by Justin Cox

Created on: October 09, 2008   Last Updated: January 08, 2009

The beauty of air guns, toy guns and real guns for that matter is that they bring out the character of the person holding them. Much as an artist's brush depicts that person's feelings and character an air gun will become an extension of personality of the person holding it. Good people will use guns in a good manner; bad people will use guns in a bad manner. You cannot cite any real incidents where a good person was enticed by a gun to do something bad, it just doesn't happen. There are occasions where a bad person who never was caught doing badness has been empowered to step out of that shadowy world by using the gun as his tool. It wasn't because the gun was bad; it was because the gun facilitated the bad person's intentions.

Guns are some of man's most powerful tools. In the hands of good people they can protect, liberate and provide food for the hungry. In the wrong hands they can enable terrible acts, make dangerous individuals more dangerous and empower tyrants. Over their history they have served both good and bad people. Their effects have shaped the world we live in today. Air guns are a close cousin to those enabling guns and also need to be treated with the respect they deserve. An air gun in the hands of a responsible person is a fine, safe tool. An air gun in the hands of a hoodlum is serious cause for concern.

Air guns prepare people to handle real guns. The same fundamentals of care, accuracy, and safety all apply. Many a lesson has been taught and learned over the barrel of an air rifle. Yes they are dangerous but they are less dangerous than firearms which make them safer for those lacking experience with safe firearms handling. Generations of dads have brightened the lives of generations of sons with the gift of an air gun. Often this is the means to an end that will result in the son's graduation to real firearms.

Air guns have provided amusement and recreation to many. They are more economical to own and shoot than most rifles and create less noise and environmental impact than firearms. A day spent at the range with an air rifle can be as therapeutic to some as a day at the spa is to others. Certainly wholesome, safe fun can be had with air rifles. They also provide a myriad of tangible benefits and are not simply toys. Effective at pest and vermin control they have dispatched many nuisance rats and rodents over the years.

Air guns in and of themselves cannot be good or bad. They can only perform the function of any inanimate object or tool which takes the operator's direction. There is no difference between a rock picked up from the ground and an air rifle in terms of good or evil. People and their different personalities are what dictate whether a tool is put to good use or bad. Do not be misled into thinking that an air rifle, automobile, rock, stick or pencil can be inherently good or bad. It's the people operating them that make that determination.

Learn more about this author, Justin Cox.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.