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Is carrying a gun a good idea, or an invitation to disaster?

Results so far:

good idea		49%	41 votes	Total: 83 votes
disaster		51%	42 votes	Total: 83 votes

good idea

1 of 6

The Second Amendment to the Constitution gives citizens the right to bear arms; this has recently been affirmed by the Supreme Court. With every right comes the accompanying equal requirement to use that right lawfully and responsibly. I live on a ranch and have serious need to have a firearm available at all times. Also, I have taken the required courses for a concealed weapons permit as required by my state. This state has a lower incidence of violent crime due to the fact that most of its citizens are responsibly and legally armed. Criminals thrive on a victim mentality and most cities rely on police to respond to violent crime on unarmed victims. Responsible gun ownership and the ability to deter violent actions will certainly deter a criminal more than the 10 to 15 minutes it takes for a police officer to respond. Depending on the government to protect us from those whose moral and social actions are contrary to those of law abiding citizens is a further enabling of the government to deprive us of additional rights. Most totalitarian governments' first actions are to disarm citizens. The responsible, legally armed and trained citizen (one who knows how to use his or her weapon) is the ultimate defense against unlawful and violent actions of the few who would harm others. Those whose convictions prevent them from owning or carrying a firearm need to be observant of circumstances where crime might occur, be ready to respond or act in a way that prevents their being victimized and act according to their beliefs. But to deprive those citizens who are capable of carrying a firearm legally and responsibly would be acting in the worst interests of the country as a whole.

Those citizens who would exercise their rights need to be fully aware of their responsibilities. They should be fully knowledgeable about their weapon: how to draw it safely, load and clear jams, keep it on "safe" unless being used, keep it under their control at all times, store safely when not in use or on their person, and insist that others respect their property and not handle or touch the weapon without safe handling. On several occasions I have had the possibility of using my weapon to protect a life and property put before me. It was a sobering situation that was not taken lightly. However, reality demands that at sometime you might be the one who has to take some form of action to prevent a violent act or harm to a person. If you have made the decision to be responsible for your actions and use a firearm you must be aware of your actions, unimpaired in judgement, and clear in your intentions to act lawfully. A weapon that is drawn but not aimed intentionally is a menace to everyone; this is a serious decision. Today's "shoot em up" computer games, and even paintball have given too many a casual attitude towards pointing a weapon at someone. The media forgets that this is a serious proposition and we pay the price for it in accidents and violent crime.

We need to think seriously before accepting the responsibility that goes with bearing arms. We also need to think seriously before denying that right as well.

Learn more about this author, Tom Brennan.
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disaster

1 of 4

by Claudia Windal

I remember clearly the day I came home from high school and announced that I wanted to take a six week course on guns, safety, and target shooting. My mother nearly dropped dead and Dad was mildly amused. I was able to convince them that this was simply a safe way for me to learn something about guns and to have an opportunity to do target shooting in a safe environment (the local police firing range) and with full supervision.

I have never regretted that experience. To this day I remember the first rule of gun safety, "always presume a gun to be loaded unless you have personally proven it otherwise." The second week of class, a student grabbed a rifle and began pointing it at us. The police officer ordered him to drop the gun and them asked him what we had learned the first week about not assuming a gun was not loaded." He was then escorted from the class and did not return.

The point here is that guns are weapons with the ability to inflict injury as well as bring about death. I was safe on the shooting range, but wouldn't think of picking up a gun anywhere today. Unfortunately the media presents multitudes of scenarios that illustrate the disastrous consequences of carrying a gun. I shudder to think how many people we meet every day at work, in grocery stores, at the bank, walking downtown, or running around a lake and these examples just expose the tip of the iceberg of gun packing, run of the mill, men and women, and children.

No, carrying a gun is not a good idea. I dare say that none of these gun packing individuals will be thinking through the NRA rules of safe gun carrying and use when they pull their weapon and discharge them. How many other guns are drawn when the fist gun discharges? How many others are discharged and injury or kill the innocent? How many misperceptions are there that someone is armed and when they simply reach into their coat, some "Rambo" pulls the trigger and kills the "chewing gum" packing "perp?"

We know that even those who are expected to be armed, are occasionally, confused in a moment of chaos and see what they believe to be a gun. Sometimes the "gun" is really a toy gun while other times it is a cell phone, pager, or other non harmful object. Unfortunately, many of them have lost their lives because well trained and experienced police officers have reacted to a perceived threat. If these well trained and educated police women and men make mistakes and misidentifications, how much more likely that private citizens will make poor decisions in the emotionality of the moment?

I am a funeral director and I have seen a fair number of gunshot wounds. Many of them are in the bodies of young, vulnerable children. They know that someone in their home keeps a gun in a closet. In their innocence and desire to know more, they search for an find the gun and ammunition. Television has given them a pretty good idea how the weapon is loaded. Then, it's time to pretend that they are making an arrest or somehow detaining the other child/children and they accidentally discharge the weapon mortally wounding one or more of them. Rather than being taken to the arms of grief stricken parents, those young, lifeless bodies are taken to the medical examiner and autopsied, and then, the funeral home and embalmed. All because children are by nature, inquisitive and because two adults choose to not keep handgun and ammunition well out of the reach of their children. Someday, I will share with you the grief of the morticians who care for those wounded and dead, autopsied bodies. We have to learn to patch up a bullet hole as if it was a simple injury from a fall or the actions of overly active children.
I can find no go
od in having just anyone who wants to carry a gun, do so legally. Ask those who have lost loved ones from gunshots from bystanders, "make belief" cops, overly zealous bystanders and others. They'll tell you that allowing guns to be carried by ordinary citizens is disasters in the making.

Learn more about this author, Claudia Windal.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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