Guns

I guess it's time I come out of the closet... I'm a gun-nut! For years I lived in a town where folks like me were considered politically incorrect. Even owning a firearm to some of my neighbors meant I was a racist, homophobic, misogynistic, war-monger. Nothing could be further from the truth but there's no reasoning with people who judge others on their "feelings" instead of the facts.  Truthfully, I don't much mind what other people do as long as they leave me alone. I find that I now have to take a more public stand because my God-given second amendment rights are being chipped away by a government who has learned very little from history.

I'm what some might call 'old school'. I don't particularly care for synthetic stocks and stainless steel actions. Oh, I own a couple. They do handle the weather better than blued steel and wood. And they are easier to clean. But, I love the look of fine, blued steel on a richly grained piece of wood. I love the smell of gun oil, burned gun powder and real leather attached to a beautiful firearm. A well designed firearm is a work, not only of engineering, but of art. To me shooting is not much different than someone who loves playing golf. Except the clothes are more stylish!

You see, what I love is the romance of shooting. Ballistics is something of a hobby of mine. I love shooting black powder and other historical firearms. The emphasis on shooting these is marksmanship. A young guy with a semi-automatic and a banana magazine that holds, say, thirty rounds will pull the trigger thinking: "I have 29 more rounds if I miss." A man with a black powder or single shot firearm thinks: "I have one round so I better not miss!" That's the attitude of a true hunter. If one is going to hunt with a firearm it's only humane to be the best marksman one can be so the animal doesn't suffer.

What I resent, as a lawful gun-owner and firm believer in the second amendment, is the implication that I don't care as much as non-gun owners over the killing of people or animals for no reason. And I especially abhor the massacre of innocent people like the slaughter of the children at Sandy Hook elementary school in Pennsylvania. Such incidents break my heart. I still remember the children of Dunblane, Scotland and the absolute horror I felt at an adult intentionally shooting a child. The sick individual that committed that crime against humanity is another in a long line of human beings given completely over to evil. And, yes I believe it is the people who commit such acts who are evil. Such people will use whatever is available to them to kill. Guns are simply tools...tools that should not be allowed in the hands of the mentally ill.

I believe all human beings have, not only a right but, a responsibility to defend themselves. If one owns a firearm for self-defense one has the responsibility to be practiced in using it correctly. Most handgun shooting is primarily for self-defense though there are also those who love to target shoot with them. If one isn't going to practice then they should find another method of defending oneself. I'm a firm believer that a responsible gun owner is one who is practiced and knows how to use their firearm safely.

I've known other gun nuts that love old military weapons because of the history they were a part of. Cowboy gun nuts love old western style guns for the same reason. There are hunters that only care about bagging game for one reason or another. There are 'assault' rifle owners that get a thrill out of spraying the ground with lead. There are shotgun nuts that practice skeet or trap shooting as hobbies. And then there are those who have specialized guns designed for highly accurate target shooting as their hobby. I've known them all. I can say with complete clarity of conscience that, by far and away, most of them were normal folks that have no desire to shoot or harm anyone. They love and value the Second Amendment and the rights that it affords. The National Rifle Association, of which I'm a proud member, promotes safe, responsible gun ownership. We aren't wackos like some in the far-left would have you believe.

In fact it's people like the Hollywood 'elite' that promote gun violence by titillating our senses in movies where gun violence is rampant. These appeal to the lowest, basest human drives. We are set up to want to see revenge and murder in such movies. The makers of video games are no different. These forms of entertainment demean us and pull us all down as a race. Oh, the folks who traffic in such garbage will be quick to tell you that there is no correlation between what happens on screen and what happens in real life. These are the same folks who will spend billions on one minute commercials during events like the Super Bowl to influence our buying habits. As far as I'm concerned they're vile hypocrites only out for profit...when they're not beating their own chests in self-righteous attempts to make themselves feel relevant by railing against responsible gun ownership! How screwed up is that!?

Guns have been around since the founding of this nation.  Private ownership of guns in the hands of ordinary citizens is one of the major reasons why we were able to become an independent nation. You see governments fear armed citizens...and well they should. While our founding fathers plainly declared that private gun ownership is a God-given right among the other rights enumerated the Bill of Rights...it is the one right that allows us to defend our other rights.

I'm an American. I believe in our Constitution. The founding fathers intended it to be a governing blueprint that allowed the people to have as much freedom as possible without infringing on the freedoms of others.  It’s main purpose, however, is to limit the power of our government. It is being challenged and chipped away at in our time like never before in our history. We have a president who has berated those of us who "cling to God and our guns". In one stroke this 'former constitutional scholar' disparaged both the first and second amendments in the Bill of Rights. It's no wonder why he doesn't care for either. They limit his power just like they were designed to do!

There are always people that think they can run our lives better than we can. Such people always have "the best" intentions. They think they know better than our founding fathers. History has proven them wrong time and again. An armed citizenry ensures a free citizenry. As long as we have the Second Amendment and our guns they will have a deterrent from our government riding roughshod over us...whatever their true intentions. That's why they want our guns so bad.

I stand with our founding fathers, the NRA and such patriots as Charlton Heston. Mr. Heston stood with Martin Luther King to fight for the God-given rights of all Americans. Unlike our president who only gives lip-service to the constitution Mr. Heston actually stood up for it's principles. Guns in the hands of ordinary, private citizens have been a fundamental  part of our history. My hope, my prayer, is that the next generation will also come to value those rights that so many in our history have given their life's blood for.