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Old 02-03-2009, 03:54 AM   #1
MikeWaters
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Default Making the case for the intelligent gun owner

1. Analog. It seems like very little in our day-to-day world is analog. We are surrounded by electronic machines, that seem almost incomprehensible in their complexity. Computer chips in our cars, circuit boards in our remote controls, cell phones, etc. We even put cyclocomputers on our bicycles. There is something to be said for a fine piece of machinery, that has weight, substance, and elegant function. That you take apart, and put back together. A machine. That will last a lifetime. Or several. How many functional machines will you pass on to your posterity? Not many. There is a satisfaction in understanding the workings and function that you just don't get from many other things.

2. Stillness. How many things in life require that you be perfectly still? I can't think of many outside of family portraits and x-rays. I'm talking about another kind of stillness. The cessation of extraneous movement. Willful relaxation. The slowing of breathing. Attunement to your rhythm and heartbeat as the sight gently and slowly circles the target. How often do you experience this?

3. Decision. When you enact the directive to send the projectile to its destination. A deliberate muscle process, in the context of stillness, relaxation, and control--unflinching and both expectant and surprised at the moment when bullet leaves casing.

4. Zen. I have no real understanding of Zen, so I apologize for borrowing the term. But when you think of firing a weapon, there are some, at least superficial, similarities. The eye turns inward in stillness, and in a moment, an insight/explosion. Certainly, Zen has been associated with the martial arts in the past. A separate concept, we find in Kyudo (Japanese archery):
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To give oneself completely to the shooting is the spiritual goal, achieved by perfection of both the spirit and shooting technique leading to munen muso, "no thoughts, no illusions".
5. Synthesis. When an external tool becomes an extension of the mind, so much so that directing a bullet is like pointing a finger. It is not a rational process, but rather an instinctual action. I am reminded of the Rifleman's Creed in the United States Marine Corps:
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This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than any enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will....

My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...

My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...

Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but Peace.
6. Independence. Some men do not accept fate. They are willful actors in a play whose ending is not yet known. We live in an uncertain world, at both the micro and macro levels. How many people have experienced utter helplessness in the face of evil, before turning to themselves and asking why they chose the path of passivity and victimhood? Maybe you do or do not wish to protect yourself. Maybe you do or do not wish to protect your own? But to forego even the option of protecting you and yours because you were simply unwilling? There may come a time that good people lay their defenses down, but until then we both pray to God for deliverance, and keep the powder dry.

7. Duty. The freedoms we enjoy are not an accident of history, but were purchased with the blood of our ancestors. History tells us that freedom is fleeting and rare. It requires defense. The basic unit of the defense of liberty is the Citizen. An unarmed, untrained Citizen cannot defend. We pray that our defense, as armed Citizens, is one of only theoretical utility. But without arms, there is no theory of defense, and therefore no defense at all. It's your civic duty.

8. Community. Armed citizens are a deterrent against the predators among us. When you responsibly arm yourself as a moral Citizen, you have increased community safety. You have taken upon yourself a moral burden that has increased the good. Must the burden be just on a few? No, the burden must be shared. I've never seen a sign in front of a home that said "Gun-free home". Part of everyone's safety is a calculation on the part of the criminal regarding the risks of his crime. Increase his risk, and you have made the community safer.

9. Ancestry. The gun is connected to our ancestors, and served not only for defense, but also for the very practical aspect of providing meat for the family. This is an art that was passed from parent to child. This happens less and less now, and the tradition is lost. Some of you, like myself, have to discover the tradition for yourself, absent any parental input. To understand the weapon, in some part, is to understand those that came before you. The burden you take upon yourself is the burden that your ancestor took upon himself. You will have new eyes.

10. Survival. There seems to be a dividing line in our culture between those that go into the wilderness for recreation without hunting, and those that recreate while hunting. In other words, the folks that shop at REI, and the folks that buy their gear at Cabelas. It's ok to be a REI member and a gun owner. It's ok to like Man Vs. Wild and Survivorman and be a gun owner. It's ok to be a naturalist at heart and be a gun owner. Survivalism is nothing more than a kind of preparation and self-reliance. Gun ownership, and the knowledge to use that gun, is a good tool to have in your hip-pocket. The Green vs. Camo dichotomy we think we see in society is a self-fulfilling prophecy that is destructive to all.

11. Sociality. It is great fun to go out and shoot clays with friends or family. It is great bonding to take your child through the paces of safety and usage. Though I haven't gotten involved myself, there are myriad clubs and friendly competitions that are available to all.


Reasons to NOT be a gun owner
1. Money. You can't afford it. Or perhaps you can afford a gun, but you can't afford to become proficient and store it safely. Most likely this is a matter of priorities, but it is fair argument for some.
2. Distrust. If you live with an adult you cannot trust with your life, gun ownership becomes extremely difficult, and probably unwise.
3. Harmony. If a loved one in the home is so opposed to gun ownership, that it becomes a wedge between you and that person, despite your reasoning, then perhaps it is unwise.
4. Self-harm. If you are prone to suicidal thoughts and acts of self-harm, it is probably wise to not own a firearm.
5. Judgment. If you cannot trust yourself, for whatever reason, to exercise good judgment, then you should not own a firearm. Or put another way, if you think there are good reasons about your mental state and character that would make it unwise for you to have access to a firearm, you are right.
6. Conscience. In our society, we give room for those persons that are conscientious objectors--the people that are unwilling to fight for liberty, but are happy and willing to enjoy liberty. We have the luxury of allowing this. But perhaps it will not always be so. As I said before, there is a moral burden, and it must be shared. And the decision to not share in the moral burden is something that needs to be carefully examined. So you say that you wouldn't want to commit a violent act against another person to save a person's life? Do you think I want to? Of course I wouldn't, except as a last resort. No moral person wants to bear the burden of justified homicide, if it can be avoided. If you are not willing to carry the burden, or you willing to help those that do?

(to be continued)

Last edited by MikeWaters; 02-06-2009 at 03:46 AM.
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Old 02-03-2009, 03:03 PM   #2
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I believe it's part of our responsibility to teach our children how to operate weapons safely.

When we were children, my father instructed all five of us, my sisters included, in the safe operation of pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles.
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Old 02-03-2009, 03:40 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Archaea View Post
I believe it's part of our responsibility to teach our children how to operate weapons safely.

When we were children, my father instructed all five of us, my sisters included, in the safe operation of pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles.
what I am trying to address is the "why" part.
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Old 02-03-2009, 07:29 PM   #4
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Poseur alert! Poseur alert! Poseur alert!

The unintentional comedy index on these ruminations is through the roof.

This reminds me of something that some Wyoming wingnut will get ahold of, get slightly emotional, forward on to his friends, and it will become one of those forwards among the Birchers that is, for them, akin to the Gettysburg Address, and when the forward finally reaches the rest of us, we read and laugh hysterically.

Wordsworth you ain't, but you make an awfully fine poseur.
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Old 02-03-2009, 07:36 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Levin View Post
Poseur alert! Poseur alert! Poseur alert!

The unintentional comedy index on these ruminations is through the roof.

This reminds me of something that some Wyoming wingnut will get ahold of, get slightly emotional, forward on to his friends, and it will become one of those forwards among the Birchers that is, for them, akin to the Gettysburg Address, and when the forward finally reaches the rest of us, we read and laugh hysterically.

Wordsworth you ain't, but you make an awfully fine poseur.
Ad hominem.
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Old 02-03-2009, 10:49 PM   #6
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No "what shall I do?" PMs yet.
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