General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How many of you have ever fired a gun? [View all]ladyVet
(1,587 posts)When I was a kid, my father was a cast member at a Western-themed amusement park, and had a Colt 45 replica pistol. For safety, he took the oldest kids out and let us shoot blanks (which was all he actually had, never live rounds). We were taught proper safety, and to never assume a gun was not loaded, and to only point it at someone if we meant to shoot them. Guns were not toys!
I shot an M16 in the USAF (and was pretty good at it, though not a marksman like Daddy).
I owned a 22 rifle and shot rabbits with it. We ate them for dinner that night. There's something satisfying knowing I could feed my children if need be.
I've shot black powder guns. Very loud.
I'm a believer in and supporter of the Second Amendment but am not a "gun nut". I also believe in reasonable controls on guns, like not allowing people to have automatic weapons and rounds that can pierce armor, or Kevlar, or allowing huge stockpiles of guns or ammo. Background checks, stringent training, anything that could keep people from owning guns who shouldn't.
It won't solve every issue, but it would help. I'd also like to see training and PSAs during prime time that talk about being responsible. I don't like the average person who might own a gun being vilified because some people -- many of whom have mental health issues -- misuse guns. If your neighbor stabs his wife to death, will you call for the removal of all knives? If a drunk plows into a crowd of children, shall we make cars illegal?