Virginia

[smithma7 at gmail.com (Mike Smith)]

On 4/18/07, Jean-Claude D?sinor <desinor@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>  A car *can* kill, but you will likely use it to carry goods and people.
> It will not deter a bad guy.
>  A baseball bat *can* kill. But you will most likely use it to spend
> quality time with you kids and friends. It will not deter a bad guy.
>   A shovel *can* kill. But you will more likely use it in the snow or in
> your garden. It will not deter a bad guy.
>   A gun can be used for none of those, and it deters because it is a
> very effective single purpose killing machine.
>


This last one kills me (pun intended).  None of these purposes?  I've
enjoyed lots of good quality time bonding with my friends, my family,
and yes, even my children while target shooting and teaching them the
proper ways to handle guns.  It would be incredibly negligent of me to
use firearms in baseball or gardening, but I think it's possible.  At
the NRA range, they "bowl" with handguns.

Regarding cars:  When I was a cab driver, I thought about carrying a
gun.  I felt it safer, wiser, and not illegal to just do my best to
avoid areas of town where I felt unsafe.  Carrying a loaded gun in a
cab was illegal.  Probably still is.  Anyway, my point here is that my
cab was indeed a weapon.  I never had the need to use it as such but
I'd discussed it with other drivers and I can tell you if I was
driving and a fare pulled a gun on me, well, then we're going to go as
fast as we can and head for some solid object like a wall.  I would
let them know this as I was doing it.  I think that would deter a bad
guy.  "Put your gun away or I drive us into a wall at 75+.  You're
choice.  Shoot me, and there's still going to be one hell of an
accident with you in the car."

And, IMHO, shovels and bats will deter bad guys.  While they might not
deter the ones that really have it in mind to do you harm no matter
what, it will make those who can think, stop and think.  But on the
other hand the same goes for guns.  If someone really wants to hurt
you, a gun will not deter them either.

I ain't saying anymore on the subject. I can already feel the levels
rising. Live and let live.  Don't tell me how I should live and I'll
give you the same turn.  Just please do your homework.  Look at the
facts, not the crap.  BTW, the comments in this paragraph are not
directed to anyone in particular, but to everyone and for every
subject.

And at Cincy, I'll not be discussing anything that doesn't bring a
smile to my face.


-- 
Mike
'86 red 16v: Red 5 (aka der Jahrtausendfeierfalke)
'05 Indigo Blue GTI 1.8T: Bib
"The world is my oyster soup kitchen floor wax museum." - King Crimson