The NRA called me about 4 weeks ago. I haven’t really thought about it or written about it because my mother passed away Aug 1. I really don’t know why I listened to the whole pitch when they called, I normally hang up immediately when tele-marketers and such call. They asked me to listen to a brief statement from Wayne LaPierre. I was an NRA member years ago, so I imagine this is why they called. Please understand that I have a valid carry permit and I do carry a sidearm every single day and have done so for over 20 years. They probably do not understand that while I am probably considered a redneck or a hick by most, I am EXTREMELY liberal. I made the switch from the GOP during the “Daddy Bush” administration.
Anyway, so I consent to listen, and the next thing I hear is a 90 second plug from LaPierre about how the evil Obama administration and the crooked Hillary Clinton plan to make Barrack Obama a supreme court justice and take away all of our guns in America. I couldn’t help but chuckle a little while this was playing. There are an estimated 300 million guns that are privately owned in this country. A lot of them are impossible to track because they’ve been sold and traded so many times that nobody except the owner could figure out where they are. This stupid ass assault on our progressive President and the next progressive President carried on and on.
Finally, the mind blowing stupidity of LaPierre ended and a real person was back on the phone. I hear “So, sir, I would like to ask you, do you support gun rights and our efforts to stomp out any legislation that would endanger those rights?” My immediate response was this: “Look, I believe in RESPONSIBLE gun ownership, use, and carry. With all of these shootings and people losing their sisters, wives, brothers, mothers, fathers, and for god’s sake their fucking young sons and daughters, SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.” All I hear is “uh, uh, uh.. Thank you for your thoughts, sir”. CLICK!
There has to be some sort of balance to all this and we ALL need to work together to find it. Better background checks, a mental illness database, stopping sale of the most dangerous types of weapons and ammunition. I just don’t know. I have no answers.
Let me say this: If you carry a weapon because it makes you feel safer, and you train with it, and you know the laws and you realize this is a lethal weapon and should only be used as a final and last resort to protect your life and the lives of your family members, and that you would never draw your weapon out of anger, to show off, or any other stupid reason, you’re on the right track.
If you’re a damned idiot, that does not educate themselves on the gun laws, that does not train for accuracy, and carry a weapon because it makes you feel powerful, you shouldn’t have a firearm in the first place. I’m stepping off my stump now. Everyone have a nice day.