One of my friends who I’ve not spoken to in a long while commented on my current obsession with firearms. Well, commented wouldn’t actually be the accurate choice of words – condemned would probably be better. Yes, this person is vehemently anti-gun, and he basically wanted to start an argument with me about the evils of firearms.
Well sir, challenge accepted.
One of the ugliest truths that we need to realize is that the world is not a safe place. You may think the contrary of course – isolated in your village or place of employment, never really thinking of the dangers that lurk outside your very door. The world is filled with assholes who want nothing more than to take your hard earned cash and leave you penniless on the street, if you’re lucky. If you’re particularly unlucky, you’re going to find yourself on the floor bleeding, with a gunshot wound to the body. If you’re the unluckiest motherfucker on the planet at that given moment, they’ll probably shoot you in the head, pour gasoline over your miserable body and light you up so no one can identify you.
The thing is, firearms are not inherently evil. They are inanimate objects that do not posses their own will. They are tools that man created to hunt and (sadly) harm others. Like any tool, it is only as dangerous as the person holding it. I’d happily live in a world that does not require people to own a gun, a world where people respect other people’s possessions and follow the law to the letter. Unfortunately, that world only exists in the minds of hippies and people who are naive enough to think that guns are the source of violence in this world.
No sir, PEOPLE are the source of violence and strife in this world.
Tighter gun control doesn’t mean you are taking gun violence out of the equation. The only thing you are taking away is the ability of law abiding citizens to defend themselves. If anyone thinks that criminals use duly registered and legal firearms, please raise your hand so I can personally go to your house and render you infertile with whatever tools are available in your home to stop stupid from multiplying. Criminals use smuggled and stolen firearms for their crimes. They couldn’t give less of shit about laws – that’s the reason they ARE criminals. If you take away the right of civilians to legally protect themselves with firearms, you are inviting criminals to do as they please, without fear.
What about the police? Shouldn’t they protect us? Isn’t that their job? Yes, that’s absolutely right. It is the job of our fine uniformed officers to protect us from lawless elements. Two problems with that though: 1) they can’t be everywhere at once and 2) there’s a lot of corruption in the police force. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there’s a hell of a lot more honest cops than bad ones in our country (my cousin and my uncle being two of them) but there’s still a lot of work to be done in regards to weeding out the bad elements from the general rank. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t entrust my life or the family of loved ones on other people, especially when there’s an off chance that they’re probably wolves in sheep’s clothing.
People need to understand that gun owners like me has made the biggest, most important choice in their lives with the purchase of their firearm: we will not be victims. Your typical gun owner is neither violent, nor dangerous. Believe me when I say that the prospect of pulling the trigger to shoot another person is terrifying to us, and anyone who says otherwise needs to have their heads checked and their gun license revoked. Most people need to understand that a gun, in the hands of a civilian that intends to use it defensively is a life saving tool, not a life taking tool. It’s emergency rescue equipment, the same way that the jaws of life are used to pry people out of cars.
Before I end this rambling post, I want you guys to read this tragic story about a family who lost four members because of a crazed lunatic, which included a 6-year old girl and a 1-month old baby. This entire tragic episode could have been prevented if there was a gun in the house. One shot fired at the head of the crazed asshole who for some reason, decided that killing four people with a blade was a good idea would have saved the lives of four other people.
You can hate on guns all you like, but there’s a quote that I read from the local pistol forum that really conveys how I feel about the subject (and yes, before people I know point it out, I don’t exactly agree with the religious statement in the quote):
You may not like guns and choose not to own one. That is your right. You might not believe in God. That is your choice. However, if someone breaks into your home, the first two things you’ll do are:
- Call someone with a gun.
- Pray that they get to your house in time.
Just an ordinary nerd with a gun. 
People who are ‘anti-gun’ typically refuse to accept that they may be forced into a situation that will require them to protect themselves with deadly force.
I would rather have the means and the motivation to protect myself and others than be at the mercy of someone else. I would rather be prepared and not need it than be unprepared.
Self-defense, be it with hands or with a weapon (and not necessarily a gun, either) is a fundamental human survival instinct.
Most firearms owners are responsible owners. It is the idiotic 1% who use their firearms as a means to intimidate, or handle them irresponsibly, or do not educate themselves on their safe and proper use that jaw-droppingly horrify the other 99% who are responsible gun owners.