Very often, when the subject of guns comes up with someone I am just meeting, they will make the comment that they "could never carry a gun", because they would "get mad and shoot someone".
That's disturbing to know.
If someone doesn't trust themselves with a gun, how can I trust them? At all?
Could part of their problem be that they don't demand responsibility of themselves, but feel it's OK to go through life like a spoiled child who could strike out anytime they get offended? Maybe a gun would force them to grow up; to take control of their impulses.
I do know it had that effect on me.
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When I was growing up, we had a 12 gauge shotgun, a 22 caliber rifle, and a 22 caliber revolver in our house. I was a shy, self-conscious, geeky, non-athletic, red-headed kid and got my share of red-head jokes and other insensitive comments. Once, while at my locker, when I was a Freshman, a couple of Seniors walked by and one of them struck me on the back. They kept walking and laughing. Once, again as a Freshman, my biology teacher made fun of me in front of the whole class by calling out my name then saying, "I'd rather be dead than red on the head." The whole class laughed.
ReplyDeleteDid I get angry? Of course I did. However, I never once thought of taking one of the firearms in our house to school and shoot anyone. My parents were wise and taught me that there were stupid, insensitive people out there who would say stupid, insensitive things, but that I should ignore. They also taught me that I should not use violence except if I had to defend myself or my siblings.
I cannot imagine any supposedly rational person not wanting to have a firearm because they believe that they are so emotionally unstable that they could not control their urges. That's just plain crazy.... Oh wait. Yes, that person shouldn't have a gun because they aren't rational. They're mentally unbalanced.
I've observed exactly the same thing as you, Kent. Give most people a weapon and suddenly they become much more responsible, much more aware of the potential consequences of their actions than they were before.
ReplyDeleteThe whole "I would shoot somebody" thing comes from the consequence-free *fantasy* of using violence to solve problems. We all have those thoughts from time to time, but most people's fantasies bear no relationship to their actual behaviour when there's anything real at stake.