It’s a windy season in a windy place. Walking with Little Bear, I’m always looking for blown trash that needs to be carried back to the Lair.
Today on the noontime walkie I saw a bit of blue paper…
Must have come off an ammo case while I was shifting things around in the powershed. I stuffed it in my pocket, thinking at the time that any other place it might be considered a rather exotic bit of litter. Not here, though, and I don’t mean just here at the Lair.
Hoplophobes oxymoronically claim that gun people arm themselves out of some irrational fear of the world, and at the same time they complain that armed people violate their right to “feel safe,” whatever that means. I’m reminded of Heidi Yewman – remember her? She played a stunt for a magazine article: She bought a gun and carried it loaded for a month, refusing to take training or even read the manual, doing the strict minimum it took to get a carry license in her state. Her point, of course, was to “prove” that the very fact that she could do such a silly, stupid thing legally was proof that “we” need stricter laws preventing people from doing what she did. And she wrote this unintentionally revealing snippet about herself:
I thought the gun would make me feel more powerful, more confident, and less fearful. I was wrong. All I felt was fear. Physically taking the gun out of the safe and putting it in a holster on my hip literally reminded me that I was going out into a big bad scary unsafe world. There were days when I put the gun back in the safe and stayed home because it simply took too much energy to be scared. It was easier to be at home without the worry and responsibility of being “the good guy with the gun.”
But there are still some people who are prepared to accept the responsibility of their own protection. We accept that the wolf won’t avoid our door just because we prefer not to think about it. We know that we can be at least as effective at protecting ourselves as a uniformed someone an hour away is at protecting us, and we’ll probably be far more motivated.
I don’t object to Ms. Yewman’s stunt, or her irrational terror which is none of my business. But I reject her demand that because she prefers to live ‘without the worry and responsibility,’ I and others like me must be forced by law to do the same.
Screw that.
That bit of wind-blown blue litter probably came from me, but it might not have. It might have come from any number of neighbors, just as well armed and just as willing to use their arms for defense as I am. I am blessed with neighbors not afraid of their own shadows – and you know what? That makes me “feel safer.” 🙂
I’m glad that you do the littler pick up thing, I’m that way too. I’m forever cleaning up stuff dropped at the range (brass, paper targets etc.) or by people in cars who toss stuff out of windows when I’m out for walks.
As for Ms. Yewman, I have no comment because to comment on something this stupid is to acknowledge the actions of the perpetrator. Mind you having written that I guess I am making a comment… Oh the heck with it, she’s an idiot.
On Ms. Yewman and her ink. Personally, I think, it’s the difference between knowing what The Constitution says and the why it was written that way; and what they think it says and not a clue as to the why. They are subjects to the state and are ruled; not individual sovereigns that the state is beholding to for it’s existence. In my opinion, that’s why most Canadians, Australians and Europeans don’t get why we cling to our guns.
When people ask me why I carry a gun – usually along with the comment that there is no real crime here – I tell them simply that I own my life and body. I am the only one who is responsible for that life. And then I smile and say that if I never have to use the gun for self defense again I’ll be very happy.
“Again?” And if they ask, I tell them about the time I had to shoot a man to save my life.
Almost always makes them go away very thoughtful. And most people here actually agree with me when they think about it.
@ Judy – About the way you see Canadians and their views about American gun ownership, the concept of individual sovereigns verses citizens has nothing to do with it. In many ways we have more freedoms than you do and our government is more accountable to us citizens than yours seems to be.
Regarding guns, the major difference between our two countries is the United states is a little more wild west than we are up here. We Canadians are a little more collectivist in our cultural attitude while you Americans are a little more individualistic. The difference between our two countries isn’t a good thing or a bad thing, it simply is what it is.There is a minority of Canadians who have this holier than thou attitude about Americans and guns. These fools have this attitude about fellow Canadians who live in the country and have guns as well. The majority of Canadians don’t really care one way or another about guns or gun rights north or south of the border. It’s the do-gooder gun hating hoplophobes who get all the media coverage and I think that’s where your opinion of Canadian views on American gun owners come from.
As for Oz, I haven’t the foggiest how they think and you could be right about them. That’s a place I will never visit because the whole continent is out to kill them. From killer crocodiles that get you when you go for a swim to venomous spiders and snakes in toilets the whole country is like Harry Harrison’s novel Deathworld. This probably has warped their way of thinking.
I would posit, MJR, that North Canukistan has less melanin content than South of the Border, and that as a result your risk is less than down here in “Dixie”. If you adjust for the difference, the crime rate changes drastically. Just like those crowing about how Japan has no guns and no crime. But the melanin content of their citizenry is even lower than that of your nation.
@ Mark Matis – You may vary well be right, I really don’t know. What I do know is that every time some wingnut (with lots or little melanin) goes off the rails down south in ‘Merica the hoplophobes up here start pushing for new restrictions, so please cut it out.