Gun Control

I love comments, so I'll feed this gun control issue a little bit here.

I'm a five foot-two, 130 pound girl with a gun. I use it for target shooting. I'm not exactly one of those "You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands" people, but the gun control issue bothers me. I mean, many of the "gun control" laws that have been passed so far are idiotic. Background checks, even at gun shows are a good idea, though. They're quick and effective with little impact to retailers or customers.

Waiting periods are another story. Truthfully, I could live with a waiting period for an individual's first gun purchase. It might prevent "acts of passion" against self or others, and no one should just buy a gun on a whim -it takes time and practice to become skilled enough with a gun for it to be useful in hunting, sport, or home/self protection. A couple day's wait for your first gun is no big deal. I don't get waiting periods on subsequent gun purchases, however. What purpose do they serve? They make no sense, and laws that don't make sense should be repealed!

As for the Second Amendment; our forefathers were giving us a final measure for protecting our rights. This country was "won" by people banding together and fighting for independance. The idea may seem outdated to the average American citizen, but it's what Bush hoped would happen in Iraq, and having an armed population can only serve to ensure that the will of the people doesn't get overrun by a rogue government. The ramblings of the paranoid wacko? I know it sounds like it -we've all heard the "black helicopter" people, but in the end it's a good idea. It's "Plan Z". Perhaps Hitler said it best:

The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms. History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so."
-- Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Obviously this doesn't mean that everyone should have a gun. It takes a lot of training and practice to be able to use a gun safely and effectively. Anyone who isn't willing to put forth the required time and effort shouldn't buy one.

As for the issue of kids and guns, it's a personal matter. Get rid of your guns entirely if you don't think you can keep your guns locked up or use a trigger lock or other safety device (but not "the safety" on the gun itself as it's easily turned off, even on accident!). If you feel you can effectively keep your kids from your guns, do so. Many things in a house can harm a child -parents must be responsible and keep all dangerous items away from their children.

Also, teach your kids about guns. They should know that if they see a gun they shouldn't touch it. They should tell an adult about it immediately. My parents did this for me, but my Dad also introduced me to guns when I was very little. My first "gun" was a Red Rider BB gun and it was too big for me when I got it! My Dad shortened the stock so I could hold it properly and then he taught me how to shoot cans out at my Grandpa's farm. It was a lot of fun, but as he showed me how to shoot, he also taught me basic gun safety. I was not to point it at anyone. I was not to put my finger on the trigger until the gun was pointed "down range" and I was ready to shoot. This served to remove the "mystery" of guns in general and enforced the rules that needed to be adhered to when he handed me a .22, and then a .38, etc. His reasoning was that if I ever found a gun out at home or in anyone else's home I wouldn't be curious about it or try to "play" with it. If a parent is comfortable with firearms and can teach their children these rules, I think this is a great way to protect your kids from gun "accidents".

In the end, it's my right to own a gun and I wish the Democratic party would come around to more sane views on gun control as I've been turned off by the Republican party over the last 8 years. Banning guns entirely makes no sense -I doubt the criminals will turn in their guns. It'd serve only to disarm law-abiding citizens and make us all easy targets for criminals. Look at Florida, for example. After they passed their concealed carry legislation crime went down on the street, but went up at airports. Why? Because people in airports can't carry guns. Hello? Who would want to rob someone who's potentially armed? But I won't go into concealed carry here...

...and you thought I was a liberal wacko!