Chika on an old friend’s timeline posted this, with the cute caption: “This is funny because it’s true.”
Well, no. Actually, it’s not true. And it’s not funny. For one thing, Ronald has terrible trigger discipline. What a clown. So I responded as follows:
The rest of the world, really? Do you have any clue how much “happy gunfire” gets shot off in the Middle East for no particular reason? In the middle of cities? People get killed over there simply from jerks firing into the air and the bullets coming down on people’s heads. Americans are almost entirely repressed in comparison to, say, Saudis, who think almost any occasion is livened by firing machine guns into the air. Talking about clowns. By the way, you can find videos of this on YouTube, if you don’t believe me.
And the Middle East is only part of it. Russia, Central Asia, Africa, South America…lots and lots of guns and lots and lots of crazy people carrying them. But you never hear about that on the news. Strange, that.
By comparison, Americans generally have the sense to get training, and shoot only at ranges or in areas designated for hunting or shooting sports. Certainly there are exceptions (idiots). But they aren’t widespread. Yet the exceptions are the ones who always make the news. I’ve been shooting since I was, hmm, about 13 — over 47 years. I’ve never shot at something I shouldn’t, and I’ve never had an negligent discharge (knock on wood that should continue to be the case). And I know an awful lot of people who can say the same. Those of us who are legal gun owners and carriers aren’t the problem. We’ve already jumped through all the hoops that have been set to determine we are “proper persons” to be allowed to walk around armed. The State of Indiana has my fingerprints and a whole lot of personal information about me — including two background checks to date, the second because I lost my wallet and had to get a new copy of my LTCH — on file. The FBI runs a fresh check (through the NICS system) on me every time I purchase a firearm. Which isn’t often; I have other things to spend money on.
Bottom line, I’m not the problem, and neither are my fellow legal gun owners and carriers. It’s the gang-banger who buys a (probably stolen) gun from his gang buddy and carries it around to intimidate people who is the problem. And for all the cries of “gun show loophole”, a lot of reporters have found out over time that it simply doesn’t exist. I bought one of my pistols at a gun show. And I went through the same NICS check I would have gone through at my local gun shop.
Out of state, I can’t even buy a pistol and carry it out of the store, because I’d have to show my ID, and as soon as they saw it, they’d tell me, sorry bub — we can take your money today, but the firearm will have to be sent to a federal firearms licensee back in your state who can run a NICS check there and legally transfer it to you. Which used to be annoying, because I used to get through Wheeling WV on a regular basis, and stopped at the Cabela’s there quite a lot. No immediate gratification there for Hoosier boy.
So there is a choice — either one can do things the legal way, or one can do things the illegal way. I choose to do things the legal way, and so does every other gun owner I know.
NRA members and other legal gun owners are not the people shooting up Chicago. That would be the illegal owners and carriers. Don’t put that on us, because we’re not having any of it. If you were to allow honest and law-abiding people to own weapons with which to defend themselves, and to legally carry them concealed, most of that problem would go away really fast. Thousands of legal gun owners in other states have proven that repeatedly over the years. Again, those stories don’t tend to make the national news — they don’t fit the narrative.
But I don’t expect you to believe that. You’re too bought into the “guns are evil” mindset — much like my own wife. Well, it’s a free country. For the moment.