Gun Ownership
There have been a lot of news articles written recently about gun owners. The assumption in many of these pieces is that most people who own guns belong to the NRA, are racists, and are politically right wing.
That is a gross exaggeration. It is kind of like saying that someone who is not rabidly pro-life is actually in favor of abortion. It really is much more complicated than that. Most pro-choice people very reluctantly support abortion. It is a horrible choice. They would far rather support things like birth control, sex education, and help in getting an unwanted child adopted.
The same sort of complexity applies to gun ownership in America. Not that many gun owners are lunatic AK-47 toting right wing conspiracy theorists. Some are legitimate outdoorsmen who enjoy hunting. By far the majority of gun owners are normal people, whose beliefs fall across the entire political spectrum.
On financial issues I am very conservative. So of course I oppose the Republicans. Every time the GOP gets in charge of the country the budget deficit rises out of control. Reagan did it, so did Bush Jr. On many social issues I am compassionate and open minded. I think the country has a duty to help out people in need. So I am in favor of government funded universal health care. I think wealthy people both have the ability and the moral duty to pay a larger portion of their earnings in taxes than poor people.
I am very much in favor of wilderness, and in favor of clean water and air. The idea that pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals can be found in mother’s milk at hazardous levels strikes me as completely insane. I am not a racist, and I like almost all of the foreigners I meet. When a “true believer” religious fanatic Christian comes to my front door, I consider him/her to be at least as hazardous as a Muslim fundamentalist doing the same thing.
No doubt the right wing lunatic Chaney would say that I am left wing. Hard Core. A Pinko. But Chaney was a coward who lacked the balls to serve in the military. I did, and during the Vietnam War. When my time was over I left the military wearing a medal on my chest and carrying an honorable discharge.
But I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and most of the time I do indeed have a concealed gun on me. Especially if I’m going somewhere prone to lunatics with guns. Such as the bank, or the convenience store.
I’m not a member of the NRA, but I know this: There are a lot of very odd and dangerous people out there. If some arrogant, drugged up loser with a gun were to threaten me, I consider it to be my constitutionally guaranteed right to be able to counter his aggression. Self protection.
Just take a look at Mexico. Guns are absolutely forbidden there. But all of the bad guys have high power guns, and there is much more gun violence and murder in Mexico than there is here in Texas.
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That is a gross exaggeration. It is kind of like saying that someone who is not rabidly pro-life is actually in favor of abortion. It really is much more complicated than that. Most pro-choice people very reluctantly support abortion. It is a horrible choice. They would far rather support things like birth control, sex education, and help in getting an unwanted child adopted.
The same sort of complexity applies to gun ownership in America. Not that many gun owners are lunatic AK-47 toting right wing conspiracy theorists. Some are legitimate outdoorsmen who enjoy hunting. By far the majority of gun owners are normal people, whose beliefs fall across the entire political spectrum.
On financial issues I am very conservative. So of course I oppose the Republicans. Every time the GOP gets in charge of the country the budget deficit rises out of control. Reagan did it, so did Bush Jr. On many social issues I am compassionate and open minded. I think the country has a duty to help out people in need. So I am in favor of government funded universal health care. I think wealthy people both have the ability and the moral duty to pay a larger portion of their earnings in taxes than poor people.
I am very much in favor of wilderness, and in favor of clean water and air. The idea that pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals can be found in mother’s milk at hazardous levels strikes me as completely insane. I am not a racist, and I like almost all of the foreigners I meet. When a “true believer” religious fanatic Christian comes to my front door, I consider him/her to be at least as hazardous as a Muslim fundamentalist doing the same thing.No doubt the right wing lunatic Chaney would say that I am left wing. Hard Core. A Pinko. But Chaney was a coward who lacked the balls to serve in the military. I did, and during the Vietnam War. When my time was over I left the military wearing a medal on my chest and carrying an honorable discharge.
But I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and most of the time I do indeed have a concealed gun on me. Especially if I’m going somewhere prone to lunatics with guns. Such as the bank, or the convenience store.
I’m not a member of the NRA, but I know this: There are a lot of very odd and dangerous people out there. If some arrogant, drugged up loser with a gun were to threaten me, I consider it to be my constitutionally guaranteed right to be able to counter his aggression. Self protection.
Just take a look at Mexico. Guns are absolutely forbidden there. But all of the bad guys have high power guns, and there is much more gun violence and murder in Mexico than there is here in Texas.
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