When the only tool you own is a gun, every problem is a target.

[moriah]

23. There are two types of folks out there -- hippies and rednecks.

Last edited Wed Jun 29, 2016, 06:24 AM - Edit history (2)

I lived in the hippie commune to blame for overpopulating the mountain with easy prey. All of us down that road were pretty much hippies, including the guy who woke up to Agnes coming in through the window and scared her off easily enough without having to shoot, living at the bare edge of the grid. Several miles down a dirt road.

The Cox family lived practically on the freeway a few county roads over, and while they were friendly with the hippies (I'd actually stopped by to let them know when another neighbor on the highway's burn was getting out of control cuz this was decades ago and I didn't have a cell, Leigh Ann hadn't moved in yet and they were very friendly, knew more about them from other hippies close to a cousin) obviously far more into guns than anyone down our road. Yes, they came home to find her dead, and in panic, blamed the dogs. And so did the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

It took someone actually shooting one before the G&F would admit they were present here. Which, again, I wouldn't have had the heart to do unless it was directly threatening someone.

Guns should never be a first or only tool. They can be A tool, but again... only in extremity.

Edit: Leigh Ann, sadly, was not of even average intelligence, so it's possible when she moved out there they didn't feel comfortable teaching her how to use a firearm against wildlife. It's possible that despite the rumors circulating through Chimes and Leslie of sightings prior to her death, they thought they were safe in the more developed area they lived in. Our gameplan had always been to get everyone indoors, and whoever was best at managing to get one noiee shot off and in quick succession another actual aiming shot if the noise wasn't enough to be the person who dealt with the threat. Alone, get indoors and stay there, and pray all the dogs followed. She may not have understood.

We over encroaching on wild habit felt an obligation to leave most of the creatures who lived there alone, but not at the expense of human life.