For a long time now I've noticed the polarization of the issues that surround us. The mindset that 'I'm right and everyone else is wrong' pervades our culture. We see it every day. Conservative, Liberal. Republican, Democrat. Pro choice, Anti-choice. 2nd amendment activist, gun control advocate. One side has to be 100% right, and to hell with the facts.
Being moderate doesn't mean I'm being spineless or waffling. I can actually see people, even the lunatic fringe, may have a point. It might be a small concession or a fundamental mindset.
Take gun control. I believe we have a right to buy a gun for defense or protection, even to go hunting.
There's no reason a person needs to own an automatic weapon. I wouldn't want to hunt a deer with an AK-47. Not only does it seem like overkill, I'd be picking bullets out of the venison I was trying to cook. I wouldn't want to bite down on some juicy backstrap only to crack a tooth on a shell fragment.
There's no logical reason for that.
There was an ad I saw recently, let's see if I can find it.
(Engage Google-fu.)
There it is in all it's glory. This whole thing is aimed at men who have inferiority complexes. What I got from this is you need to buy this in order to feel like a man.
Here's the wake up call: if you feel like you're not enough without a gun, you'll never be enough with one.
Nine times out of ten there is no need to kill someone. And that tenth time? It doesn't have to be with a gun.
A trained, responsible gun owner is a good thing. Background checks are a good thing. Keeping guns out of reach of little hands is a good thing. All of these things are good, but there is another life rule from your Uncle Will:
There isn't a test that people can't get around.
Let's say your are a retired marine gunnery sergeant. You have in your possession a couple of rifles that you are fully trained in the use of. I see no reason why you shouldn't keep them in your collection.
Now Bubba who works at the Texaco down the street and has a bit of a drinking problem should not be allowed near a loaded water pistol, let alone a semi-automatic. Trained. Responsible. Owners. Not someone who thinks owning an AK-47 bestows sexual prowess with the opposite sex.
Men, take a look at yourself in the mirror. Do you consider yourself a man? Would an assault rifle strapped to your back prove you're a man? Here's a hint: The person that stands up to you, unarmed, is more of a man. Walking into a department store with a rifle on your back doesn't make you a man. It makes you a bully with a loud stick and a small penis.
Confession time: At one point I was able to forge both my parents signature so well, I could fool them. I never needed to use that particular talent. (That permission slip for a field trip in seventh grade didn't count.) But you see the point I'm trying to make? If I were a shade more delinquent and didn't possess a decent moral compass, I could have done some serious damage.
There are people out there who think might (and firearms) make right. It doesn't make your little rifle any bigger. No penis pump is going to help that.
Being moderate doesn't mean I'm being spineless or waffling. I can actually see people, even the lunatic fringe, may have a point. It might be a small concession or a fundamental mindset.
Take gun control. I believe we have a right to buy a gun for defense or protection, even to go hunting.
There's no reason a person needs to own an automatic weapon. I wouldn't want to hunt a deer with an AK-47. Not only does it seem like overkill, I'd be picking bullets out of the venison I was trying to cook. I wouldn't want to bite down on some juicy backstrap only to crack a tooth on a shell fragment.
There's no logical reason for that.
There was an ad I saw recently, let's see if I can find it.
(Engage Google-fu.)
 |
| Ammosexuals maybe? |
Here's the wake up call: if you feel like you're not enough without a gun, you'll never be enough with one.
Nine times out of ten there is no need to kill someone. And that tenth time? It doesn't have to be with a gun.
A trained, responsible gun owner is a good thing. Background checks are a good thing. Keeping guns out of reach of little hands is a good thing. All of these things are good, but there is another life rule from your Uncle Will:
There isn't a test that people can't get around.
Let's say your are a retired marine gunnery sergeant. You have in your possession a couple of rifles that you are fully trained in the use of. I see no reason why you shouldn't keep them in your collection.
Now Bubba who works at the Texaco down the street and has a bit of a drinking problem should not be allowed near a loaded water pistol, let alone a semi-automatic. Trained. Responsible. Owners. Not someone who thinks owning an AK-47 bestows sexual prowess with the opposite sex.
Men, take a look at yourself in the mirror. Do you consider yourself a man? Would an assault rifle strapped to your back prove you're a man? Here's a hint: The person that stands up to you, unarmed, is more of a man. Walking into a department store with a rifle on your back doesn't make you a man. It makes you a bully with a loud stick and a small penis.
Confession time: At one point I was able to forge both my parents signature so well, I could fool them. I never needed to use that particular talent. (That permission slip for a field trip in seventh grade didn't count.) But you see the point I'm trying to make? If I were a shade more delinquent and didn't possess a decent moral compass, I could have done some serious damage.
There are people out there who think might (and firearms) make right. It doesn't make your little rifle any bigger. No penis pump is going to help that.
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