Responsibility and Gun Ownership

I spoke to the wife of a friend at his behest; he said that she didn't see the value in gun ownership. He wasn't quite right. She told me that she saw the value in gun ownership, but didn't think that he was taking the purchase seriously, or considering the responsibilities that come with owning guns for defense.

Unfortunately there are far too many gun owners who simply purchase guns instead of owning guns. They hear on the news that violent crime is on the way up, so they buy a gun. How progressive. They might get training, but they probably won't. They might shoot it more than once, but the probably won't. The gun will sit in a shoe box on the top shelf of the hall closet, unloaded, locked, next to a box of whatever ammo the man at the store said would fit their gun, and think to themselves, "There. Now I'm/we're safe." After many years these owners will be reminded they have this gun (because many honestly forgot), and decide that it was just a passing fancy or a frivolous purchase, and ask the nearest gun shop how much they can get for it. Were these owners to be called upon to use their firearm in defense of themselves or their loved ones, if they remembered where it was, that they owned a gun, could successfully load it, and it wasn't stolen months or years ago as many of these kinds of guns are, these owners would likely be too afraid to use or too afraid of misusing it to actually employ it in the purpose of defense. These people are the people who get shot with their own guns.

There are other owners to whom guns are simply a plaything. There's no shame in that; guns are tools, and if going out to the desert with your buddies twice a year to shoot propane tanks on top of flaming Christmas trees (true story) is your idea of a good time, more power to you. Guns are just objects, and can serve as entertainment. The guns spend most of their time in a safe, and are rarely cleaned or shot. Somewhere in the back of this owner's mind is the idea that the guns can be used for defense of himself and his loved ones, but it's really an afterthought or a footnote to the purchase.

The owners I really have a problem with are those who, like the first type buy a gun for protection of self and loved ones, but are more active with its use. These are the guys you see at the range shooting off their gun as quickly as possible at a full-size target at the closest range allowable, and landing 4/10 hits on the paper, reloading, and then repeating. These owners are not concerned about their skills, tactics, or the legalities. They think that by simply owning a gun, they've won any fight they could possibly get into. Your basic mall ninja. While most of these guys are pretty easy to spot, and avoid, there exists a contingent who thinks exactly the same way, but are more low-key about it. If ever called upon to use their gun in defense of themselves or their loved ones, their answer is always "Reach for my glock and start firing." Little attention is paid to the ineffectiveness of a handgun vs a rifle or shotgun, and much stock is placed the movies where they saw that dude flying through the air shooting three pistols at 87 terrorists, killing 2-3 with each shot. These owners are not interested the legalities of shooting someone in their place of residence, the psychological effect of taking another life, or the physical strains of a life-or-death situation. They're confident in their ability to land rapid hits in vital areas of multiple targets while minimizing their own exposure based completely on their inflated self-image. As the saying goes, "All you need is ignorance and confidence, then success is sure!"

To all gun owners I say; you can either imagine yourself shooting someone or you can't. There's no shame in admitting you don't think you'll be able to pull the trigger, just have no delusions and plan for what you will do, or train and practice until you change yourself.

When I bought my first gun, it was not for fun. Guns were serious business to me, because I was afraid of them, and the idea of one being around bothered me to my core. I bought my gun to protect myself and my loved ones, it was a responsibility I took up with a heavy heart, because it meant that no one else was in charge of the safety of myself and my loved ones. I would have no one to blame if I failed to act. During the first months of ownership I had to learn not to think of a gun as an item of totemic significance, to realize that the gun never does anything because it's simply a machine which requires an operator. When I realized that I was in charge of the gun and its usage, my potential use of the gun became something of totemic significance. Too many questions flooded my head, and I decided that I wasn't yet prepared for this responsibility, but swore I would be.

To me, it is a burden. It demands you change your thinking and the way you view and react to the other humans around you. When the rose-colored glasses come off, and you realize that the world can be a dangerous place, and that the safety net you thought was always there really full of holes, there's no going back. At the point of this realization you must come to terms with the fact that before now, you were very vulnerable. Now that you have become enlightened to your position in this world, you must do something to regain control of your life which, up to now, was at the mercy of some random meth-head with a steak knife. A gun is the most effective weapon you can use, so you buy one.

So now you find yourself very alone. Confronted with this new responsibility to be in charge of your personal safety and the safety of your loved ones, charged with the possibly of taking the life of another human being, and you're staring at the implement of destruction in your hands.

Many owners don't make it past this point. The weight of the responsibility is too much, and they either relinquish the responsibility, refuse to acknowledge the responsibility, or replace their apprehension with blind confidence.

Not everyone is ready for the responsibility, which is perfectly understandable.

Those who accept the responsibility will begin the life-long task of preparing themselves for what they paradoxically hope will never happen.

Guns are the ultimate freedom, an ultimate power, and the ultimate responsibility. If you hold in your hand a gun, and you hold in your head the will to use it on another human being, then you hold in your heart a heavy responsibility. Once you accept that responsibility you will begin a journey of practice, research, and preparedness that will only end when you do.

I don't think anyone in their right mind would ask to put their sight picture COM on a mother's son and apply steady, relentless pressure. No matter how deserved. Taking a life is something I wish for countless reasons I'll never have to do, but since accepting my responsibility, it's something I force myself to think about, prepare for, and train to do. To me the responsibility will always be a burden. But, once you begin to fully understand the weight of the responsibility, you will happily carry this burden because it means that your loved ones won't have to.

Gun ownership is serious business, and can be a life-altering decision, but the negatives pale in comparison with the knowledge that YOU are in charge of your destiny and responsible for one of the most important things in life.