You are thinking and acting responsible. I wish the adults around the six
year old acted the way you did. I would never forget the hobbyist gun holder
in England say that it is better for my gun to stay at the trigger range
than be stored in my house. Safety is very important.

I'll build a bonfire for you.

Joyce
----- Original Message -----
From: Kyle E. Cleveland <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2000 1:32 PM
Subject: Re: Gun's Gun's (and more guns)


> Joyce,
>
> Since the boss is on vacation, I'm supposed to be at lunch, but I'm
> shivering in my office with my parka zipped (all 'poor baby' comments
> gratefully accepted).  Meaning, I got time to get windy...
>
> When I saw on my news ticker about the six year old girl shot in Michigan
> yesterday, I was stunned.  An hour later, when the ticker flashed that
she'd
> died, I felt the hair on my neck stand up.
>
> So I thought long and hard about my own position and possession of
firearms
> and came to some conclusions based on personal experience:
>
> You might be surprised to know that I've never owned a handgun.  Never
will.
> Sure, some people use them for target shooting, others for hunting (small
> percentage), but the vast majority are kept by people to defend themselves
> against a criminal attack--or by criminals themselves.  Personally, I see
> little value in their existence.  For personal protection I have unloaded
> shotguns in several areas of the house--each of these weapons has a valid
> function as a hunting gun and the self-protection aspect is secondary.
> Meaning they are unloaded with the ammunition stored in a separate area.
I
> practice, occasionally (when no one else is home) getting to the closest
> weapon and loading it in the shortest time possible.  Amazingly, even with
> some spasticity, I can safely load and prepare the firearm in a far
shorter
> time than it would take for someone to break into my home.  Unlike any
> handgun ammunition available, the shotgun ammo I use is designed to
inflict
> incredible wounds on any attacker--highly unlikely they would survive even
a
> peripheral wound.  I'm firmly entrenched in the school of thought that if
> you feel you must have a gun for home protection, a handgun is not the
best
> tool.  And though it may scream "Bubba", it's doubtful that many people
> would confront you with a shotgun displayed in your vehicle window.  And,
> for god's sake, there is "never" any reason to keep a loaded gun in the
> house.  If you can't prepare your weapon, loaded with a round in the
chamber
> in less than ten seconds, you should consider some other means of self
> defense.
>
> Having said that, there have been only two purposeful shootings in my
county
> in the last two decades (our sheriff was gunned down in 1985 by a
> transvestite burglar, of all things!  Right here in River City!).  The
other
> was when a local grocer (personal friend) was killed trying to disarm a
> robber during a holdup at his IGA grocery store.  Statistically, my county
> is no different, per capita, than most places in the country.  Few of us
> have any real need to worry about violent attack from strangers (domestic
> violence is another issue altogether).
>
> I do, however, enjoy hunting and appreciate the priviledge to do so.  That
> is the primary reason guns are in my home.  Do I keep them locked?  Not
> until yesterday.  Not even the ones that see only sporadic use.  Is this
> foolhardy?  Possibly.  I never had much reason to think about it before
> yesterdays news.  But then I started thinking about how much my six year
old
> daughter (how ironic) enjoys watching me shoot.  She's seen me load and
> operate each of these weapons.  She's been drilled and drilled in firearms
> safety, though she's never fired a gun in her life.  Intellectually, she
> knows the inherent dangers of firearms, yet she's still a kid.  What young
> kid, fascinated with the fun of shooting, is not going to one day sneak
into
> the closet and "try one on for size"?  Even more so, I think, will be that
> tendency with my son as he ages.
>
> Therefore, it's my responsibility as parent and protector of those
children
> to make sure, try as they might, that they have no access to these guns
> without my direct and constant supervision.  Trigger locks, gunsafes,
> aircraft cable locks, disassembling the action, whatever it takes.  The
> primary responsibility for that gun lies with its owner.
>
> So, if you think you need a gun for protection:
>
> 1)  Don't consider a handgun as your first choice.  After all, there's
> nothing in the world like the sound of the action racking on a pump
> shotgun...and no mistaking what it means, either.
>
> 2)  Take a firearms safety course approved by local law enforcement or NRA
>
> 3)  If you use it, you will be taking someone's life.  Unless it is
> absolutely clear by the evidence at hand that your life was in immediate
> danger, you probably will be charged with manslaughter or worse.
>
> 4)  There is nothing more stupid than the idea of shooting them outside
and
> dragging them in.
>
> 5)  Realize that you are responsible (morally if not legally) for that
> weapon--even if you're not there.
>
> 6)  Once you or your child pulls the trigger, there is no way to undo the
> consequences.
>
> Mag asked who posted the USA/Swiss gun article.  That was me?  What's the
> difference between the two cultures?  Maybe they just take responsibility
> for their own actions at a greater level than we do.
>
> -Kyle