Pro-Second Amendment, or Gun Nut? You decide

First off, let me admit something. I am a new member of the NRA. That will most likely bring out 2 fairly severe reactions. The first, from the gun haters and on-the-fence folks, will say “Why would you support a bunch of crazy gun nuts, who want to put more guns on the streets and cause more violence and bloodshed?” The second from the gun nuts, saying, “Well, it’s about time hippie. You should have been helping us win the war against those gun haters, who want to make all of us totally defenseless so the government can create another communist enclave.” (Well, not that most gun nuts would use the word enclave, or even know what it means…..)


I’ll explain myself. First, I do support the Second Amendment. Just as I know that the “unalienable rights” of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are given by God, I do believe that it is everyone’s fundamental right to have the means to protect themselves. And I know that the NRA is the 800 lbs gorilla on capital hill, throwing their 4 million members’ weight around to secure these rights. I do not agree with everything the NRA espouses, but then again I call myself a Lutheran and don’t agree with everything they say either. But I would rather have someone, or some organization, trying to support the things I believe in where it can really make a difference.

So let’s get down to brass tacks. As the title suggests, I believe that there is a wide range of people who fall within the boundaries of being pro-Second Amendment, and being a gun nut. I probably fall more towards the lower end of the scale, and I’ll tell you what I believe that makes me say that. But believe me, there are very few real “gun nuts”, where the emphasis is on the nuts part. Most gun owners fall somewhere in the middle, and I wish we could all just get along.

So, here is my list of how I feel in a number of different areas:

• The right to own arms, particularly firearms. Solid PRO on this one. Aside from all the twaddle about hunting, and sport shooting, I just plain believe that firearms are the best tool for self defense. That alone gets my support. If someone is coming to do me or my loved ones harm, I intend to make darn sure that this does not come to pass. If I can dissuade them with a show of force, great. But I am prepared to do what it takes to stop any attack. A firearm is the best tool for that.

• The right to carry weapons in public. Once again, I would have to say solidly PRO, with a few reservations. First, while being able to protect yourself with a weapon is not a right that is given or taken away by law, what tools you may use to do that should have some controls on it. I can’t use dynamite or nerve gas, because that is indiscriminant and could easily harm innocent people. I can’t carry around a jar of acid to throw on my attacker, because that is just cruel and weird. While the First Amendment says I can write a story about fire, I can not shout “FIRE!!” in a crowded theater. So the concept of there being some limits and restriction on how a decent society deals with the concept of rights, and what constitutes an acceptable use of a weapon is completely logical.

• The use of deadly weapons. This one is a bit more complicated. As pointed out in both my concealed carry classes, a weapon is a tool. It is some physical thing which you use to protect yourself. What constitutes a weapon is the use of that tool. A stick laying in your yard is a stick, if you pick it up and swing it at someone it is a weapon. A book is just a book, unless you bash someone over the head with it. The next step in the continuum is a deadly weapon. A deadly weapon is any weapon that is used in such a manner as it can cause death or long term severe injury to the recipient of its use. So, a gun is pretty much always considered a deadly weapon. A knife can be, but not always depending on who is using it, for what and in what manner. A stick can be, as can a book, a pen, your bare hands or even your forehead (if you were to bash that in to the bridge of someone’s nose, that would probably cause death or severe injury). I firmly believe that it is all together acceptable for a reasonable society to place reasonable restrictions on who may or may not carry a weapon in public that is pretty much always considered a deadly weapon.

• Concealed carry. Obviously, since I spent the time, effort and money to get 2 concealed carry permits, I agree with this. I think it is all together reasonable that, after a fair review of a person’s character and history as well as training and testing, a legal qualified citizen should be able to carry a weapon concealed. And by this I mean anywhere. I don’t think a lawfully licensed person should have to leave their weapon at home if they go to a school or government building. Bad things happen there just as much as any where else. I feel a lawfully licensed person should be able to carry their weapon on a plane. If you can prove to security at the airport that you are licensed, you should be able to pass through. Anyone with a weapon who is not legally licensed should be arrested and thrown in a bottomless pit. Lest you think I am stupid, I think that there should be some restrictions on how you comport yourself while carrying. Alcohol and guns DO NOT MIX. I agree with the zero alcohol tolerance in Texas, so if you want to imbibe leave the roscoe at home. Concealed weapon permit holders are, and should be, held to a higher standard of behavior, because of the tremendous power they hold by having a deadly weapon. If you screw up, you lose your permit, do not stop at go, do not collect $200. There is no room for error, no second chances, and no do-overs if you make the wrong choice. I agree with Robert Heinlein ( and all those that quote him on this), “An armed society is a polite society”. If you can’t handle the pressure, you should be carrying a gun.

• Open carry. This is where I think I start to separate myself from the more extreme members of the gun owning public. While I think open carry should be legal, and all citizens should be comfortable around other citizens with guns, I think open carry has many drawbacks. First, not everyone is comfortable around guns, and flashing them in public can cause people to panic. That doesn’t do anyone any good. Second, I think open carry removes one of the few advantages a concealed carry permit holder has over the “Bad Guy” (BG). The BG gets to pick the time, the place and most of the other circumstances of any encounter. Hopefully you are paying attention and don’t get backed in to that situation, but if you do the only thing on your side is the surprise when you draw your weapon. Given that there are so many ways to conceal your weapon, it is unlikely that the BG will just be able to guess where that gun came from. If you open carry, you are pretty much broadcasting to the entire world “here it is, keep an eye on this and don’t let me get to it if I need it.” It is a severe tactical disadvantage. Oh, and by the way, even though I think I should be able to open carry if I want to, I will never be one of those people who parades around flaunting the law, just so I can prove how unconstitutional it is. I will happily support the fight to maintain our rights, but I will not be thrown in jail and leave my loved ones defenseless in order to make a point.

Well, there you go. The beginnings of my manifesto on gun topics. There are obviously many more issues to talk about, and I intend to try to get to some of them. But this should at least help people understand where I am coming from as I make my journey through life, with a gun on my hip.