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Guns and me
6 May 2017 13:43I'm halfway through reading Gunfight. It is well-written, appears "balanced," and is an engaging read. I don't always like what I'm reading right at the moment, but that's often the case when my world view gets expanded. =)
I do not own a gun. I had one briefly, but the person who gifted it to me wanted it back, so back it went. I have taken a Hunter Safety class, years ago, and found that I liked shooting. Rifles appeal to me because of physics. Shotguns appeal to me because of their general-badassery in RPGs of my youth. I have practically zero experience with handguns, and probably somehow less-than-zero experience with big-game/military-class firearms.
I'm not a gun enthusiast, by any stretch. I think wearing guns at the dinner table is foolish, although I am fine with target practice after dinner. I think I prefer open-carry to concealed carry, but I am made intensely uncomfortable by open-carrying persons in the vicinity.
I think guns are pretty neat. If I didn't have 3,457,882 other things I wanted to spend my money on, I'd have one and use it often. I'd have more than one, in fact (although firearms make my husband so uncomfortable we might have to work out a compromise on the details of any new gun-hobby).
I think gun control is necessary and wise. We as a country should have more of it, and more consistency across states and municipalities in the development and execution of laws. Laws that are neutral, equitable, and supported by a majority.
I dream of an America that can have its cake and eat it, too. The right to keep and bear arms is not the opposite of gun control legislation. These two things can coexist. I am encouraged as I read this book because it is gradually demonstrating how America has successfully utilized both concepts in our early history.
Like every person advocating for a "middle way" I imagine if I were to engage in any kind of public statement/debate on this (more broadly public than Dreamwidth) I would be attacked from both sides and painted as deceitful traitor to all Americans. That saddens me. The polarized, irrational responses to important issues like firearms is depressing and frightening. Smarter bears than I have weighed in all over the world. I believe we as a country will tear ourselves apart if the quieter voices advocating for moderation and compromise continue to be ignored.
Anyway, that's where I'm at with guns. Thanks for tuning in.
I do not own a gun. I had one briefly, but the person who gifted it to me wanted it back, so back it went. I have taken a Hunter Safety class, years ago, and found that I liked shooting. Rifles appeal to me because of physics. Shotguns appeal to me because of their general-badassery in RPGs of my youth. I have practically zero experience with handguns, and probably somehow less-than-zero experience with big-game/military-class firearms.
I'm not a gun enthusiast, by any stretch. I think wearing guns at the dinner table is foolish, although I am fine with target practice after dinner. I think I prefer open-carry to concealed carry, but I am made intensely uncomfortable by open-carrying persons in the vicinity.
I think guns are pretty neat. If I didn't have 3,457,882 other things I wanted to spend my money on, I'd have one and use it often. I'd have more than one, in fact (although firearms make my husband so uncomfortable we might have to work out a compromise on the details of any new gun-hobby).
I think gun control is necessary and wise. We as a country should have more of it, and more consistency across states and municipalities in the development and execution of laws. Laws that are neutral, equitable, and supported by a majority.
I dream of an America that can have its cake and eat it, too. The right to keep and bear arms is not the opposite of gun control legislation. These two things can coexist. I am encouraged as I read this book because it is gradually demonstrating how America has successfully utilized both concepts in our early history.
Like every person advocating for a "middle way" I imagine if I were to engage in any kind of public statement/debate on this (more broadly public than Dreamwidth) I would be attacked from both sides and painted as deceitful traitor to all Americans. That saddens me. The polarized, irrational responses to important issues like firearms is depressing and frightening. Smarter bears than I have weighed in all over the world. I believe we as a country will tear ourselves apart if the quieter voices advocating for moderation and compromise continue to be ignored.
Anyway, that's where I'm at with guns. Thanks for tuning in.
