I tryed to avoid the whole guns are good/bad debate but I have to add my two cents.
In the small school I went to, every kid I knew went hunting with their fathers/friends. That excluded no kid. None had any training other than their dad/mom/granparents.
At age 12 it was not uncommon to go hunting alone in your alphalfa field with a 12 guage for dinner(pheasants/chukar/rabbit/quail).
On to the point. Of those friends I ended up finishing high school with
1 was killed stabbed to death with scissors
1 was run over on purpose.
12 (More than 12 just the ones in memory) died in car accidents.
3 are quadraplegic from car accidents.
3 died on motorcycles, one with his girlfriend
3 overdosed
1 died of alcohol poisoning
2 wrecked a three wheeler
1 died sledding
1 rolled a tractor doing broadies
1 died from dirinking rubbing alcohol
1 died from huffing gas.
0 were killed, or injured with firearms
Not A single kid in my school died from , or was injured by gunbattle/accident/driveby.
I am 33 years old, and only a handfull of my friends childhood friends left.
In my opinion the four deadliest things in america are
#1 vehicles
#2 alcohol
#3 illegal narcotics
#4 a mix of any of the above.
As you can see from above, if somone want's to hurt another it can be done without a firearm. A pair of scissors in the hand of a person that's poised to kill is just as dangerous as a loaded firearm if not more so.
I'm not one to tell people how to feel or what to believe. If you feel firearms are unsafe and don't want them around you, you're more than welcome to voice your opinon, and
On the other hand if I wish to carry one for protection, as long as it is never seen, locked securely out of sight when not in use, and only used at a range, or in self defense, I should have the absolute right to own one.
Anyone who flashes their firearm, intimidates people with it, uses it for extorsion/power or leaves it loaded in a public area has given up their right to own a firearm for life.
