Dear Gun-Nut: An open letter to those who feel they must tote a gun around with them.

Dear gun-nut,

I don't know you – not specifically. But I've known people with the same fetish that you have – the feeling that manifests itself in you feeling that you need to carry a gun and for everyone around you to know that you're packing. If I might, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how those of us who are sane see you.

First of all, you appear to have a fear complex. You are afraid of anyone you might come in contact with – and sometimes things that don't even exist (ghosts, Bigfoot, etc.). Those of us on MY side of the issue sometimes refer to this as the “small penis” complex because it seems like you feel you are less of a man without your power tool.

Second of all, we see you as having delusions of grandeur. In your quiet moments you envision the bad guy breaking into your home, or invading your church, robbing the store in the mall where you are shopping, invading your place of work, or maybe even just threatening your space as you walk down the street. Then you see yourself whipping out the gun and blasting the bad guy to smithereens. The beautiful girl comes over to thank you for saving her life. The weightlifter/karate expert comes over to congratulate you on your bravery and your toughness in the face of fire.

There are so many problems with this scenario that I could write a book on it. Almost none of the scenarios come out in your favor.

1. The shooter comes in with his gun out, firing. Will you be dead before you even get access to your gun?
2. If you're at home and a robber breaks in, will your gun be where you can reach it before he spots you and shoots you dead? He might not have killed you if you didn't reach for the gun – he's just there to rob some stuff – unless you're a target or a gang member..
3. If you keep a loaded gun at home where you can get at it, what stops some other family member from getting THEIR hands on it? On average a child shoots him/herself with a gun found at home once every week. What if the wife gets pissed at you and decides to blow a hole in some part of your body? Some visitor to your home – child or adult – who knows nothing about guns, may pick it up and shoot something – it happens far too often.
4. Accidental shootings happen every day in America - “I didn't know the gun was loaded” is not a platitude for no reason. I can provide you with probably twenty news stories a week of people shooting themselves or a family member by accident. Playing with the gun (what fun is it to have it if you don't play with it?), cleaning the gun, holstering the gun, showing off the gun, practicing with the gun – all great opportunities for it to accidentally go off. And every one of those people would have told you that they knew gun safety.
5. So, you're at the mall and a madman comes in. The shooter doesn't care if he dies – he'll be standing right out in the open where he can get a shot at you while you're diving for cover.
6. If you do shoot – and miss – you will be his next target.
7. He has an automatic weapon with large capacity clips – you have 5 or 6 shots.
8. Will you hit innocent civilians? In training centers where they teach professionals to react to active shooters, they spend an unusual amount of time training officers not to shoot the kids running out of the classrooms in fear.
9. If the police arrive quickly, they're going to shoot anyone with a gun – they don't know you're a good guy.
10. So you're in the car dealership when the ex-employee barges in to exact revenge for being fired. You pull your gun – four other customers and employees pull theirs. Now 6 of you have guns and you all start blasting away. Unarmed customers dive for cover – you lose track of which guy is the bad guy so you start shooting at anyone with a gun. Perhaps the car dealership is even called the OK Corral Used Car Lot.

In a segment on the Daily Show recently, the correspondent interviewed a trainer at a facility that works with police on handling active shooter situations. He indicated that in a study of over 600 shooting incidents, in only 3% of the incidents was a private gun owner able to be of help. In 13% of the incidents, unarmed people were able to be of help in stopping the shooter. In other words, while you're fumbling for your gun and aiming to be the hero, some unarmed dude has the job done.

And then there are the more personal issues that frighten me about you carrying a gun. Do you have a temper? If someone pulls out in front of you, or fails to signal while driving, are you capable of pulling your gun? Are you hot-headed? Are you ready to shoot the first person who insults you or a family member today? You are in a bar and get into an argument with a guy – pushing and shoving – are you going to shoot at him? I don't know you – and I don't trust you with that gun!

I don't know you. Do you do drugs or drink alcohol to the point of losing control or making bad choices? I've had experience with hunters who like to go into the woods drunk, carrying a gun, and shooting at anything that moves. I don't know you – I don't know if you're a good guy or a bad guy with a gun. I don't even know if you're a good guy with a gun and a temper, likely to forget how dangerous that gun is.

I don't know you. Do you have mental issues? Are you likely to wade into a large group of people and start killing them as a way to get some attention just before you kill yourself? Do you want to shoot a police officer just so they will return fire and you get to commit “suicide by cop?”

I don't know you. Do you hate your spouse or other family member? Are you so afraid that you sleep with a loaded unsecured gun under your pillow? Do you like to torture or shoot household pets? How about that neighbor of yours – does he piss you off because he mows his lawn at 7 am?

I don't know you. Are you careless and clumsy? Do you drop your gun from time-to-time, or forget to unload it when you clean it? Do you take it out in public, or around friends, to show it off? You are a danger to me and my family. Please leave your gun locked up when I'm around.

I guess I'll quit there, Mr. Gun-owner. There are a million more reasons to worry about you carrying around that weapon than there are reasons to believe that some day you will save my life.

Try doing some reading on statistics that point to the fact that you are a danger to society and if you've got an open mind, you just might begin to understand the fear you strike into those of us you think you are doing a favor.

Love,
Bozo Funny located at http://politicalfun.blogspot.com/