12-09-2005, 12:05 PM
I can understand how the concept of owning, let alone carrying, a handgun may seem silly, or unnecessary, or even ridiculous to some people.
But to those of you you who feel this way, or are otherwise opposed to the legality of handgun ownership, I guess I'd say that you can be thankful that you don't live or work or have an obligation or responsibility to frequent rough, dangerous neighborhoods. And I don't mean "depressed" neighborhoods, or "sketchy" areas - I mean real, cold, hard, crime infested areas that cops themselves avoid unless they are called to service - where the mere appearance of someone who doesn't "belong" might find themselves a target for violent crime. Or in a remote, desolate area, miles and miles from timely response from law enforcement.
Say what you will, but there simply is no replacement for the level of security and peace of mind that a handgun brings you if you find yourself somplace where help isn't a quick cell phone call away. Thankfully, I've never had a reason to even reach for my handgun out of alarm or fear, but I can tell you that I, as well as others in my company, have been afforded enough assurance knowing that weapon was at hand for trivial things like, i dunno...say....falling asleep at night.
Self-protection is a natural inclination, and a birthright. Thankfully, my country protects that right. And though handguns are often misused and tragedies do occur as a result of their mishandling, the fact remains that handguns will NEVER disappear from society, and most likely, their abuse and mishandling would be exacerbated across the board by prohibition. What's more, those who abuse or mishandle handguns will certainly mishandle whatever weapon they wield in its stead. And there are plenty available.
But by far the greatest tragedy would be to strip my right to own a hangun for my own protection, or someone's right to protect their family, only to leave us helpless while the criminal brandishes that "banned" weapon against us.
I mean seriously - will the banning of handguns do anything to foil the schemes of those evil enough to use them for violent aggression? Is the nutcase that's demented enough randomly murder innocent people going to say "damn - I want to take out this entire hotel lobby, but blast, the only weapon I gat stroll into a pawn shot to buy are shotguns, high-caliber rifles, chainsaws, samauri swords, hunting knives, and compound bows, so I guess I'll just go home and watch Jeopardy?"
But to those of you you who feel this way, or are otherwise opposed to the legality of handgun ownership, I guess I'd say that you can be thankful that you don't live or work or have an obligation or responsibility to frequent rough, dangerous neighborhoods. And I don't mean "depressed" neighborhoods, or "sketchy" areas - I mean real, cold, hard, crime infested areas that cops themselves avoid unless they are called to service - where the mere appearance of someone who doesn't "belong" might find themselves a target for violent crime. Or in a remote, desolate area, miles and miles from timely response from law enforcement.
Say what you will, but there simply is no replacement for the level of security and peace of mind that a handgun brings you if you find yourself somplace where help isn't a quick cell phone call away. Thankfully, I've never had a reason to even reach for my handgun out of alarm or fear, but I can tell you that I, as well as others in my company, have been afforded enough assurance knowing that weapon was at hand for trivial things like, i dunno...say....falling asleep at night.
Self-protection is a natural inclination, and a birthright. Thankfully, my country protects that right. And though handguns are often misused and tragedies do occur as a result of their mishandling, the fact remains that handguns will NEVER disappear from society, and most likely, their abuse and mishandling would be exacerbated across the board by prohibition. What's more, those who abuse or mishandle handguns will certainly mishandle whatever weapon they wield in its stead. And there are plenty available.
But by far the greatest tragedy would be to strip my right to own a hangun for my own protection, or someone's right to protect their family, only to leave us helpless while the criminal brandishes that "banned" weapon against us.
I mean seriously - will the banning of handguns do anything to foil the schemes of those evil enough to use them for violent aggression? Is the nutcase that's demented enough randomly murder innocent people going to say "damn - I want to take out this entire hotel lobby, but blast, the only weapon I gat stroll into a pawn shot to buy are shotguns, high-caliber rifles, chainsaws, samauri swords, hunting knives, and compound bows, so I guess I'll just go home and watch Jeopardy?"
