An Objective Look at Gun Ownership

There seems to be a lot of divisive issues in the news lately with politics in the spotlight, but also immigration, Confederate Civil War memorials and renewed debate about abortion. Another hot topic is guns and gun ownership. Based on absolutely nothing I have the feeling that most people are neutral regarding guns and the Second Amendment. Those who aren't neutral have very strong opinions; they either love or hate guns. Period.

I like guns. One of the saddest times of my life was when I was forced to sell my collection of 17 handguns, rifles and shotguns. We were moving to Peru and I did not have sales receipts for any of the guns. Attempting to take 17 guns through Peruvian customs without proof of ownership would have been a nearly impossible task, and if it were accomplished the tax fees would have been astronomical. I could find no one in Wisconsin who would hold the guns for me, either because they considered guns in a house to be dangerous, or they didn't want the responsibility of holding a rather expensive collection in their homes for an unknown period of time.

For both anti and pro gun people it's difficult to look at guns objectively...to separate emotion from reason. Mass school and mall shootings can't be looked at unemotionally. Innocent men, women and children have been killed. A standard pro-gun defense is that, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Using that as a defense is in my opinion just plain stupid. Guns, in the hands of psychopaths and terrorists do kill people. Relying on the Second Amendment is nearly as foolish. Any reasonable person reading that  amendment would realize that it was written at a time when there was no standing army, or at least not one capable of defending the country decisively if attacked.

There are millions of guns in homes across this country. I saw something on the news several days ago...I've searched the internet but can't find anything on it, where someone in law enforcement said something to the effect that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens is a great asset to any police department. I don't know if that is the general feeling or not of law enforcement people but if it is, that is a powerful statement in favor of gun ownership. 

But how does an individual explain, and given the climate these days, justify his or her interest in guns? It's difficult to do. How does a fisherman explain why he's out on the lake at sun up, anticipating that heart thumping sensation when the hit happens, and the thrill of the battle, or the enjoyment of releasing the behemoth? How does a hunter explain the feeling of time stopping when that buck starts to move from behind a spruce tree, and the emotional high that follows a well-placed shot? How does a golfer explain being on the course at the crack of dawn just to hit a little ball? 

In a small local newspaper last week there was a photo of a high school rifle team that had won a competition. I think there were about 20 team members, both boys and girls. I wonder how they got involved with guns and shooting, and if they're able to explain the elation that comes from firing a 1" group? 

I appreciate guns for the gun itself. A quality gun is to me an attractive piece of well engineered equipment. My favorite gun was a Colt Single Action Army in 44 long-colt caliber. It is an exact duplicate in every way to the gun carried in the old west. Just holding it and looking at it would take me back to the glory days of Wichita and Tombstone. Hearing the solid 'click' as I cocked the hammer, and feeling the considerable recoil when the trigger was pulled was a rewarding experience. And I usually hit the target.

My most accurate gun was a Dan Wesson in .357 magnum with interchangeable barrels. I had 4", 6" and 8" barrels. With the 8" barrel I could hit coffee cans out to 100 yards. I occasionally carried it when dear hunting but wasn't lucky enough to see a buck when I had the gun with me. 

It's difficult to have a reasonable discussion about guns with someone who doesn't like or is afraid of guns. I have seen women hurriedly leave the room when I brought out a new gun to show to a friend. You can't have a discussion when that degree of emotion and fright is involved. I like to imagine a scenario where if I was involved in a gun discussion, I could show people the photo below.

My question to them would be, which rifle is designed for hunting and which is designed for killing people? I'd be willing to bet that most people would respond that the top rifle is for hunting and the bottom for killing people, because it conjures up the dreaded AK series most bad guys seem to prefer. Then I would explain the facts to them.

Both rifles are .223 caliber. They fire the same bullet. Both are semi-automatic, meaning both shoot each time the trigger is pulled. There is no functional difference between them. Would this information make any difference to those pushing to ban the AK style rifles? Probably not. Too often with us humans emotion trumps reason.

The south has a lot of good things going for it and one is the conservative attitude toward gun ownership. But I wonder if the south would be strong enough politically to fend off a Federal government mandate to ban all guns. I talked with a gun shop owner who said that people are telling him that they're buying a gun because they're concerned that a ban could happen. 

In Chattanooga there are reports of shootings several times every week, a common occurrence in most major cities. And often the report will include an interview with a neighborhood resident exclaiming that, "...I never imagined something like that happening in this neighborhood." I can't imagine it happening in our neighborhood either, but it could. I'm thinking that maybe it's time for me to get back into guns. A Ruger semi-auto handgun in .40 S&W sounds about right.