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Last Updated: Nov 19, 2008 - 9:58:14 AM |
It had to be at least 3 o’clock in the morning when I was was awakened, startled by hearing a pounding on the front door of our home not a polite knock. I grabbed an aluminum baseball bat that I keep under the bed and made my way to the front door. The thumping on the door was had the rest of the family up out of bed as well.
As I peered through the tiny window of the front door I could see the glistening remains of the freezing rain we had had earlier. I also saw an angry face and an old Buick out on the street with both doors standing open. The first words I could recognize coming from this young guy of about 25 or so were, “I know she’s in there.” His slurred words made it obvious he was drunk and that I may have had a problem on my hands.
I yelled through the door, “There’s nobody in here that you know,” and then told my daughter, who was at home from college for the weekend, to call the police. They arrived about five minutes later. In the meantime, our potential assailant tried the back door, where I showed him the ball bat through the window. When the police arrived, they chased him through the backyard, where he took a comical-looking fall on the patio and ended up being handcuffed and hauled away.
After everything calmed down, I thought about what I would do next. Should I go out and buy a gun in the morning? Maybe move up to a wooden Louisville Slugger. I had never owned a gun before and never thought I would ever need one. Turns out I really didn’t need one that night, either. This guy was sort of scary, but finally he was an out-of-control drunk who had parted with his girlfriend during an argument that ended on my street. In the end I thought I would leave things in God’s hands and allow fate to work the way it does. No gun.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that gun permits had increased after the election. Gun permit applications were up 15 percent nationally over last year. In Virginia, it’s reported to be almost 23 percent. Are more people having experiences like the one my family had a few years ago? Has hunting become an outdoor sport that has caught on like soccer did when my kids were young? More target shooting? Shooting cans in the woods?
Not exactly, I fear.
The AP reporter quoted a Midlothian sporting goods store manager. “‘They’re scared to death of losing their rights,’ said David Hancock, manager of Bob Moates, where sales have nearly doubled in the past week and are up 15 percent for the year. ‘On Election Day, salespeople were called in on their day off because of the crowd.’”
Has the president-elect said he was going to change gun laws? Has he designated Midlothian or Chesterfield a new gun-free zone?
The AP continued, “Obama has said he respects Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms, but that he favors ‘common sense’ gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he’ll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault and concealed weapons.
“During an October appearance in Ohio, Obama sought to reassure gun owners. ‘I will not take your shotgun away,’ he said. ‘I will not take your rifle away. I won’t take your handgun away.’”
So why the rush on gun shops? Why was Chesterfield used as the poster child for gun-crazy citizens who look like they’re about to secede again? These are not the Chesterfieldians I know.
But why are people so scared? Is it the shortage of police officers in Chesterfield? Would a gun buyer consider giving their gun purchase money instead to the police department to hire more officers? Would they consider increased taxes for better protection?
What concerns me is more guns in more hands in more public places. If you enjoy hunting, that’s cool. If you want to keep a weapon in your house to protect your family, I think that’s okay – just not for me.
But the more guns out there, whether bought for innocent purposes or not, or just because you fear losing you gun rights, makes more guns available, through theft or through disarmament by someone with unsavory intentions. And if you point a gun at an intruder, you better have the resolve to use it or you may end up dead. Unless you are willing to use a handgun on someone, you shouldn’t own it. So consider whether you are prepared to use a handgun on another human being before you buy.
I’m told target practice relieves stress, but some shooting ranges allow you to keep you gun in a locker on the premises. That may be a good idea in light of a recent murder-suicide that happened after Chesterfield police returned a gun, which had been given to them for safekeeping, to an unstable man, saying they had no legal right to keep it from him. His daughter is now an orphan.
Let me reiterate: the more guns out there, whether permitted or not, the more potential for problems. Gun rights are not going away – at least not the type someone with good intentions want and need. I think even my friends at the NRA would agree that an assault weapon is not necessary outside of a war zone. And last time I checked, the terrorists had not yet arrived in Chesterfield.
mfausz@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421
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