MORE FROM THE ANGRY WHITE GUY
Recently, down here in the swamp... OH, let's be fair. What occurred was actually OSL (Another side of the Lake) or, as it's is referred to by some of my Northshore neighbors, "The War Zone." An elderly woman was parked in at the side of the road by a team of carjackers. One of them got out of the pursuit vehicle and demanded she get out of the car and give him the keys to her car. Allegedly, she pulled out her gun and shot him. While the truth of this story and its details are sketchy, the tale was gas on the fiery conversation about guns and their use in self-defense.
I can not tell you how many times I have heard about some people's intentions to outwit their imagined assailant and drop them with a shot from their constitutionally right to carry, gun. Husbands are arming their wives, and sadly, as we learned at Sandy Hook, mothers are arming their children. Few people have the training to understand the kind of situation that would warrant taking another person's life.
"If I had been in the shopping center when that guy killed all of those people and wounded Congresswoman Gabby Gifford, I would have..." What a crock of shit. At best, they would have shot an innocent bystander as their shaking hands aimed at ... Who? How would they know who was the shooter, or was the guy with the gun another would-be hero?
My wife is constantly amazed at the inability of people to hit a target with a handgun. Even with my limited experience, I told her, I can vouch for the fact that it's a lot harder to hit a target with a handgun than you think. Spraying around bullets with an automatic weapon is effective only because of the volume of projectiles you launch in the general direction of your target.
People who, with the best intentions, plead, "Why don't they just shot them in the leg." as opposed to gunning them down with sixteen shots as a Chicago police officer did to an unarmed man. It's hard to hit a moving target with a handgun. Let me tell you, if an inexperienced, untrained individual shot toward a perceived threatening person and hits them their lucky, much less shooting them where they are aiming.
In these situations, your brain is debating flight or fight. The gun you occasionally fire at the range bounces around in your grip like an overloaded truck on a rough road. You are probably aiming at the wrong person, and the guy that's initiated the shooting more than likely doesn't give a damn if he lives or dies, and you do. It isn't a fair fight, and you or someone else around you is going to lose.
The trained individual, police, or military person may have the ability to think quickly enough to handle a weapon that they are competent with to pull off this showdown at OK Corral. I know of two or three guys who had a gun and were with me in a threatening situation. I would gladly hand my gun to them. But I know I'm not competent, and I doubt even with training would I be able to do something positive in this situation. And that is why I don't own a gun, and I'm afraid for most people I know who do.
Sorry about all the ranting and raving.
Next time I write in this blog, I promise not to be so angry, but this week I saw my President shed tears for children lost to a maniac gunman. I'm sure his tears were as much about frustration as loss, and I'm not ashamed to admit I shed some also. Mine was for the children, my president, and the same frustration.
Recently, down here in the swamp... OH, let's be fair. What occurred was actually OSL (Another side of the Lake) or, as it's is referred to by some of my Northshore neighbors, "The War Zone." An elderly woman was parked in at the side of the road by a team of carjackers. One of them got out of the pursuit vehicle and demanded she get out of the car and give him the keys to her car. Allegedly, she pulled out her gun and shot him. While the truth of this story and its details are sketchy, the tale was gas on the fiery conversation about guns and their use in self-defense.
I can not tell you how many times I have heard about some people's intentions to outwit their imagined assailant and drop them with a shot from their constitutionally right to carry, gun. Husbands are arming their wives, and sadly, as we learned at Sandy Hook, mothers are arming their children. Few people have the training to understand the kind of situation that would warrant taking another person's life.
"If I had been in the shopping center when that guy killed all of those people and wounded Congresswoman Gabby Gifford, I would have..." What a crock of shit. At best, they would have shot an innocent bystander as their shaking hands aimed at ... Who? How would they know who was the shooter, or was the guy with the gun another would-be hero?
My wife is constantly amazed at the inability of people to hit a target with a handgun. Even with my limited experience, I told her, I can vouch for the fact that it's a lot harder to hit a target with a handgun than you think. Spraying around bullets with an automatic weapon is effective only because of the volume of projectiles you launch in the general direction of your target.
People who, with the best intentions, plead, "Why don't they just shot them in the leg." as opposed to gunning them down with sixteen shots as a Chicago police officer did to an unarmed man. It's hard to hit a moving target with a handgun. Let me tell you, if an inexperienced, untrained individual shot toward a perceived threatening person and hits them their lucky, much less shooting them where they are aiming.
In these situations, your brain is debating flight or fight. The gun you occasionally fire at the range bounces around in your grip like an overloaded truck on a rough road. You are probably aiming at the wrong person, and the guy that's initiated the shooting more than likely doesn't give a damn if he lives or dies, and you do. It isn't a fair fight, and you or someone else around you is going to lose.
The trained individual, police, or military person may have the ability to think quickly enough to handle a weapon that they are competent with to pull off this showdown at OK Corral. I know of two or three guys who had a gun and were with me in a threatening situation. I would gladly hand my gun to them. But I know I'm not competent, and I doubt even with training would I be able to do something positive in this situation. And that is why I don't own a gun, and I'm afraid for most people I know who do.
Warrior Princess
Many of you may have noted my reference to my granddaughters as Warrior Princesses. I ran into this definition in one of the now-famous books known collectively as "The Game of Thrones."
George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
As the bastard son, Jon ends up as the leader of those ‘Who takes the Black” and guards the Wall. In this capacity, he colludes with others to present the wildling girl, Val as the princess in exile. The true princess is spirited off to safer places. Jon contemplates Val’s ability to pull off the subterfuge.
…” they are all convinced she is a princess. Val looked the part and rode as if she had been born on horseback. A Warrior Princess, he decided, not some willowy creature, who sits up in a tower brushing her hair and waiting for some knight to rescue her.”
Report from the alleged post-racial America.
NO, we are not in a post-racial phase of societal evolution because we elected a black man President.
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2016/01/racism_barack_obama.html#incart_most-commented_politics_articleSorry about all the ranting and raving.
Next time I write in this blog, I promise not to be so angry, but this week I saw my President shed tears for children lost to a maniac gunman. I'm sure his tears were as much about frustration as loss, and I'm not ashamed to admit I shed some also. Mine was for the children, my president, and the same frustration.
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