Me And A Gun

**SFA437** · 10-11-2008, 08:53 PM

Brightlight- I wish it were so.

If I knew, with ABSOLUTE certainty, that neither my family or I would be threatened with death I'd toss em all. I like archery too

Seriously- the problem in the States goes FAR beyond the availability of firearms. It is rooted too far to weed it out. We have gone from a gun culture to a drug culture, a violence culture, a greed culture. Instant gratification and damn the consequences seems to be the rallying cry of today. Heck, even our markets collapsing are symptoms of this.

As much as calling them ragheads or muj or other racially insensitive terms, dehumanizing does not work. Every life I have taken has affected me. I know those who died had families, children- someone who will miss their presence. The ones who brag about killing either never have or are slightly deranged.

**Posh** · 10-11-2008, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Blobe

Why did you feel the urge to tell us you are changing your life, quiting your phone and stuff? If posh can't put a piece about guns, why should we read your life experience?
(Even tho it was interesting)

This argument is just not good

I was wondering this myself.

Originally Posted by Brightlight

Well! Posh really drew out all the gun freaks from the woodwork. In the immortal words of Corporal Jones from Dad's Army "They don't like it up them". I just wonder how many of these good folks with their pistols, their rifles and their 600 rounds a minute automatics have actually ever fired at and been fired at in earnest (SFA, you I know have, I don't include you in this). How many have actually killed another human being, and know how that feels. You know why we call the people we've killed, huns, gooks, terrs, muja hedeen? Because it dehumanises them and lets us, hopefully, live with ourselves when we snuff them out. They do the same I'm sure. That, good people, is what guns are for, to kill people. You can justify them all you like, but you see I, and no doubt others among us, know what they are really capable of. You can say it's people and not guns that kill people. So I can say in response, wake up and smell the coffee, you are so steeped in gun culture you cannot tell the difference. I have had experience of both and have no doubt which I prefer. If I never touch another gun it will be too soon.

Just my two cents worth to a pointless discussion.

Rock on Hyacinth Gecko!

It's Bucket!

Originally Posted by sfa437

So you propose I do patrols through Baghdad armed only with my wits? Surely you jest

. Here's a question for you- if wits are enough, why do police officers carry firearms? Even better why does the Secret Service carry them? Surely you do not posit they have no wits about them....

Yes, of course. Go into warzone with a quiche and a smile. That's what I advocate. Kill them with kindness.

Originally Posted by sfa437

As much as calling them ragheads or muj or other racially insensitive terms, dehumanizing does not work. Every life I have taken has affected me. I know those who died had families, children- someone who will miss their presence. The ones who brag about killing either never have or are slightly deranged.

Dehumanization of you "enemy" is what basically has to be done in order to take someone's life away from them. I learned this from a former Marine I know.

This friend is a walking, talking country song. He has a house, a dog and Ford truck. He's a Marine and has been to Iraq and Afghanistan. We were having dinner at a restaurant in the Inner Harbor over a year ago and were discussing politics, which inevitably comes up because he is a staunch Republican and I am not. He was telling me about his position on the war and then told him mine. After some banter back and forth, I asked him if he had killed anybody while he was over there. He looked me in the eye and said, "If I told you I did, would that change how you felt about me?" I told him plainly that it would but I wasn't sure because of how I felt about him already. And then he said, "Then I'm not going to tell you if I did or didn't because I don't change us." I couldn't say anything back because it brought up so many different scenarios and emotions for me. I guess this says more about me than it does about him. I have my principles and values, most of which he shares but on something as important to me as life, I refuse to compromise my views. It's a very complex issue and I'm still unsure about what answer I wanted to hear from him.

If he did kill anyone, then he would be one of those people I couldn't ever see the same way because I feel like he didn't HAVE to join the military if he had done well in school or started working somewhere. But he didn't have the money, the scores or the ambition to go, which I don't fault him for at all. Before I knew him, he was smokin', tokin' and jokin' and not taking authority too seriously. He continues to tell me he's grown SO much in a such short period of time, which after meeting his friends, I'm inclined to agree because he says he USED to be just like them. He's tremendous intelligence, for being as he put it, "Pennsyltucky white trash," and his enormous amount of pride in himself and his country and his service is refeshing.

If he didn't kill anybody, then it was moot point. We still talk, althought I can't date him, and I still don't know if he did or didn't and I'm actually glad he didn't tell me.