Being paranoid about guns isn't just natural, it's correct. Lesson number one in my family is that a gun is most dangerous when you think it's safe. When I got my first gun, my grandfather told me about his post at Gitmo, where they had to empty their sidearms after every shift. These were marines who handled their sidearms constantly but they still were required to discharge their "empty" weapons into a concrete block just in case they made a mistake. The concrete block was riddled with holes.
There is no such thing as an unloaded weapon.
There is no such thing as a safe weapon.
Aye, my grandfather, father, brother, and my cousin who adopted me are all US military, not counting my Brazilian military family members. Military or civilian, everyone who handles a weapon should treat it with deadly respect, as you'd handle an aquarium of famished piranas or an active explosive. If you do not respect the weapon, the weapon sure as hell won't respect you. EVERYONE who handles a weapon should know to remove the magazine/clip and empty the chamber after handling a weapon, and never to leave a weapon loaded, SAFETY or not. You can NEVER be too careful.
If folks were properly-trained and took care of their weapons, such things wouldn't happen. Sadly, the same as drivers and parents, not everyone is disciplined or mature enough to handle the charge put upon them. Nonetheless, I do believe it is a man's right to possess the means to defend himself, especially in a world where I see punk-ass gang members and teens toting guns on a regular basis.
Hell, I used to carry a concealed 8 1/2-inch dagger (not very wise, but hey, I was young) hidden in my overcoat with me when I was in high school, I knew how to get through my school's security checkpoints w/ metal detectors with it too. The week I moved to my old town, I was 'accosted' by nearly a dozen MS-13 gang members, and from that day forth I always had a blade on me, just in case. I almost had to use it a few times, once when I was accosted by five older men while I was with my ex-fiance, and a week later when I was once again accosted by three random black kids I went to high school with. If they hadn't known from school that I don't take shit from ghetto punks, I'd probably have been robbed and/or shot by the one who had a pistol in his waistband. Even though I have a weapon on me at all times, be it a switchblade or what-have-you(yes, the blade length is within legal limits), I nonetheless would not use it unless absolutely necessary. I might get robbed or bloody a little, but I'm not using potentially deadly force unless I'm combating someone using deadly force against me.
A gun is like a table saw; if you don't respect it and utilize discipline during handling, you're liable to get bloody out of sheer stupidity or ignorance.
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Topic: Guns (Read 31145 times)