Guns are Great Tools When Used Intelligently
I’ve been reading a lot of blood pressure raising articles this morning on Medium , and I’ve spent a lot of fruitless time writing a bunch of rambling nonsense that takes into account many of the talking points for and against gun rights for Americans. Let’s face it, there are lots of folks out there who are better at citing statistics and interpreting Constitutional Law than I am. I’m just a rural middle-aged housewife. What could I know? Well, I’ll tell you what I know. (I know you were just waiting for that. Like everyone else, I’ve got an opinion.) The difference between me and a lot of people is that I’ve got a great anecdote. (I know, the plural of anecdote is not data — this is an illustration of a point I wish to make concerning gun rights.)
When you have access to an efficient killing tool, it is imperative that you exercise discretion in its use.
Back in 1990, the Dark Ages, I was a college student who had just moved into a small house off campus. Most of my stuff was still in boxes, including my gun, which was a 1960’s model Smith & Wesson .38 special with a 4 inch barrel, a great gun for shooting at targets. I had it in its case, unloaded, with a cylinder-full of ammunition next to it. This box was literally right next to my bed, not because I was prepared to use it, but because it was convenient. I was quite naïve about a gun’s self-defense uses, but I knew basic gun safety and range etiquette.
A short time later, I was sleeping in my bed when I was awakened around 2:30 a.m. by a noise. It was an intruder in my house, but I didn’t realize this until he was literally on top of me, wielding a knife. It was dark, so I couldn’t see him, but I knew he had a knife because it clattered on the floor when he dropped it once. I thought of that gun that sat in a box maybe 2 feet away from me. What were my thoughts? No, they weren’t I’ve got to get to that gun and kill this guy. They were more like I’ve got to make sure this guy doesn’t ever figure out I have a gun.
I was at a disadvantage and I knew it. To tip him off by going for the gun would have been a grave mistake; more than likely, I would have ended up shot by my own gun. Instead, I endured the attack (and yes, the rape too), and I waited until I was reasonably sure he was gone before I untied myself, quietly loaded my .38, and swept every room of the small house before calling 911.
Self-Defense is More Than Just Having a Gun
I was glad I had the gun, but I was also glad that my attacker did not know I had it. A gun is like any other tool; it can be used properly, or it can be used, as they say, in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Sure, guns are used to kill people. They are also used to hunt game, to target shoot and even to write “VR” on a distant wooden target. Yes, I have actually tried this; it wasn’t quite legible. Another legitimate use of my gun that I would never have thought up before I moved to this very rural part of Tennessee is protection against rabid animals. I’ve personally seen THREE of them on my road. And rattlesnakes. But all that’s another story, mentioned here simply to point out that guns have many legitimate uses, some of which aren’t immediately apparent if you don’t face the problem every day.
Basically, all I’m trying to say is that it isn’t enough to have a gun and say THERE, now I’m safe. You must engage your higher faculties to include the world in which your gun is incorporated into an overall plan for safety. I am of the opinion that the right to bear arms is a human right, but balanced with that right is the responsibility to exercise it with consideration and responsibility not to infringe on the human rights of your fellow citizens. Just as you need a license to operate a motor vehicle, a gun owner should be required to meet a safety and suitability standard, so that the danger to others is not increased. There’s my contribution to the gun discussion. Take from it what you will. Sorry, nothing to see here, move along to the next pro-gun or anti-gun diatribe. Thanks for reading!
