Things never really seem to change ...
But, I'm still puzzled about what happened to the Peace and Love Generation I knew in the 60's and early 70's - you know, the ones who thought Mad Magazine's spoof on gun ownership, 'Passionate Gun Love Magazine' (Mad #131, 1969), was hilarious and true. When I look around now, it seems most of those people must have switched sides, or stopped caring, because all I'm hearing on the news and social media are calls for unlimited gun ownership, open carry, and for all I know the right to marry your gun.
Ok, gun ownership may be protected by the Second Amendment - if you read that document looking for a favorable interpretation in that direction, but its not an inalienable right. Convicted felons can't own guns, for example, and if you misuse your firearm often enough your local constabulary will relieve you of it (or lock you up - without your gun).
Some people draw a comparison to the privilege of driving a car, and I think that's mostly correct, except that the founding fathers forgot to create an amendment guaranteeing our right to drive (or rather the then current equivalent of owning/riding horses). I'm glad they did leave it out, otherwise we'd have our hands full with people arguing against the vehicle registration process - and where would all those people who call numbers all day at the DMV (and look totally miserable while doing it) go?
Doesn't a well-regulated militia also require vehicles as well as firearms? Those founding fathers really missed that nugget, 'eh?
My personal take on all of this is that I understand the ownership of guns for hunting, for sport (hitting a target you are aiming at is a visceral kind of enjoyment - deep, deep neanderthal stuff), and even for personal protection if your circumstances put you regularly and inescapably in harm's way. Or if you live way out in the Boonies far from reliable police protection.
What I don't understand is the absolute fear of so many people that reasonable background checks and registration of guns will somehow inevitably result in all guns being prohibited. In fact I think the opposite is true - without reasonable registration and tracking of guns, and means of assuring they don't fall into the wrong hands, the public outcry in the face of increasing gun deaths may become so great there would be a real risk of an overreaction resulting in banning of guns.
I'm also unwilling to regress to an every-man-for-himself society where disputes are solved at gun point, rather than by discussion over a beer, intercession by the police, or at worst in court with drawn and pointed lawyers. It took us a good hundred years to build a society where most people, most of the time, don't need guns, and I would like to keep what we've built - if for no other reason than I'd be terrible at remembering to strap on my piece when I can barely remember to put on my watch.
But I think I'm wasting screenspace here. All the evidence I have seen, heard, and read tell me that nobody on the 'free guns for everybody side' will ever embrace a world where registration and tracking is a reality. In their heart of hearts they believe having a stash of weapons the government doesn't know they have is their best method of ensuring they can overthrow a government they don't like. They see unlimited gun ownership as somehow their Constitutional and Patriotic Duty - as if they are the holy interpreters of the Constitution and blessed defenders of their interpretation.
So that's my opinion, but if any of you reading this deeply disagree with me, well, there's always a place for you in Texas, or any of the other States that have enacted open carry laws. I'd personally choose Texas, though, since it seems most like the place I could live out my childhood Western Hero dreams, by strapping on my dual faux ivory-handled Roy Roger's six-shooters, sayin' 'Howdy, Mam' to all the ladies, and planting evil-doers on Boot Hill, then riding into the Sunset on my faithful Palomino (if I have to live in a World where everyone needs to carry a gun, I want my own Trigger).
But, I'm still puzzled about what happened to the Peace and Love Generation I knew in the 60's and early 70's - you know, the ones who thought Mad Magazine's spoof on gun ownership, 'Passionate Gun Love Magazine' (Mad #131, 1969), was hilarious and true. When I look around now, it seems most of those people must have switched sides, or stopped caring, because all I'm hearing on the news and social media are calls for unlimited gun ownership, open carry, and for all I know the right to marry your gun.
Ok, gun ownership may be protected by the Second Amendment - if you read that document looking for a favorable interpretation in that direction, but its not an inalienable right. Convicted felons can't own guns, for example, and if you misuse your firearm often enough your local constabulary will relieve you of it (or lock you up - without your gun).
Some people draw a comparison to the privilege of driving a car, and I think that's mostly correct, except that the founding fathers forgot to create an amendment guaranteeing our right to drive (or rather the then current equivalent of owning/riding horses). I'm glad they did leave it out, otherwise we'd have our hands full with people arguing against the vehicle registration process - and where would all those people who call numbers all day at the DMV (and look totally miserable while doing it) go?
Doesn't a well-regulated militia also require vehicles as well as firearms? Those founding fathers really missed that nugget, 'eh?
My personal take on all of this is that I understand the ownership of guns for hunting, for sport (hitting a target you are aiming at is a visceral kind of enjoyment - deep, deep neanderthal stuff), and even for personal protection if your circumstances put you regularly and inescapably in harm's way. Or if you live way out in the Boonies far from reliable police protection.
What I don't understand is the absolute fear of so many people that reasonable background checks and registration of guns will somehow inevitably result in all guns being prohibited. In fact I think the opposite is true - without reasonable registration and tracking of guns, and means of assuring they don't fall into the wrong hands, the public outcry in the face of increasing gun deaths may become so great there would be a real risk of an overreaction resulting in banning of guns.
I'm also unwilling to regress to an every-man-for-himself society where disputes are solved at gun point, rather than by discussion over a beer, intercession by the police, or at worst in court with drawn and pointed lawyers. It took us a good hundred years to build a society where most people, most of the time, don't need guns, and I would like to keep what we've built - if for no other reason than I'd be terrible at remembering to strap on my piece when I can barely remember to put on my watch.
But I think I'm wasting screenspace here. All the evidence I have seen, heard, and read tell me that nobody on the 'free guns for everybody side' will ever embrace a world where registration and tracking is a reality. In their heart of hearts they believe having a stash of weapons the government doesn't know they have is their best method of ensuring they can overthrow a government they don't like. They see unlimited gun ownership as somehow their Constitutional and Patriotic Duty - as if they are the holy interpreters of the Constitution and blessed defenders of their interpretation.
So that's my opinion, but if any of you reading this deeply disagree with me, well, there's always a place for you in Texas, or any of the other States that have enacted open carry laws. I'd personally choose Texas, though, since it seems most like the place I could live out my childhood Western Hero dreams, by strapping on my dual faux ivory-handled Roy Roger's six-shooters, sayin' 'Howdy, Mam' to all the ladies, and planting evil-doers on Boot Hill, then riding into the Sunset on my faithful Palomino (if I have to live in a World where everyone needs to carry a gun, I want my own Trigger).
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