Post Denver Thoughts on Guns

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-moyers/watch-living-under-the-gu_b_1691100.html

A friend on my FB called this "brilliant". I disagree. I love how when a singular lunatic does something like this, the NRA and gun owners as a whole get blamed. Moyers is trying to score cheap points. Some of the "facts" in his editorial are dubious at best and have some pretty heavy historical distortions. The whole incident is tragic, but to paint all gun owners with the same brush is pretty low and offensive to me, as a gun owner. Canadian laws are different, mind you, but I have taken the required courses, filled out my paperwork, been checked out by the authorities. There has always been a gun in my home since I was an infant, and it has never been raised in anger or malice towards anyone, ever. If people didn't have guns, or anything that could be considered a traditional weapon, they'd fashion their own, or resort to their bare hands. If someone wants to kill, they will. No laws on earth could ever hope to stop that. He was right on one point, violence is ingrained in humans, not to mention most animals. But its the humans that cause these things to happen, not inanimate objects. And to cast blame at gun owners, who are mostly law abiding people is shameful and disrespectful to the victims.

Bottom line: Its not the majority of gun owners that are the problem here.  They are responsible about their guns, whatever type they happen to be.  It is a very small number that cause a problem.  Deal with them, and the criminal element.  That is where the problem really lies.  But its easier to go after legal gun owners, because they have nothing to hide and are an easy target.

Banning guns isn't going to make the problem go away.  You are just taking them away from people who didn't cause a problem in the first place.

Most gun owners have shown that they can be trusted owning them.  If someone shows they can't, then they should be taken away, no question.  I don't have a problem with people owning any type of gun if they are responsible about it.

People ask why should it be allowed?  Why not?  Its people's private money and if they want to spend it on guns, so what?  If they aren't hurting anyone, there is no harm.  Last time I checked we were a supposedly free society.  By all means, have regulations, courses, permits etc prior to owning them.  Education is never a bad thing.  Not only that, it is an industry and keeps many people employed as well.

As an aside, I was introduced to guns at a very young age.  I was taught the proper handling and respect that they deserve.  When I was young, we had a .22 in the corner of the living room, loaded.  I never once touched without permission or treated it as a toy.  Guns themselves aren't bad.  Shooting a gun, although not a necessary skill for most people, does have benefits. 

I found the following from 2008: http://gunowners.org/op0302.htm

Some of it I think is somewhat subjective, but some of the benefits I agree with from that page are (I've adding the bolding):

"1) It is a Fun Sport. No fancy excuses or rationalizatio n here, the shooting sports are just plain fun. Whether shooting inside, using your BB or pellet gun, or outside plinking at cans, target shooting, or cowboy action shooting, it is great fun. However, as important as words are to good communication, this "fun" element of the shooting sports cannot fully be described. It must be experienced! So, grab a friend and go the closest shooting range and "taste and see" for yourself.

2) It is a Safe Sport. Though the instruments of this sport can be dangerous, in reality when compared to other individual or group sporting activities (football, basketball, tennis, swimming, driving, biking etc.) the shooting sports are quite safe.

According to the National Safety Council, Injury Facts, 1999 and a 1991 Harvard Medical Practice Study:

    You are 100 times more likely to be injured in a swimming pool than by a gun.

    You are 31 times more likely to be injured riding in a car than by a gun.

    You are 1,900 times more likely to be injured by an "iatrogenic" error than by a gun ("iatrogenic" error is medical speak for a doctor or hospital injuring you accidentally).

And, with the growing number of gun safety/training programs, the number of injuries are declining and are at an all time low. This is in contrast to the fact that the number of firearm owners in America (as a whole) is on the rise.

3) It is a Family Sport. This is a sport that almost every family member can enjoy together. It is also a sport that boys and girls, or men and women, can participate in together. Granddad and grandson, father and daughter, great family memories lasting a lifetime are made here. Why not start making some of your own, now!

4) It is an Individual Sport. You can also shoot by yourself without any assistance from anyone, if that is your desire. Here, you have time to think and enjoy solitude. Time to grow in your marksmanship abilities at your own pace.

5) It is a Lifetime Sport. Shooting can begin early and continue through most of an adult's normal life span. And, with the expansion of high-tech gadgets available today, many disabled individuals can excel in some of the highest levels of competition.

6) Its Training: Builds Physical Discipline. In an age of the "couch potato," this sport can help build many physical disciplines that are not only healthy but enjoyable. Increased strength, stamina, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills are just a few of the physical disciplines acquired in the shooting sports that apply, not only to this sport, but to all of life.

7) Its Training: Increases Mental Discipline. To the surprise of many, the shooting sports are primarily mental sports. Experienced marksmen think sport shooting is 90% mental. Concentration levels are sharpened and expanded. Multiple problem solving activities involving logic, mathematics, and creative thinking (thinking "outside the box") are needed and employed to succeed at any level of the shooting sports. This is truly a "thinking man's" (and women's) sport.
8) Its Training: Advances Personal Responsibility . Personal responsibility is taught throughout the shooting sports to advance both safety and skill development. The shooting sports also cultivate personal responsibility because they are a foundation for both security and liberty in any family or nation.

    "Liberty means responsibility . That is why most men dread it." -- George Bernard Shaw

13) Its Training: Provides Enhanced Educational Opportunities. Another little-known fact is that the shooting sports are some of the most popular events in the Olympics. 17 Olympic events (10 for Men and 7 for Women) in four Olympic disciplines (rifle, pistol, running target and shotgun) were held during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and are scheduled in the 2004 Athens Games. This is why several universities and private trusts have monies allocated providing scholarships for young marksmen, male or female.

14) Its Training: Is Conducted in a Friendly and Helpful Environment. The people involved in the shooting sports are some of the most helpful, honest and "salt of the earth" kind of folks you will meet. Most are friendly people who are both able and willing to help you improve in any aspect of this sport.

15) Its Training: Promotes the Values Needed for a Safe, Courageous and Self-sacrificing Society. Character development is always necessary and good. The shooting sports can help you overcome fear, grow in patience and think of others as you would have them think of you ("Golden Rule" and "Good Samaritan" character traits).

    "Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords." -- Theodore Roosevelt (America's 26th President)

Note: A parent added to the above by stating: "It's affordable, you learn to overcome peer pressure, to laugh at yourself and learn from your mistakes, you become a 'good sport', learn how to set goals and achieve them, and you meet new people. "