Quote:
Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360
guns absolutely terrify me! They are almost always used to intimidate rather than defend.
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Terror is fear of the unknown...
Respect is fear of the known...
Used to defend is a "dog bites man" story, in other words, normal and not news worthy.
Used to intimidate, rob, rape, murder... is a "man bites dog" story, news worthy.
I will relay a personal experience with a friend from church. Very much a
"surface" anti-gun person. I say "surface" because her opposition to firearms was very much what she read in the news, saw on TV, heard about in TIME magazine.
I invited her to come over to my grandmothers farm to just shoot one Sunday after church.
.22LR plinking at some water filled coke cans. 9mm hand guns... .357 Mag hand guns. 20ga pump action Remington shot gun.
by the end of the day she was shooting my .30-06 Springfield
She started learning all the safety precautions (started, because learning all of it is a life long process). Her fear of recoil and loud noises went from unknown to "known".
She told me at the end of the day, she would never have used the words "fun" and "gun" in the same sentence until she went to the range with me.
I wish you were near enough to spend a day on the range. Not saying I would change your mind, but certainly would would give you a new perspective, and something to think about. There are two stages, the first is where terror gives way to respect... and the second is when respect breeds confidence. When you know you hold the ability to protect your life, yourself, in your hands, you have more respect for yourself and those you love.
The reason the article talks about motorcycles and guns going hand in hand, is because both are dangerous, and both are seen by the non-gun and non-motorcycle community as unneeded and unnecessary. Danger, death, dismemberment with no real good coming from it. Remember your mom's opposition to motorcycles?
To those of us who ride... and those of us who carry, we know exactly the offset between good and danger. We accept it and we disagree with those who poo poo us.