firearms in his life, and knew nothing about them. I told him firearms are not a definitive solution for anything, and in fact incur a greater scope of liability and responsibility for the owner. Was this firearm for his sole usage? Would anyone else be handling it? Do you know you will need to practice at the range several times per year in the least? Do you realize you need to be intimately familiar with any weapon so if the day ever comes, and hopefully it never will, when you are put in the position to aim it someone you will survive the outcome?
Before he settled on a Beretta, we went shopping a couple of times, talking about the merits of semi-autos vs revolvers, whether or not a .45 ACP or 9mm would suit him better, and discussed ad nauseum the often overlooked fact that owning a firearm is an undertaking of responsibility that is not something to fuck with. He asked me to meet him at the range so I could teach him a few things, break in his new PX4 Storm, and fire my HK USP for comparison.
I met him at the range on Saturday, and when he got out of the car he was shaking his head and was obviously agitated.
He relayed to me how he was on his way, when some teenagers decided to casually jay walk across the street. They were holding up traffic, so he decides to honk to move them along. Unfortunately, they didn't like this too much so they started cussing at him, and then approached his car and started hitting it. He had no idea what they were going to do next, so he pulled the gun and they fled with the quickness. He kept going on about how he was so greatful he had an option to respond, and was able to bring the situation to end.
After we finished at the range we went back to for some cleaning. I instructed him on field stripping his PX4, and continued to stress the importance of proper handling and maintenance. After we had thoroughly cleaned and oiled our firearms, he laughed at his own musings.
He told me he'd never understood pro-gun stances until that afternoon, where he was put in a situation that was escalating quickly and a response was needed. He said he'd never understood why people had a fascination with firearms until he had bought one, took it to the range, and spent the time to disassemble and clean it. That day he gained insight into one of the most debated facets of American culture, and fully understood why there is a need to own, and even carry a firearm.
I sincerely wish we lived in a world of sunshine and rainbows where we didn't feel a need for weapons. Unfortunately, as last week's events unfolded, that is sadly not the case. There's been a lot of "what ifs" thrown around for and against ownership. The question remains though, what is right? Feel good policy does absolutely nothing to mitigate violent crime. The function of the police is not for civil protection.
When I look at the 2nd amendment, I don't see a free-for-all in respects to ownership. I see verbiage that states bad people will try to take what's yours and/or try to harm you, and you should have the option to defend yourself. The VT incident further signifies how ass backwards and utterly insane
America has become, where we think that everyone should be sheltered
and removed from the big bad world around us, and where someone who was mentally unbalanced was able to buy guns with lots of ammo.
Gun control to me is stiffer penalties on people who use guns in violent crimes and holding owners/parents responsible when little Johnny shoots his friend in the face. More extensive background checks and greater definitions to help ensure mentally unstable individuals and those with a criminal background cannot purchase a gun (if you've been submitted to any type of mental health institution, you should not be able to own a gun). Conceal carry allowances nationwide that require carriers to undergo regular training and education (if you want to own one, there's no excuse for not being trained in using it). Opening further the dialogue on gun handling and safety to instill knowledge instead of fear.
We've got a lot of problems in this country, and no one ever looks at the underlying causes. Abject poverty, lack of education, violence (of all kinds), and bigotry, are all related to each other. These things form the backbone for the misery we have, and stem from even more basic, primal factors that no one ever addresses. But that's a discussion for another time...
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| Contrary to popular belief, my ideals are most closely in line with: Dennis Kucinich (64%) Al Gore (61%) Joseph Biden (61%) Barack Obama (60%) Who would've thought?! ^_^ What would your ideal candidate stand for? http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html | | |
| A little late but better than never ^_^
Congrats Dr and MS K 
Our fav from the wknd:
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| Hollywood... Thou hath redeemed thy self!!! Seriously. Not sure what it is, but there's actually been some decent films lately. 300 - gorgeously gruesome glory, glamorous graceful. one of the prettiest and entertaining flicks I've seen in recent memory. continually captivating... TMNT - DUDE!!! Old school material meets new school animation. The story, direction, and animation were wonderfully superb. I laughed, I waited with bated breath as to what would happen next (though I of course knew the eventual outcome). Proof positive that you can rehash old ass stale material, and still have it seem fresh. Bridge to Terabithia - Such a tear jerker...if I weren't as much man as I am, I would've wept like a small child who has been left in the forest alone, yearning for the warmth of his mother's bossom. Very well done as well. | | |
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