I spent an hour yesterday at Red's Indoor Gun Range blasting some caps. For those who have never fired a gun or more less never fired a gun in a small concrete reinforced "hallway", it can be very loud. It takes a little warming up to. You can feel the compression of the sound waves as they bounce off the walls. After 15 minutes or so, I stopped jumping out of my skin every time a gun went off. Until the guy with the AR-15 (what the guys in Iraq carry) started blasting a piece of paper to bits. Sounded like a bomb going off 15' away. Once in Denver at an indoor range, some guy had brought a .50 caliber rifle and was letting people shoot it if they paid for the ammo. That was like a cannon going off in your head and they were in the sealed room next door for rifles. Crazy. But hey you never know when someone may try to break into your house using a tank- better have your .50 caliber ready!
This brings up the whole gun thing. Latest headlines: D.C. gun ban, guy in Houston gets off after shooting two robbers in the back, just watch CNN for additional stories. I am pro gun. It was interesting that last night laying in bed the show 30 days (big fan) was about a woman who was anit-gun and lived with some gun freaks in Ohio and lived a gun culture fro 30 days. She was from inner city Boston and had a friend killed by a gun and hears gun shots where she lives. The gun freak guy was making the point that its not the gun that kills people- it the person firing the gun. I agree the gun can't hurt you if you don't pull the trigger. Now I do hold some liberal views on gun control. It should be WAY harder to purchase and own a gun. Simply walk into many a retail store, pick up some Gatorade, a rake, paper towels, maybe a new door mat, and oh, don't forget your 9mm. Just fill out a form (assume your a decent person without a felony charge) and walk out with your gun. That's a little ridiculous! It harder to register your car and get a new picture on your license than to own a gun. And the indoor range- just pay your money and your shooting away. No questions, no education, no license-just fill out a form that says if you kill your self or someone else it ain't the ranges fault. and your in business.
Two personal stories. 1. When i was about 7, I think, my dad was shot in a robbery by some asshole with a shotgun. It went through the windshield of the car, hit the rear view mirror, took a left turn and hit my dad in the arm. Messed it up real bad. But he was certainly lucky it did go straight through the wind shield or I'm sure there would have been a different ending. To this day you can see the damage to his arm and his has a pinky finger with a mind of its own. 2. Two years ago when Mindy and I were in Austin looking at houses, our friend Anne was watching the house and the dogs when she went by to look in on them and the big front picture window at the front of our house was broken out. Our house had been broken into. Long story short some crazy crackhead broke the window, changed clothes, slept in the guest bed, and left the next day. Didn't steal anything?? But this gets me thinking, if I had been home and had a gun, that story could have ended very differently. I would have been in a position to have to use my gun, it would have been within my right to do so. Its late at night, I'm asleep, a hugh window in my house is broken, I go up stairs and someone is standing in my house. Just watch an episode of "I survived..." to hear some horror story about someone who almost died during a robbery, rape, or break in. Crazy shit does happen to normal people. And if you have a gun and the proper training, you may be able to defend yourself and your family from something very horrible happening. Of course you may also win the lottery or be picked at random to go into space, but hey you gotta be ready!
If you have never done it or "are afraid" of guns- give it a try. But go outdoors first its not as loud. I think that most people who are afraid of guns, probably have never fired one. There's also trap, skeet and target. All of which can be a lot of fun. Well I guess I'll sit back and wait for all the hate mail to come in, however Anne may be the only person reading at this point.
Off to sand down and paint the beam in the kitchen, water the plants our front, keep up with work emails, and oh yeah, head to the range this afternoon.
1 comment:
Dude, i love guns. Seriously.
I agree that the scared people are mostly those who haven't been around them. If you are raised with them, in a household where you are taught to RESPECT them, and taught gun safety, they just aren't scary.
I personally don't own one, and probably wouldn't in my current situation (children under 6, and in a really safe neighborhood), but Todd and I seriously discussed looking into it when we were in the warzone that was East Atlanta.
We do have them at the lakehouse, and it really doesn't even worry me with the kids. They can't get to them, they aren't loaded, etc.
Still may get one at home at some point. Also, would love to go to the firing range. Best feeling ever. Well, pretty good, anyway.:-)
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