i was raised in Georgia. raised around guns. knew how to shoot a gun before i made it to high school. knocked a skeet right out of the sky when i was in college – and it was only about the 5th time i’d ever actually tried to really for real shoot something. something moving. something beyond rusty tin-cans and maple leaves.
drew needed a fishing license, ’cause he’s a boy, and that’s what boys do, they get fishing licenses. as an obliging wife, i accompanied him to the local sporting goods store – it was like going shopping, only notatall…
now, where do you get fishing licenses at the sporting goods store? from the razor-bald, go-tee wearing, black t-shirted guy at the gun counter.
[cue Bourne Ultimatum soundtrack here]
he was helping an over-starched possible-CEO of the-bank-next-door choose the right rifle. not the stereotypical gun-toting marksman one might envision.
does he know how to handle a gun???
are there bullets in that thing???
i made a vain attempt to avert my eyes from all the guns, pistols, rifles. couldn’t resist thinking about how fast a bullet whizzes out of the barrel. how quick, with the twitch of a finger, life can be compromised.
the customer was testing something on these rifles. i watched the barrel – he never pointed at anyone. but, still. i WATCHED the barrel.
he gave the gun to the scary man behind the counter.
he pointed the gun at the floor.
POW! i jumped.
um…. pow -> not like a blood thirsty bullet blast goes pow, but like a paint ball gun goes pow??
i’m such a chicken.
ps: drew doesn’t want me to tell y’all that he jumped, too.
A friend of mine, who rented this apartment before me, once had a photograph up of himself and another man. They were each holding rifles and “looking tough.” Now, I knew that my friend hunted for food so that he could feed his family; he didn’t have a lot of money, after all.
But I didn’t like the “tough guys with guns” photograph.
And I explained why.
Not just because I don’t like guns for the sake of not liking guns. But because…quite some time ago…a good friend of mine was murdered. So, no. I don’t like guns, either.
The next time I was at the apartment, he had taken down the photograph.
He still hunts, of course.
But he took down the photograph.
And I had told him, during our conversation about why I didn’t like guns and why he hunted, “Sometimes, it’s just a matter of understanding someone else’s point of view.”
I understand why he hunts; he undertands why I don’t like guns.
So it’s all good.
Well, that much anyway.
There is a car dealership in Texas offering a choice between a $250 gas card or a handgun as an incentive to purchase a new car.
A week or so ago one of the teens in our church pulled out a ‘gun’ from his pocket before service and pointed it towards us who were tuning up. My 7 yr old was intrigued and I had to use a very stern “NO!” to get her to walk away from it. (She has a history. Police came not once but twice to remove her from her birth parent’s homes. They came with guns, holstered but there. She remembers them. I don’t need a toy gun in church bringing up memories and images from a lifetime ago in a little girls mind.) I took her outside and explained to her that we don’t play with guns in our house. I also explained to her that the boy made a mistake bringing it to church. I want her to know that church is a safe place, not one where there are guns and fear. Maybe I over-reacted. I don’t know.
A scary man pointed a gun at me once, I think I was twelve. He laughed as he pulled the trigger, it was empty. I hate guns.
Jumped? That’s all you did was jump?!
i’m sorry. i know this is your blog and you don’t like the potty talk. but i would have….
never mind.
i’ll leave it at that
michelle – that is horrible! i’m sorry.
Yeah, it was very disturbig. I tried to look tough, for an itty bitty redhead freckle face girl…
DISTURBING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mandy, someone stole a pellet rifle out of our garage this week. I ranted about it yesterday.
Michelle, thank GOD that gun wasn’t loaded!!!
Michelle:
Let me get this straight…
…YOU WERE TWELVE YEARS OLD AND A SCARY MAN POINTED A GUN AT YOU?!?!?!?!?
I would have stood between you and the barrel with my hands in my pockets, told you to run run run, and stayed in front of that thing until I knew you were safe.
Hey, what do I have to be afraid of? I know where I’m going.
Lori:
No. You didn’t overreact. The fear and the anger that drives you are justified. Your child will pick up on that.
My brother…my hero…
Michelle…you are one brave chick. YOU are my new hero!
My grandfather lived in Maine so I have been around hunters and guns. Guns don’t bother me, it’s some of the people carrying them we need to watch out for. Especially the “weekend” warriors who decide it would be manly to try and kill something. Every hunting season a couple of these bozos shoot each other, making the world safer for everyone else.
My grandfather hunted for food and tanned hides for clothing. Hunting for food is one thing, I don’t much care for “trophy” hunters.
Jump, huh? Well, I’d have not only jumped but probably would have landed in a puddle underneath my legs.
I’m just sayin’.
I’m a little embarassed to admit I’ve actually been to a gun show . . .my dad and hubby were both looking for something (they hunt those skeet, too, Mandy). But I could not get over the scary, scary people that were there. I was pretty sure they weren’t headed to the shooting range after they left . . .
Always remember that the true weapon is found right between your ears… if you are willing to do what is necessary to survive any attack. Tools are just tools, whether a baseball bat or Glock (although handguns do make a pretty nifty tool when you need one)
You are welcome to browse what I have to say about CCW and carry.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Concealed-Handguns-What-is-it-all-about
“I want her to know that church is a safe place, not one where there are guns and fear. ”
What are you going to tell her after someone turns up at the church with a gun and starts in shooting people?
Wouldn’t you rather have her grow up to be able to defend herself like this very brave woman did, and save many other lives in the process?
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14817480/detail.html
All of your reactions are typical of hysterical and emotional women. It’s why men don’t and shouldn’t ever take any of you seriously.
http://www.menarebetterthanwomen.com/forums/
edfromct spewed: “Guns don’t bother me, it’s some of the people carrying them we need to watch out for. Especially the “weekend” warriors who decide it would be manly to try and kill something. ”
Projecting again, Rambo?