Politics and Culture

We stand apart because of the second amendment

Why have a gun? Why Not?

I went to register my new Springfield Arms Loaded 1911 today. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it after a few weeks of waiting and when I did, a thought occured to me: The U.S. is one of the only advanced nations in which citizens reserve the right to bear arms (I almost said "where the government lets you carry a weapon") yet most of my fellow citizens choose not to own any kind of weapon. I'm sure many Americans refuse to own a gun because they don't feel very threatened by their neighbors or perhaps they fear some kind of accident, but these concerns don't outweigh the potential security benefits of being armed (not to mention the sheer fun of going to the range when one has nothing to do and firing off a few rounds). The second objection can certainly be mediated by maintaining proper safety procedures such as locking up guns in a safe, using some kind of trigger guard, and demanding proper gun respect by every member of the household. It's hard to argue against the first objection except to say that a quality gun is not very expensive ($200.00 on up) and even if you couldn't imagine a situation where you would use it, you should feel better knowing that an extra option is available. This is a silly example, but when Tom Cruise had to escape from the aliens in "War of the Worlds," don't you think he was glad to have that revolver with him?

There's another aspect of owning a gun that I've discussed with my fellow squids and that is to own a gun is to make a positive choice for freedon and independence. Owning a gun says that if your life is in danger, there's a good chance you can take care of the threat yourself. You will not wait for the police to come save you or be at the mercy of those that would do you harm. I won't argue statistics and stuff. I'm sure you can find that information at any number of web sites. I'll discuss how I made my gun choice tomorrow, but information on my choice of gun is above. I may also discuss another reason why people might not like guns. Yes, for you political types, it's a right-left thing. You may say hello to my little friend below.

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