What I Learned From My Blog About Guns

Early last month I wrote a fictional blog about my being President and how I would make new laws governing hand guns and assault rifles. I was pretty sure that it would elicit some disagreement and hopefully some agreement. But I was certain that I had made myself clear as to what I considered good new laws and how they would not unarm the average American. I was mistaken.

Let me say first that my column elicited a Count Raoul record 108 comments.  Maybe a third of the comments were from me trying to explain myself (a waste of time) and some included the readers arguing with themselves. But I learned a lot from the experience and I would like to share what I learned here.

Guns are very, very popular in Georgia. And that’s OK, ‘cause I like the shotgun I
grew up with and the deer rifle I shared with my brothers. But the Athens Patch readers and those from surrounding towns do not like anybody saying anything negative about their guns. Anything. 

My blog supported long guns for protection and sport, but apparently a good number of readers did not bother to get to that part of the article. I fear that as soon as they saw the word ‘gun’ and ‘law’ in the same paragraph they stopped reading and jumped on the NRA propaganda wagon. 

I was insulted as being ‘like Hitler’ and reminded that it’s unpatriotic to oppose an amendment that I do not oppose.  Yes, a few thinking souls wrote about the original intent of the second amendment and a few stats about states with strong gun laws having high crime.  These arguments were catnip to my argument, but it was the unthinking respondent that got my goat.

I was told by more than one that China has not invaded the US because we are all armed. And how Switzerland has never been invaded because the law says they must be armed. They forgot that Switzerland households MUST be armed with rifles; exactly what I had pleaded was a logical defense.

People went on and on about how a population with a high percentage of citizens practicing concealed carry would never allow the slaughter that happens too often in America. Statistics from countries with strong gun laws and minimal gun violence mean nothing to someone who just plain does not believe the statistics to be true.

And the pro gun folks did not seem to know that NYC Cops have a 34% accuracy rate when they shoot at a criminal. Trained, highly trained, police officers hit something other than their target two-thirds of the time, and I’m supposed to think that it’s safer to have Bubba with a chrome Colt and a cold Colt 45 than nothing at all. Please.

Then the anecdotes started about the grandma who saved her family from a criminal thanks to her trusty, rusty handgun. I certainly applaud this gumption and pray I am never in grandma’s shoes. But my 30/30 with a three shell magazine will probably do the job. Stories of accidents with handguns far outnumber the hero tales I fear.

Let me finish by reminding my readers that I DO NOT WANT TO BAN GUNS.  The tired crap about ‘next they’ll take my knife and baseball bat’ is so dated. First, remember that ‘they’ are elected by ‘us’ and that seat belts laws have not resulted in helmets for auto drivers just like speed limits do not result in 10 MPH highways.  But seat belts and speed limits save lives.  Eliminating hand guns and assault rifles will too.

This blog will be set up not to receive comments.  If you have something to say, please go to my original blog here.

I hope you will read it before making a comment.  But mostly, I want to set a new record….