Source: http://www.armedfemalesofamerica.com/archive.php?aid=613

"To my mind it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime, and death. How feeble is the mindset to accept defenselessness. How unnatural. How cheap. How cowardly. How pathetic." --Ted Nugent


Why Would You Ever Want To Shoot A Gun?
By Candace Faber



When my virgin trigger finger first felt the cold steel of a real weapon, the touch sent shivers through my whole being. My dad had a BB gun when I was a little girl, but I have seen those pellets and they were nothing compared to the heavy pieces of metal I loaded into the cylinder on a .357 revolver this past April. Almost as pounding as the cacophony of shooting range noises filtering through my ear protection were the invisible voices of my friends, colleagues, and fellow students: �Why would you ever want to shoot a gun?�

Tossing in my bed the other night, I continued to ponder the same question; my conclusions, however, came more from my single experience in the responsible practice of gun use then in the dozens of talking points argued back and forth on the evening NPR show I stumbled across on the shower radio.

Indeed, I was shaking as I held the revolver in front of me, but not because of the weight of the object. I was afraid, my head clouded by thoughts such as, �This thing is stronger than I am,� and, �What if I can�t control it?� It took me three rounds to realize that those fears were nothing but lies.



I cannot precisely define the moment when it hit me, but the second time I adjusted my goggles and stepped into the bay it was not with fear, but with a determination to improve and to hit my mark. Initial fear tightened my chest, making it hard to concentrate on where I should be shooting, but as my muscles started to relax, I could feel the more subtle details of the experience: the effect on my muscles of the �kick� of the gun, the precise center of the target I longed to hit, the small adjustments I could make with my hands to get me nearer to that goal. The tightness never completely left me, but there was an inexplicable freedom in knowing that I was not doing anything wrong by aiming at this piece of recycled paper seven yards away.

Returning to my questions of the other night, I remember the nightmares I had as a child. I never feared fire, or monsters, but my nightmares consisted of �bad people� breaking into our house and taking our things or hurting my family. As I shivered yet again at the thought of some physically strong and possibly armed man crawling through my beautiful little sister�s window, I know why I would really want to shoot a gun. The vision of a world where arms are found only in the hands of criminals is incredibly frightening. In a world where short sighted individuals work day in and day out to restrict our rights and turn this ominous vision into reality, it is not just our individual freedoms that are at stake, but the entire American experience of liberty.

My day at the range was powerful, enlightening, and dare I say - fun, but most importantly, I realized that I not only have the right, but the physical and mental ability to defend the things I care about, even in the most extreme of situations. It is a demanding responsibility to bear, not one to ever be taken lightly, and although I am still not certain if or when I myself will own a gun, I have finally realized that the liberty to do so is absolutely priceless.

damn ted nugent kicks ass.

violence is therapeutic

*Dumps his 9 in some fools chest*

Psychiatrist: Feel better now?

Me: Much!

I've been around firearms since I was 12 years old and enjoyed safely handling, admiring and using them for sport and inevitably self-defense.

Some years ago I wrote a rather lengthy analysis on the 2nd Amendment and eventually sent that to the NRA. The NRA never published it, but ironically various parts of its arguments seemed to turn up in US v. Emerson and Attorney General Ashcroft seemed to take the same point of view.

The problem is that most "liberals" don't get it. Its not about which side of the aisle you're on. When the 2nd Amendment was enacted, it was originally designed to keep King George out of your house and from quartering troops in it during peacetime. It was designed to show the government that the people, if things get awfully bad, have the right to take their government back (something Thomas Jefferson advocated vigorously), or to prevent the government from sending jack-booted, nazi-like thugs into your house illegally.

The other point is quite simple. During the 18th and 19th centuries, a great legal debate swirled around the difference between legal positivism and natural law. Which was better? Was it best for government to compel citizens to act in a certain manner, or was it perhaps better to encourage use to follow the path well trod and stick with the organic view of law, e.g. it changes as times change.

Under the view of natural law, it is deemed immutable that all human beings have the right of self-defense. That no one, other than the state, and then only through lawful means, has the right to take a life. Because of this view, it was deemed perfectly acceptable for citizens to bear arms in self defense.

If you believe you have a right to survive and to defend your life and the lives of your family and others who cannot defend themselves, then certainly I believe the right to keep and bear arms is very much alive and well.

I believe the right is tempered by compelling and overriding interests of the people to suppress the possession of firearms by criminals, loonies, dingbats, children, and other incompetents whether mental or legal. But the restriction must be reasonable, narrowly tailored, and must serve a compelling interest of the state.

As a result, I think it is foolish for any government to restrict the ownership if firearms merely for the convenience of political "will". The will of the people may change and be very fickle indeed, but the Constitution was put in place to make sure that IMMUTABLE principles remain in place regardless of the climate outside.

Because of the 2nd Amendment you could put your virgin finger on the cold hard steel trigger of a gun. It is because of this immutable principle that you can defend yourself from aggressors.

And not to be rude or disrespectful to those who do not understand the concept of self-defense (say like Dianne Feinstein), go "f__k yourselves" because God knows if these creeps ran the country, we'd be invaded in a week and the criminals would roam the streets undeterred.

As a Liberal I am always flummoxed by my liberal friends and the attatchment they have to gun controll. I always ask about the support they show for AIM and Leonard Peletier and ask them, Do you think native americans would have been able to advance their status as easily without the attention of wounded knee? No, they say. Well do you think wounded knee would have occured if AIM was unarmed? NO. they answer.
Well this is just the justification for having Amendment number two, the ability to rise against tyranny in Arms. Our forefathers felt it so Important that they made it the second amendment, pretty telling. Anyway that is my pro gun rant for the day, shoot safely.

Thanks, It's always refreshing to hear from a progun liberal.

Ted Nugent's such an asshole. Hell of a guitarist though, so I forgive him.

Since these "jackbooted Nazi thugs" usually storm the houses of and shoot up people considered to be enemies of the jews, "Nazis", why are you calling these same thugs NAZIS? It doesnt make sense. Its like calling jewish dealers in Russian White sex slaves (slaves they keep imprisoned legally in Israel) "Nazis". What the hell do Nationalist German soldiers in Germany in the 1930s-40s have to do with jackass American mercenary pro-wrestling clowns storming political dissenters' homes at the command of jewish government officials?

quote:

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Originally posted by soda:
violence is therapeutic

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Dam right.

Its also like a hobby..

"Why would you wanna learn morse code, why would you wanna learn to Cayac"

Just to prove you can!!

You don't wanna be without the knowledge of a standard pistol in 20 years when everyone goes balisitic! "Uhhhh, sorry, I didnt know there was a safety, uhhh- can we have another round?"