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Rather than cut and paste your reasonable rebuttal, I'll continue with my disorder thinking response. At one time I believe that these points would be valid, In todays world where WE AS GUN owners (not all of us) have become so irresponsible with GUN Ownership that it cant be the way IT WAS. I think that you as I were brought up in a home where guns were really no big deal, for as long as I can remember I was around guns & reloading. I never once had to wait to long to go shooting my Mother & Father were AVID shooters & Hunters. But ONE STEADFAST RULE OR LAW WAS THAT " I DONT TOUCH THE GUNS" if I had been caught fiddling around with them in ANYWAY when my parents weren't around THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF SHOOTING AND HUNTING UNTIL I WAS ON MY OWN, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!
Now that I'm a Grandfather my Son and Daughter are raising their family in the same way as I was and they were with the above Steadfast rule. My Grandson is 5 years old theres not many a weekend go by that we don't take the 22 that he got for Christmas and pop off a few hundred rounds. Still I put my home defense weapons away when ANYONE comes for a visit. I would NEVER FORGIVE Myself if someone not as responsible as I would accidently shoot themselves with ONE OF MY GUNS.
Lending a gun to someone for what purpose? to shoot? well I have to say that YES I do let people shoot my guns, but I'm there with them when they do pull the trigger. I WOULD FOR NO REASON lend a gun TO ANYONE (family included) to take someplace without me with them. I cant fathom the idea of some of the guys that I call Pard's even asking such a thing. If they need to borrow a gun and I'm not with them then I suggest they save their milk money and buy one like the rest of the normal folks do. Hell I take people out hunting and wont lend them my Shooter.
The reason I cant stand the NRA is that back when I was a member I went to the LA Sports Arena to a Giant NRA rally. This was back when Commiefornia was first getting on the bandwagon about AR's. I was approached by one of the NRA head honchos and asked to voice my opinion on AR ownership. I declined several times he finally PXXXed me off enough that I did say that I don't think that ANY civilian needs to own a AR. Have you ever been booed by a couple thousand people? I was asked why? I have taken people of all ages shooting and the ones that had NEVER shot a gun of any kind had a Great day shooting my single shot 22 rifle all day long. Someplace along the line they wanted to shoot my AR. I noticed a funny thing about people for some reason they get their hands on an AR they become RAMBO and need to see how much & how fast they can put lead down range. I don't think that we really do need AR's as civilians. I do see more of a need for them now that I need to protect livestock from predators even so ONE shot with a Bolt gun the others aren't going to come back for quite a spell. I have several of them and a few more in the build process for family members and I would GLADLY give them away to the Fed's if they would pay me for what they are worth I could do just fine with my Bolt guns. I REALLY DON'T THINK that they are a very good hunting weapon anyway even my Wilson 308 AR they were designed for one thing and maybe that's a reason that I don't really care for them. We had a TDR member that use to think that he was Mr. AR all dressed up in Tack Gear shooting from all kinds of Hollywood shooting positions., people like that Disturb me to no end. If they really need to PLAY RAMBO JOIN UP & go stand a post on the front line and see how its done.
I'm hoping that nobody sees this as me being PO. like I said im fine with my Bolt Guns and Handguns, Black powder, even took a Cow Elk this year with a Bow.
BIG
PS Just read the post above about theft of a gun, How often do you check your gun locker? if I see that ones be stolen YOU DAMN STRAIGHT I'D BE TELLING THE LEO's just to cover my XXX
Big, I just disagree on the point of restricting our rights as gun owners. Who is the federal government to dictate if we are responsible enough to own guns? If we commit crimes, then yes, we should, and most convicted felons do, have a restriction on our rights, but only as a danger to society. Banning ARs won't fix the problem, despite my dissagreeance with you on their sporting purposes. Responsibility is a taught/learned trait, as you stated. I dissagree with your argument that we have become relaxed in our ownership of them. Some people, perhaps, but as for me and mine, we have strict rules regarding firearm use, storage, and ownership. We try not to let those rules grow laxed, as it can cause a serious accident, and we know this. The power a firearm possesses is nothing to be taken lightly. You don't take the greenhorn and put him on the 2yr old colt with 30 saddlings.....
While shooting is very much a part of my life, and always has been, so has the responsibility to wield a potentially deadly tool, which is all they are in reality. A hammer can be a weapon, same as a car, knife, or baseball bat. I seriously doubt you go anywhere without a small pocketknife. It's utilitarian purposes are diverse and wide, but it has the potential to cut off a finger, same as cutting a steak or castrating calves. Using it responsibly is part of ownership. For me, the same applies to a firearm. I use them to protect livestock and crops, as well as remove pests and recreation. I do carry a sidearm for personal protection, as well. But it's a tool. Much more effective and easier to carry than a baseball bat, walking staff, or 24" broadsword..... all three I know how to use proficiently, and can inflict serious bodily injury and death in a quick manner. Only one of those has a restriction on it. And the practical uses for a sword are minimal. But again, who is the government to restrict my ownership or use of it? My point here, is that at what point do we, as citizens and individual people of this country, stop the government from protecting ourselves? At what point are we going to be responsible for our own actions? If you don't want to own a firearm, you have that right. It's simple. But what about the vast majority of us that do want to own them? And practice that right? As for my analogy of car ownership to gun ownership, if it's been stolen from you, how are you responsible for it? If it was in the garage with the keys put away, perhaps even locked, as most my firearms are, then I don't feel you should be responsible for it's misuse. If a gun has been stolen from my safe, the door cut or broken off, it has forcibly been taken from me, and I would not have allowed it, otherwise. And someone shooting another person is the same as someone running someone over on the street with your car. Neither that car or that firearm had any control over themselves. They are inanimate objects, the same as rocks sitting in a field, without a free will or desire. They can do nothing without being acted upon by a person. The first person ever murdered was killed by his brother's rejection of God and own jealousy. There isn't a mention of a club or rock or bare hands.... only the desire to commit evil.
As for my point with letting someone borrow your car, most people would, and have, allowed trusted individuals borrow their cars. But what if you sell that car to someone down the road? Or perhaps in another town. What if they then purchase that car, and proceed to run over someone in a parking lot? How is that your fault? The person who now owns the car is the individual who committed the act, not you!! You had no idea that person was going to do that. If you had even suspected it, you wouldn't have sold them the car!! The same principle should be held to firearms, in my opinion. The only people I know that would knowingly purchase a firearm to kill a person (here in the U.S.) are either dead or locked up in a prison cell. And anyone who commits an act with a weapon, firearm or frying pan, is the individual who should be held responsible for their decision and physical actions to use that item in their hand that they controlled at the time of the crime.... not someone who owned it 6 months ago. At what point do we quit pointing at the stick and blaming it for poking us in the eye?
And yes, it's a hot topic, we are often defensive of. What other way can we, as people under a ruling authority, keep our freedom without weapons to defend ourselves, should that ruling authority become tyrannical? Our forefathers knew this, as they had experienced it firsthand under a tyrannical monarchy from King George. They set about to try and build a country where free men could live and raise their families, giving us a Bill of Rights they perceived as God-given rights. One of those rights is the right to defend our families. Should our Republic fail, how would you take care of your family? I know you have considerable (and respectable) ability to take care of yourself and grow your own food, but what is to prevent someone from taking that from you? What would you use? The regulations to register guns is only a gate-way to their confiscation. Ask anyone from Australia.... or Great Britain.... or Germany.....
Too many people fail to see how we are tied together in this great country. While it is our right to disagree, I think we should think ahead, remembering our past, and build upon our heritage. A gun culture? Perhaps. We have the laws to keep the peace already in place. Enforcement is important, but most important is to enforce self-responsibility. We are responsible for our own actions.