Headlines in newspapers across the land cite tragic deaths caused by guns every day, mostly young people that have yet to reach the age of majority. Many are black with nowhere to go, trapped in the nightmare of their surroundings, forsaken by society, with only their homies and guns to keep things straight in their lives. These kids do not know what a comfort zone is, they have no idea of what family circle and an authority figures are, they only know the streets.
There is also, rarely, a kid from the suburbs who brings a gun to school for a "show and tell" and doesn't know the weapon is loaded. Playfully he pulls it out, points at a classmate and pulls the trigger, the ensuing thunderous roar is followed by the sickening sound of bullet meeting flesh and bone.
Twelve year old Johnny and his father tramp through the woods in northern Minnesota on the opening day of deer hunting, both eager to drop a buck, not for the meat, but for a father-son bonding experience, one that will be talked about for the rest of their lives. They have been out since sun-up and have positioned themselves at the top of a ridge, sitting and waiting.
Without warning a distant shot rings out and an instant later, little Johnny slumps to the ground without saying a word. The better part of the boy's head has been blown off, caused by an errant shot from some nameless deer hunter that might not ever know that he has been responsible for snuffing out the life of a small boy, responsible for changing, forever, the lives of every person that Johnny knew.
All sad stories, and all made from whole cloth, not a scintilla of truth in any of them, but I got your attention, didn't I. Gun accidents in the United States, homicides, gun related theft, errant shots fired and gun drinking, "that's what I call people who drink and have loaded guns," accounts for some of the most meaningless deaths in our country.
Gangland related deaths are not counted in any statistical material that I have used for this blog, I count those deaths as acceptable deaths in thinning the herd, as my dad once said. Thugs, punks and other bad guys are going to have guns, as the N.R.A. aptly points out. However the N.R.A. and I part company almost immediately after that point.
Did you ever wonder who, in the wide world, is the top weapons dealer, here's a hint, initials for that country are U.S. that's right, the land of the flea and the home of the bereaved. Did you know that you can go to a flea market, an institution in America's fabric of free enterprise, and buy an undocumented weapon and nobody will be the wiser.
The average American male usually goes about buying a legal firearm the traditional way, at a licensed gun store. Well over half of all U.S. gun owners use this method to get their guns. They buy their ammunitions, accessories, get some operational instructions and even can receive gun safety training.
Many Americans have gained their guns in an old fashioned way, they inherit their father's gun, that's how I got mine. My dad was a gentle man, who actually was frightened by his own shadow and abhorred violence. I do not recall ever shooting a gun with my dad, there was no gun safety conversations and we never went hunting. He just had a gun in his bedroom for protection, hell I don't know, maybe it was my mother's gun and she used it for protection from my father.
My point is a simple one, "does that surprise you, me having a simple point, I mean," guns kill people, it's the original reason for their existence. Sure N.R.A. advocates would argue that the very first reason for guns was to hunt game for food on the table and that is absolutely true, I'll give you that, but a close second is to kill people.
By far a bi-product of gun use and the perception of flashing iron was an intimidating factor, I know that would work every time on me. Of course I get intimidated on a daily basis by my wife and on occasion by my daughters and three sisters. Lets face the facts of my life, I get intimidated really easy by lots of people, I'm a wimp.
But when at least a third of Americans have firearms in their possesion and there is a drive out there for people to be able to strap on iron and walk down the street, we here at Chronicle headquarters can only lament, "hold on there Tex, maybe we should re-evaluate our gun totting laws for a minute." I don't know about you, but I don't want to go into my favorite watering hole and have to worry about some asshole down the bar, half in the bag and wonder if he's strapping.
I also wonder about some jerk, setting in this same tavern, who is off his medication for some problems with his behavior, because when he drinks he gets sick. I don't know about you, but that knowledge would make be just a bit antsy.
Then of course there's always that special guy, a pillar of the community, a Sunday church goer with an impeccable attendance record, a Sunday school teacher, the guy who donates time, effort and money to charity and is a model father, husband, little league coach and a great friend.
But every Friday night, this model citizen hits his favorite bar-restaurant, armed to the teeth with a revolver that would make Clint Eastwood green with envy. This upstanding citizen is looking for one thing on his Friday night prowl, and it ain't the best "T" bone in the house, it's a fight.
When you hit a person with your fist, usually two things can happen, the receiver of the punch either gets pissed off, or he falls down. In some isolated incidents, the guy falls down, hits his head and dies, and you become Willie's best buddy when they put you in jail.
When you shoot someone, two things happen, one is bad and the other is worse, both however get you jail time and, you become Willie's best buddy. The chance that a bullet wound can be fatal, increase by a number of 100 when you look at the consequences of a fist to the jaw, or a bullet to the body, there are so many variables, mostly bad, why take the chance.
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. United States Supreme Court decisions pretty much upheld the Second Amendment that Roger Ramjet had the right to keep and bear arms, unconnected to service in a militia and to use that arm for traditional lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. The court also found that states and local governments are limited to the same extent as the federal government is with regards to restrictions on the ability of citizens to keep and bear arms.
That's just great, according to the Supreme Court, the chief kahuna, the top dogs, the deal makers of law and order in the United States has upheld this precious right. I can't argue with their judgement, who the hell am I. I'm just your editor and chief, your "go to guy" for all the news that nobody else will print. But do you really think that owning a gun, slapping on the old "hog leg" is anything more then a right of passage, a male extension of a certain part of man's anatomy.
I mean lets get real, of the 90 to 100 million gun owners, how many do you think are ready to draw down a some low life dink that figures you are an easy mark walking down the street, or figures nobody is home and you catch him in the act of burglary. Is what you have that important, you know.....to shoot somebody and possibly kill them?
Maybe a coat with embossed insignia or a sign on your house, proclaiming to everybody that you are "packing" would deter personal attacks, it for sure would cut down on paperwork to be filled out by law enforcement personnel after a shooting.
Gun and munitions makers dot the country, whether they are strategically located, I don't know, but they sure seem to be spaced throughout the country in places that you would never dream that manufacturer of firearms would have a market.
The names some of these gun guys have are as exotic as some of their firearm names, Les Bare, Land Warfare Resources Corporation, or LWRC, Rock river Arms, Armalite, Bushmaster Firearms International, Caspian Arms Ltd and my personal favorite, Savage Arms.
Caspian Arms is celebrating it's 100 year birthday this year and has a picture of Granny Danko, a centurion herself holding a Model 1911 pistol. Land Warfare Resources Corporation, formerly known as Leitner-Wise Rifle Company, was taken over in 2006 by army veteran Pat Bryan, who surprise, surprise moved the company into a full-fledged firearms manufacturing company.
Some sobering statistics, at least for me are the numbers of people that lose their lives every year caused by gun-shot wounds. Accidental gunshot deaths in the United States each year is more then 2000, thousands more die not by accident, rather deliberately. Chicago, Illinois seems to be the children's gunshot dying capital of the United States, as more then 400 young lives were snuffed out by guns in 2010.
Not everyone is capable of owning a gun, they have mental or emotional problems, lack the basic smarts that God gave a dog, or are completely irresponsible. We all know people like this, both those of us who advocate gun ownership and those that don't, like me. Why can't we meet somewhere on common ground and use common sense to stop the carnage.
When you shoot someone, two things happen, one is bad and the other is worse, both however get you jail time and, you become Willie's best buddy. The chance that a bullet wound can be fatal, increase by a number of 100 when you look at the consequences of a fist to the jaw, or a bullet to the body, there are so many variables, mostly bad, why take the chance.
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. United States Supreme Court decisions pretty much upheld the Second Amendment that Roger Ramjet had the right to keep and bear arms, unconnected to service in a militia and to use that arm for traditional lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. The court also found that states and local governments are limited to the same extent as the federal government is with regards to restrictions on the ability of citizens to keep and bear arms.
That's just great, according to the Supreme Court, the chief kahuna, the top dogs, the deal makers of law and order in the United States has upheld this precious right. I can't argue with their judgement, who the hell am I. I'm just your editor and chief, your "go to guy" for all the news that nobody else will print. But do you really think that owning a gun, slapping on the old "hog leg" is anything more then a right of passage, a male extension of a certain part of man's anatomy.
I mean lets get real, of the 90 to 100 million gun owners, how many do you think are ready to draw down a some low life dink that figures you are an easy mark walking down the street, or figures nobody is home and you catch him in the act of burglary. Is what you have that important, you know.....to shoot somebody and possibly kill them?
Maybe a coat with embossed insignia or a sign on your house, proclaiming to everybody that you are "packing" would deter personal attacks, it for sure would cut down on paperwork to be filled out by law enforcement personnel after a shooting.
Gun and munitions makers dot the country, whether they are strategically located, I don't know, but they sure seem to be spaced throughout the country in places that you would never dream that manufacturer of firearms would have a market.
The names some of these gun guys have are as exotic as some of their firearm names, Les Bare, Land Warfare Resources Corporation, or LWRC, Rock river Arms, Armalite, Bushmaster Firearms International, Caspian Arms Ltd and my personal favorite, Savage Arms.
Caspian Arms is celebrating it's 100 year birthday this year and has a picture of Granny Danko, a centurion herself holding a Model 1911 pistol. Land Warfare Resources Corporation, formerly known as Leitner-Wise Rifle Company, was taken over in 2006 by army veteran Pat Bryan, who surprise, surprise moved the company into a full-fledged firearms manufacturing company.
Some sobering statistics, at least for me are the numbers of people that lose their lives every year caused by gun-shot wounds. Accidental gunshot deaths in the United States each year is more then 2000, thousands more die not by accident, rather deliberately. Chicago, Illinois seems to be the children's gunshot dying capital of the United States, as more then 400 young lives were snuffed out by guns in 2010.
Not everyone is capable of owning a gun, they have mental or emotional problems, lack the basic smarts that God gave a dog, or are completely irresponsible. We all know people like this, both those of us who advocate gun ownership and those that don't, like me. Why can't we meet somewhere on common ground and use common sense to stop the carnage.
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