The Gun Thing

I won't deny it, I like to shoot and I like a nice gun or rifle. I like turning a clay target into a puff of dust, I like punching tiny holes in pieces of paper at unfeasibly long distances. These are things I can do, I can't hit a golf puck and I don't know one end of cricket racquet from the other. I love the engineering and accuracy of a modern sporting rifle, I could stare for hours at the craftsmanship of a hand made English gun, they can truly be works of art. I make no apologies for this. People make no apologies for loving cars or motorcycles, riding horses or flying down a mountain on skis, indeed why should they? If one is careful and considerate, trained and educated problems will be minimised. Not entirely without risk, obviously, when we take on life on this planet, risks are attached and have, in some measure, to be accepted. It's about attitude.

Where am I going with this? No doubt you will have seen on the news that yet another mass shooting has taken place in the USA. Tragic, pointless and grim. I can't pretend to know why these things happen but one thing I am certain of is that there is no need for civilians to own assault weapons. Yes, I know that mass killings could take place with a pair of hand crafted Holland and Hollands...but have they, ever? No. I doubt it. I am certain that owning these types of weapon can only breed a certain attitude, after all, what are they made for. Killing people, that is all, that is what they are made for. There can be no argument that they have a use in hunting, none at all. Even I, a fairly low-level stalker these days probably shoot more deer in a season than the average American hunter does in a lifetime (the irony being that their wildlife laws are far stricter than their gun laws in many cases) and I do it very well with a bolt-action sporting rifle. What about home defense? Surely assault weapons have a place there? No, if you must have a weapon for home defence then any shotgun will do the job. What else? Well, I have seen folks on the TV running about with them playing at soldiers. If you want to do that JOIN THE ARMY. I really can't think of a valid reason for owning one and if I were a citizen of the USA I would not want 'my right to bear arms' to be responsible for the death of even a single child. Come on shooters of America, sort yourselves out, you have a great country and incredible opportunities. With rights come responsibilities.