What a combination! It’s a bit like mixing sand in your jello salad — the two just don’t seem to go together, do they?
I realize many people are very sensitive about the subject of guns. They are uneasy talking about them, and they sure as heck don’t want to be within a hundred yards of — or on the same planet for that matter — with firearms of any kind. But the fact is, they are on the same planet with them, and it’s likely that someone, somewhere not real far away, has or is carrying a gun of one sort or another. Did you know that there are guns in 42% of American households? Chances are, if you are “against” guns, your household isn’t part of the 42%, and you’ve probably not been around guns much, if at all.
If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with guns, this may be hard for you to believe, but the tragic shooting in Newtown broke the hearts of all responsible gun owners too. I know because I am a gun owner and my heart still aches whenever I think about what happened. Speaking for all responsible gun owners, we hate hearing about the almost daily shootings in Oakland and Chicago and elsewhere.
As of this writing, Senator, Diane Feinstein has introduced a new bill to the United States Senate to ban a variety of so-called “assault weapons,” and President Obama has signed an order for 23 specific actions, supposedly intended to help prevent more mass shootings Chicago Mayor and Obama’s ex-White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel once said, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” In the aftermath of Newtown, passion and emotion has overruled logic and reason, and a lot of people—people uncomfortable and unfamiliar with guns—are taking the bait because what they are hearing “sounds reasonable.”
If you think what you are hearing sounds reasonable, please read my article beginning on page 20. There is a lot of misinformation being fed to the American public right now. As a responsible gun owner, my elected representatives are now treating me like a criminal, and I resent it. So do all other responsible gun owners. Want proof? Since the Newtown tragedy and President Obama’s first reactive remarks, the sale of semi-automatic weapons has skyrocketed. There is a six month waiting list for new guns that were available, off the shelf just two months ago. Many types of ammunition are sold out, in stores, online and at gun shows. One store in Arizona sold more AR-15s in one week than they normally sell in three years.
I’m not a criminal. I don’t have three heads or an eyeball in the middle of my forehead. And since February is the month for Valentine’s Day, I’ll also say this: one of the main reasons I own guns is that I love my wife of 37 years, and my son. I encourage you to read my article so you can understand why.
