I wrote a post a little less than a year ago about the shooting at Newtown. I have the burden of having a friend who lost a child in that event. There isn't a day that has gone by since that event that I've not felt for their family, comprehend the overwhelming grief of their loss, and wonder how in hell I could possibly go on if that event befell me or my family.
I've revisited this post today and read through some of the more callous remarks made here, many I'm reading for the first time.
To those of you who are so proud of your position on gun rights, so proud to be a gun owner, so proud of every little effort to thwart even one person from being forbidden from having this death weapon - fuck you.
That's right. Fuck you. You have no idea.
I'm sorry. Your opinion on gun rights from a distant post where you've never felt this sting or the loss of someone close to you through gun violence - is hollow. Your paranoid belief that anarchy is just around the corner in the U.S. and you have to be one of those who rise up with your mechanical strength - you are a scared little mouse. A coward.
I had the misfortune (through my company) of sitting in on a meeting with a gun company who wanted to extend their reach. I , of course, refused to work on the account. I actually have that luxury in my company.
What struck me most was the makeup of their audience. Their biggest sellers are not to actual hunters or those who need guns on a daily basis. It's not even those who are buying a pistol for the house to keep them safe.
Their biggest market are people they refer to as "militia wannabes" - mostly guys who collect guns like others collect baseball cards. They shoot at the rifle range. Know everything about every new detail of their guns and, on average, their weapon of choice is a semi-automatic weapon.
These are losers who will never step into war. Have never served. Will never be required to defend themselves except in their own fantasies.
Pathetic.
So, once again, despite the obvious wrath I may incur from those who have little regard for anything beyond their own inflated view of themselves and their ego, to hell with you and your gun beliefs. It's destructive. It's unnecessary. It's contributing to the problem, not making it better. Get a life.
I expect this post to be nothing more than cathartic for me. But, unfortunately, for many out there on the gun rights side… you have no idea what this is really about and never will.