Should I buy a gun? If I should, what kind? Before I spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on guns and ammunition, I need to think this through. After reading an article on purchasing a gun, an important consideration is the purpose for the gun. Will I use it for food, sport, protecting my home, protection while in public, defending myself roving gangs when the economy collapses, or maybe to take back my country from a totalitarian government.
It is unlikely I’ll ever need a gun for food. Guns are not helpful for harvesting tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini from my garden. With Trader Joe’s but 4 miles away, I have easy access to goat cheese, beer, and pine nuts. I can even purchase pork and beef should I decide to cheat on my vegetarian diet.
Should the economy tank and money become worthless, I might start viewing the squirrels living in my back yard as food rather than pests that eat my tomatoes. And I have a history of killing a squirrel. I was 8 or 9 when Dad took me squirrel hunting. Dad had 2 guns, a 22 rifle and a shot gun - I think it was a 10-gauge, whatever that means.
We took the rifle and headed for the woods, in the same area where we gathered walnuts each Fall. You never used a gun on the walnuts.
Dad shot the first squirrel that afternoon, then handed me the rifle. We walked around for another 15 to 20 minutes when Dad pointed to a tree branch with a squirrel. I aimed the rifle. The squirrel started running across the branch and leaped toward another tree. I shot. The squirrel dropped to the ground.
My first and most immediate emotions was surprise. I always did well at hand-eye stuff but I’d never shot a “real” gun. We had water guns we used on hot summer days. And brother Steve and I had air guns that shot little round cork balls about the size of garbanzo beans. In a basement gunfight, I nailed Steve right between the eyes. His screaming and crying got me in a little trouble with mom and I don’t remember seeing those guns again. But it was a good sign that I might have the makings of a sharp shooter.
The initial inspection of the dead squirrel was puzzling. There appeared to be no wound. Only with closer inspection did we note a bit of blood in the right ear. The 22-bullet had gone in one ear and out the other.
Mixed emotions were now setting in. Wow! What a great shot. But I killed a squirrel. I don’t swat flies. I chase them out of the house. Before I could process and sort my emotions, Dad said we needed to “skin them and go home.”
There was a small creek where we “skinned” them. I don’t recall all the specifics but I do remember pulling back the skin and fur, cleaning out the innards, and cutting off the heads. We left those parts in the woods. Years later I hacked off the heads of fish and for some reason that didn’t bother me nearly as much as chopping off the squirrels’ heads.
We ate the squirrels but there wasn’t much meat. So, I’m not convinced the squirrels in my back yard are a good fall back plan should the economy collapse and all grocery stores close. Besides, I think that shot 55 years ago was probably luck (for me, not for the squirrel) and shooting guns in the city limits is frowned on.
Considering my emotional response to killing the squirrel, I cannot image I’ll take up hunting for sport. Killing animals for entertainment is not my cup of tea.
How about a gun for personal protection? So far, I’ve been lucky. No one has tried to seriously harm me, with or without a gun. There was that jerk who punched me a couple of times in the arm. I don’t think he was really trying to hurt me, he thought he was being cute. But he was a big guy and it did hurt. I considered getting a gun but settled on merely threatening to file a grievance and report him to my Dean. The hitting stopped.
As I understand it, gun selection differs depending on location. Experts recomment shotguns or even an AD-47 for protecting your home. I have a friend who owns shotguns. He uses them to shoot skeet. I’ve never eaten a skeet so I can’t comment on how they taste. But he keeps his shotguns in locked safes with the shells in another location. For safety reasons, that makes a lot of sense. Gun owners are far more likely to be killed by their own guns than they are to shoot an intruder. But will the intruder give me enough warning to unlock the safe and load the shotgun?
Maybe I’ll just get a dog for home security. I felt safe with my rottweiler-lab mix. But he died a couple of years ago and I don’t trust the cats to protect me. A dog is probably cheaper than a gun. And hugging a dog seems safer and more comforting than hugging an AK-47.
Now if I want a gun for protection in public places, like libraries or church, I’m told shotguns and AK-47s are inappropriate. I’ll need a handgun and I’ll have to apply for a concealed carry permit. Not sure how much a good handgun costs but in Kentucky the carry permit fee is $60 per year. If you’re late on the annual renewal, there is an additional $15 penalty.
Carrying a gun has risks. I recently read about a man whose gun accidently discharged and he lost his left testicle, which is why God gave us two. Several years ago, a student dropped his hand gun in my Social Problems class and the gun bounced down the aisle. Fortunately, it did not discharge or hurt anyone, but several students soiled themselves.
What if the world economy collapses and my neighborhood is overrun by bands of roving gangs? Here is where the AK-47 with large clips might be needed. But I live in a middle class neighborhood with a nearby police station. To be truthful, relying on the public police to protect me is a safer alternative than me shooting an assault rifle from my second story bedroom.
But what if the enemy is the government itself? Nearly 225 years after our Constitution was ratified, what if extremists take over the government and start rounding up ordinary folks like me for concentration camps. I don’t see my neighborhood watch committee turning back the U.S. military. Nor do I envision purchasing a weapon that can bring down a Black Hawk helicopter. My first plan is to trust in the voting booth. My backup plan is to keep my passport up to date.
Finally, I need to consider the unthinkable. The number one use of guns in the U.S. is for suicide. I’ve never considered suicide. I really like life. Even if I found life unbearable, a gun would be my last choice. Guns are messy. Leave the cleanup to someone else is mean. And I’ll bet it hurts. There have to be less messy and less painful ways to check out. Checking out is something I’ll be fighting, not something I’ll be assisting.
Should I buy a gun? If so, what kind?