Like most children I grew up watching Roy Rogers and other Westerns on TV. I had my share of cap guns and cowboy outfits. We always played war on the school playground and when we did not have our cap guns we used our fingers.
Like most boys I wanted a BB gun. My father refused to buy me one. As a veteran of WWII he did not seem to have any love affair for hunting or owning any type of gun. I guess he put all of the bad memories of fighting in the Pacific theatre in his past.
I did get to shoot a BB gun at Boy Scout summer camp. I once even spent the night at a friends and we went into the woods to shoot his gun. I remember shooting at a bunch of birds in a tree and to my horror hit one. I watched it flutter to the ground and watched it as it wiggled until it died. I felt bad and that bird is the last animal I ever shot at again.
My first experience with a real gun came at the age of 12. Our scout troop went to the Salem Hunt Club to take a gun safety coarse so we could qualify for a merit badge. I really enjoyed shooting that old single shot .22 cal. gun.
I joined a class that met every Sat. morning and would shoot for marksmanship medals during a two year period. I had a great time and got to shot all types of guns even an old muzzleloader set up on sand bags.
My father never did allow me to buy a gun but did allow me a single string Bow with target arrows. I spent many hours shooting at an old rotting stump in the woods.
I never wanted to go hunting as I entered high school. I noticed during my Freshman year that the boys who missed school during the first day of hunting were usually the ones who were mean and bad in school. I just never wanted to be in the woods with idiots who had guns.
I joined the Air Force in 1966 and had to learn to shoot the MI carbine and the gas fed M-16. You had to qualify each year shooting at a human shaped target. I enjoyed shooting but never really got any real thrill out of it. I bought a MG sports car and a used Honda Motorcycle. They gave me all the thrills I needed.
After my discharge I married and had two children. One day my younger brother asked me to go hunting with him. He had an extra shot gun so I agreed. I bought a hinting license and went into the woods for a day of hunting. I saw plenty of rabbits but never shot at one. I just could not bring myself to kill a small animal. I walked around all day leery of other hunters and never went again.
Recently I did buy myself that BB gun to target shoot in the back yard during the summer. I rather enjoy it.
I never will understand the American love affair of guns. I gave me no thrill to shoot one. In my opinion there is nothing like holding the hand grips to a powerful motorcycle ans accelerate up a hill.
I look at the debate between the NRA and the Government and just shake my head. I see no reason for anyone to own an assault riffle or carry a concealed hand gun. I recently found out that an in law carried a gun in an ankle strap for protection. It scared the hell out of me. Why do people feel so scared today?
I will not even attempt discuss the issue of assault rifles or expanded clips. I will not even discuss the issue of arming more people would make us safer. The facts are very clear. We have so many guns deaths because we have so many guns in our country. To suggest anything else is ridiculous.
To gun owners who support the NRA and to the NRA I would like to say "on the issue of assault riffles,large clips and the cause of gun deaths in America you position is FULL of SHIT and everyone knows it. Especially the victims. You all scare me".
As for keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill; that ship has sailed. I listened to a man on talk radio tell the host he needed an assault riffle in case the Muslims or another radical group rose up. He said he needed to protect his family. I just sit here and wonder,as a country, how did we come to this place ?
No comments:
Post a Comment