Gun Appreciation Day

Today is national gun appreciation day.  In light of the recent tragedies and knee-jerk liberal reactions I must comment.  First of all, much of my family is on the anti-gun side of the question so I sometimes feel like "a voice crying in the wilderness".  It is clearly an emotional issue and not necessarily a logical one with statistics backing up both sides.  I have been accused of being paranoid (paranoia is clearly possible unless of course they really are trying to "get" you).  Let me start by giving you some background in my life.  I have not exactly led a sheltered life, particularly when I was younger.  I want to relate a few violent episodes.

• When I was in high school another kid threatened me with a knife outside a dance.
• I have gotten in a few fights and witnessed many more while in high school.  They were a regular thing back then.
• When I was in college a group of guys attacked me and my friends early one morning outside a restaurant.  I was surrounded and one of the bad guys was attempting to slash me with a knife. One of my friends was knocked to the ground and kicked.
• In the army another soldier pulled a knife on me and accused me of stealing a camera.
• In the army I was assaulted with a rock while driving an open jeep.
• While substitute teaching a student pulled a knife.
• Crossing the street from my business in downtown Pasco (late '70's) I was caught in the crossfire during a robbery.
• Following some shoplifters out of Macy's I was attacked by a knife.  I fought him off with a bronze sculpture he had stolen that I recovered.

As a kid I owned a gun or two, mostly just small gauge shotguns used for rabbit hunting.  My dad hunted some and owned a shotgun.  My grandfather had a small shotgun which ultimately passed on to me.  I hunted some in the 80's and still own the 12 gauge used for pheasant and ducks.  My dad taught me about gun safety.  There are very few rules, never point a gun at someone unless you intend to use it, treat every gun as loaded, make sure of your target and background.  He was not a fan of rifles or handguns as the bullets travel so much farther than shotgun rounds.  He briefly owned a 38 police special, but I think it was stolen from his business.  He got it as part of a trade-in on a car.

The incident that really changed my viewpoint was the brutal attack on my daughter's concierge at their downtown Seattle condo.  He was a very nice man, just a few years older than me, and was walking home from work late at night, something he had done for many years.  He was beaten and robbed, suffering severe injuries that left him almost dead, in the hospital for quite some time. He was unable to return to work afterwards.  Since then I have seen the police frisking suspects around the corner from their condo.  An old acquaintance who used to be a Seattle cop said that Belltown is a very dangerous place at night.  I think about that when I visit and take the dog out to potty at night, or walk a few blocks to get take out Vietnamese food.

With this background, and frankly my advancing age, I decided several months ago to apply for a concealed weapons permit.  After taking a class and filling out the paperwork I received it.  Also, since I travel so often to Washington got one there too (they do not have a reciprocal agreement).  The next step was purchasing a handgun.  I initially went with a Ruger LCR .38 revolver, but due to it's rather bulky size have changed to a smaller caliber Ruger LCP .380 pistol which is easier to carry, more bullets in magazine, and is lighter.

   What I have discovered that with your carry permit comes a great burden.  The last thing I want to do is shoot someone.  On the other hand, if I have the choice between being killed or killing will just have to live with the consequences.  I really believe that our last option should be to harm anyone.  We should walk or run away from trouble if at all possible.  Regarding our 2nd amendment rights, these are rights that are given to us by our creator, that is, to protect both our own life and our loved ones.  The 2nd amendment simply guarantees that our government will not interfere with that most basic human need, survival.

It is my intention to protect my family and myself from harm, both with my storage and use of the weapons and against anyone trying to hurt us.  We all wish for the violence in America and worldwide to stop, but that does not seem to be the case.  Failing that, I believe that if the honest folks can protect themselves from those that do not follow laws, are mentally ill, or are just plain evil, we will live in a safer country.  The "gun free" zones where killings have happened are not made safer by more laws.  They would, however, be safer if law-abiding citizens were there with defensive weapons.  As always, I appreciate your comments.