Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 22:52:08 -0400
From: “connectnc.net”
Subject: Response to Karen Crowell about gun fanatics
I read your recent post and I pondered on it all day Saturday . Its a typical response from a person with more fear than knowledge about firearms . I need to clarify a few things .
Firstly , If you are convicted of domestic violence you can’t own a firearm anymore . If you talk to any social worker they will enforce the fact the vast majority of domestic reports are from beatings , abuse or neglect not gun shots . Yes people get mad and use guns in arguments to kill each other but they also use anything else in the heat of the moment to get the job done if they are of a mindset on killing someone . I know what its like to be involved in domestic violence . Years ago I had someone hit me up beside the head so hard I was seeing double and he posed a threat to one of my children and myself since he clearly stated he was going to kill me when he assaulted me . I had a shot gun for self defense and nearly shot myself accidentally when it went off in the process of that situation .. I learned two important lessons . I didn’t know how to properly secure or discharge my firearm . The second thing I learned was guns don’t kill but the lack of knowledge of how to use it properly and or stupidity mixed with anger does .
Secondly more people are killed with hammers , baseball bats and fists than assault rifles every year . In fact more people by thousands are killed by automobile accidents than assault rifles . There are 250 million plus vehicles on the road in the USA and there are an estimated 250 million firearms . More people are injured and killed with millions of dollars more in damages by automobiles than firearms in the US every year . You own a car ,who is to say that you will drive madly through a crowd and kill dozens of people ,, so lets take that dangerous weapon away from you . See my point ? Responsible people own things that can be used as good or evil . The media always has been gun crazy as they report every gun related fatality and shooting but you rarely hear about the multitudes of beatings , death by other means that often happen more so than gun related incidents because they don’t get the same ratings as gun violence stories . The gun is a thing not the culprit. Not having guns will just increase the amount of deaths by other means . Bad people do bad things and when they want to kill someone they will find a way gun or not .
Thirdly and this is very important fact about guns . Guns do not have a mind of their own , they are a tool than can be used for good or evil just like a hammer , ball bat , automobile , flat iron or knife . There are millions of things in this world that can kill you just as fast as a firearm . The biggest problem with anti gun sentiment is the fact they have no real knowledge of fire arms period and they want to put the blame for the violence on the thing not the cause . If the USA spent 10% on mental health care of what they do on gun control efforts thousands of lives would be saved and mass shootings would be a rarity . Every school shooting was the result of some type of mental illness and or lack of good parenting , and most importantly lack of proper mental health treatment for those who perpetrated the crimes .
The fact you don’t know your firearms is clearly obvious in your post .. If you knew anything about guns you would know that its illegal to own a fully automatic repeating firearm ( Machine gun ) . Yes AR is an abbreviation for Assault Rifle but , and this is a big but , the military versions can be fully automatic multiple round firing guns but the AR 15 you see locals with is not . It only fires one shot for one trigger pull where a fully automatic weapon fires multiple rounds . Its is no more dangerous than that beautiful wood stocked rifle your dad ,uncle or granddad had hanging over his fireplace he took hunting on the weekends . It looks more dangerous but the fact is its like any other rifle it fires one shot per trigger pull . Average civilians cant own fully automatic firearms period but they can own a semi automatic . If you have a spotless criminal record and a large bank account you can apply for and may get after jumping through many hoops a class 3 Federal firearms license that is normally reserved for mostly gun stores and organizations who legally can sell or have fully automatic weapons . A semi automatic which is legal for most folks to own reloads the chamber automatically after a round is fired but it still only fires one round at a time per trigger pull . Older shot guns are single shot meaning you have to physically reload after each shot . Most newer 12 gauge shotguns are semi automatic just like an AR15 and both can utilize a multiple round clip depending on manufacturer . If someone breaks in your home in the middle of the night and threatens your life you wont have time to call 911 and you wont have time to reload a single shot firearm this is why semi automatic weapons are more practical for home defense .
Lastly , I took it upon my self to learn more about guns , how to properly store them and how to use them correctly . Target practice is not only fun but should be a responsibility of any gun owner to be familiar and comfortable with their firearm . When you have no experience with your firearm that is when people get hurt accidentally and killed . As a responsible gun owner you should know when to use and most importantly when not to use your firearm . Most of the people I know and just about all my neighbors have long guns and pistols . No one has been shot and killed down here in many ,many years and very few homes get broken into . We have a very safe and happy community here . I feel safer knowing my neighbors do have guns . I personally wouldn’t want to live in a gun free zone . California , Chicago and Washington DC have the strictest gun control laws in the USA . They also have the highest murder rates by firearms proving when you take guns away from law abiding citizens you create a rich environment conducive to crime as criminals do not obey gun laws .
We have a great sheriffs department with good deputies all lead by a good man . When the sheriff and deputies are off duty they are moms and dads and they also are hunters and gun owners . We have fire departments with EMTs and rescue personnel who are hunters and gun owners . These are not the only good responsible people in this county many more of us are responsible good citizens and yes we own guns and for you to make a statement that we all want to live in a combat zone is in my opinion offensive and hurtful . I am not in any way attacking you I am simply trying to get you and anyone else who is afraid of guns to become educated not with a bunch of manipulated statistics and fear mongering articles but with firearms themselves and most importantly the multitudes of good responsible people who own them . Go to a gun range , talk to people , get to know them , have someone show you how to use a firearm properly and shoot a few rounds even if its just a one time thing . Go visit Sam Perry at Country Arms he will educate you while showing you the different types of guns and you will see good decent people lots of them your neighbors have guns and its not the end of the world . Its just a safer place with good people with guns in it . It will help you see the gun isn’t the problem its the criminals , bad people and people with serious mental health issues that are the problem . You can go through life being afraid of everything or you can empower yourself with knowledge and live in a much less fearful state of mind . Oh by the way .. I never liked guns that much and I’m by no means a gun fanatic but I realize the value of having one and knowing how to properly use it to protect my family . You don’t have to own a gun but its your second amendment right that you can . Its ok if you don’t have one but please respect the millions of us who do and don’t commit crimes with them before you throw us under a bus or into a combat zone .
Goodnite Mark 🙂