A coworker recently asked, “I want to know how to ask people about their guns. Do you ask people about their guns? Where they keep them? How accessible they are? Are they loaded?”
I read the many responses and began to formulate my own response… which turned out to be WAAAAY too long. So I decided to respond here on my blog. If you need help falling asleep tonight, please feel free to read on.
I always hear people say they don’t understand why anybody needs this or that type of gun. Well, for me, shooting guns is sport. I only hunt paper, soda cans, old phone books, and water melons.
I grew up with guns which were used in sport. Self defense is pretty low on the list of reasons why I own guns. I took a martial arts class for that. I own guns because I enjoy shooting them and I’m good at it. I was high shooter in my USMC boot camp platoon. And let me tell you, I LOVED firing the M-16. Hitting the bulls eye 10x in a row at 500 yards and no scope? Oh yeah, that was a gratifying feeling to know I did that and nobody else did. I would love to own one.
No reason to own assault rifles you say? Of course not! There’s also no reason to own a 70″ TV, sports car, cat, dog, horse, basketball, baseball bat, etc. But people get them because they want them. I can kill a man with a baseball bat. Hell, I know how to kill a man with my bare hand. I know people who have killed with a shovel (servicemen who did so during combat). But nobody is trying to restrict sales of baseball bats, shovels, or trying to stop me from studying martial arts.
A person plays baseball because they enjoy it, and therefore owns the equipment that goes with that sport. If I were still physically able to fire an assault rifle, you better believe I’d own a few because they are tons of fun.
A friend once asked me point blank about my guns, just out of nowhere. Asked me how I stored them, etc. I had no problems at all discussing it with him so he could understand that he would be safe in my home and not have to worry about me or anybody else accidentally shooting him up.
I’ll also say that I’m a proponent of requiring a gun license. That teenage boy that recently shot and killed his friend? Would never happen in any responsible gun owner’s home. To start with, the boy should have understood that he is not allowed to ever touch something that dangerous. My father grew up with guns in the house. He never once touched them because he understood they were not his to touch. And more importantly, he should have understood that all guns are to be treated at all times as if they are loaded.
Secondly, that gun should not have been loaded. Why in the world would you keep a loaded, chambered gun in the house like that?! Police did not say whether the gun was brought into the home or if it was already in the home. But if it was brought in, then the next point comes up.
Thirdly, the gun should have been locked up. Even if the child understands to never touch it, why play with fire like that? Why risk a neighbor kid, who is not trained about gun safety, coming in and finding it? If you are really that paranoid about having some bad guy come into your home, there are specialized gun safes that allow you to get into them quickly while keeping others out. Even then, don’t have it loaded. Leaving the chamber open with the clip next to it allows you to quickly load and chamber the weapon.
Or just get a concealed carry permit so the gun is on you rather than sitting in your unlocked desk drawer. I mean, seriously. Imagine coming home and being held up by a burglar who is using your gun because you’re not smart enough to lock it away! If your kid can find it, then I’m sure a burglar can.
My kids learn to shoot my guns. And in so doing, they learn to fear them just like me, just like my father, just like my grandfather. They learn that every gun is loaded, no matter if the chamber is open and there isn’t a bullet in sight. There are too many people out there who do not fear guns, and thus leave them easily accessible — loaded and chambered even?! — for their teenage boy to play with like it’s a toy and end up killing someone with it. Tragically, that boy (and hopefully his parents and everybody in that room) just got the lesson of his life about gun safety. It’s too bad that someone had to die for him to learn that lesson. If you are going to own something that was specifically designed to kill people, then you should prove that you are responsible by taking a class and getting an ownership license.
Because they don’t require that, you have no idea if your neighbor is a responsible gun owner or not. Ask them point blank if they own a gun, and if so, how they store it and ask them if they’ll agree to never take it out of lockup while your kids are over. If they get defensive, then better safe than sorry. My experience has been that the more defensive they get about their guns, the more likely they are to be irresponsible with them. Some people are just looking for an excuse to shoot somebody up. I might be one of those people. You simply can’t know for sure.
I would have no problem with a neighbor deciding to not allow his or her children in my home based solely on the knowledge that I own a gun, despite knowing there’s no way anybody other than myself can get to it or to the bullets (which I store in a separate location). I take no offense to that.
I didn’t join the service to fight for the restriction of one’s opinion of me. Some people think their service gives them that right. Nobody fought for the flag as you’ll often hear said. They fought for what it stands for. That includes the right to be afraid to let your kids in my home, no matter the reason.
I would also like to respond to everybody who’s freaking out about the “new administration trying to take away their guns.” Seems like people are running out to stock up on bullets and guns before our new president does something nasty. These people scare me the most.
Do people realize that gun ownership is protected by the constitution and would require a two-thirds majority vote in both houses (senate and congress) PLUS be ratified by THREE-FOURTHS of the individual states to change that? Do they realize that the Supreme Court just set an incredible precedent by ruling that Washington DC’s ban on pistols was unconstitutional? Do they realize the President has no role in the amendment process? Seriously people. Your gun rights are not in danger.
Stop buying up all the bullets at my local Wal-Mart! Leave them for somebody like me who is actually going to use them.
However, I have the fortune of having a wife and the children who love the holidays. And, remembering back to my own childhood, the joy of the Easter egg hunt with my siblings is one of my fondest memories. A crotchety old holiday hater I may be, but for the benefit of my family, I’ve got to come up with