Steve -
My may have gathered I am pro gun control. It is possible in countries like the UK, but it is not possible here in the USA.
Like it or not, guns are part of the the fabric of American society. However, gun ownership does not absolve the gun owner from responsibility for the weapon he/she owns, and the use that weapon is put to. Part of that responsibility is an obligation to be trained in the safe keeping and proper use of that weapon. This training should be rigorous and ongoing. It should be conducted in a professional manner by an endorsed concern.
It really, really pisses me off that people (who should know better) refer to, for example, .22 handguns as 'popguns'; implying that these weapons are somehow non-trivial. Any firearm, in the right circumstances, is lethal. Proper training is required for the handling of these weapons. I have a major concern when certain people on this thread seem so unaware of the potential for their weapons. e.g My correspondent who seemed unaware how a shotgun could be configured as a home defense weapon in such a way as to minimise the risk of injury to people in an adjacent room. Professional training would correct this deficiency.
I wish the 'gun advocates' were more like yourself. Apart from the requirement to own a gun, I endorse your last paragraph...
Anyone who wants to buy a gun should be required to pass a quite
rigorous training course. Once passed, that person should not only be allowed, but required, to keep a weapon.
w.
PS
Refering to previous submissions regarding 'military looking' weapons. Why does a weapon available to the public need to be military looking? Intimidation has been mentioned as a reason.
To me, any weapon is intimidating. Consider this, in San Diego last week, a man was shot dead Police. His crime? Threatening behavior with what the police considered a dangerous weapon. The weapon? A glue-gun! By the way. The shooting was ruled justifiable.
My point? A trained police officer mistook a glue gun as a firearm.
If one can be intimidated by a glue gun, why does a manufacturer feel that there is a market for a 'dressed up' target gun? Is it to feed some sad-sacks gung-ho fantasy? Is this a healthy thing to do?
In my experience, there is nothing more intimidating than the sound of a pump-action shotgun round being 'chambered'. We have Hollywood to thank for that of course. A badguy has to be pretty hardcore not to fill his shorts at that sound.
w. |
