Holding a Gun Doesn't Explain Weapon's Lure - Washington Post

[BrokenPaw]

I went ahead and sent it to the editors for publication. I trimmed the last paragraph, because it was a personal invitation to Ms. Britt.

We'll see what they do with it. If it turns out that they do not publish, there's nothing that prevents me from writing a letter to the Times that just happens to be astonishingly similar.

Thanks for all the feedback!

-BP

 

[BrianB]

I lined up a window as a target.

Seems to me that she lined up the window, and everything and everybody beyond the window as a target....

Ok, it's not germaine to the discussion, but that statement bugged the heck out of me. It says a lot of things I'm not up to articulating at the moment, but:

1. She has NO respect for the killing power of a firearm, despite viewing them as objects of hatred, as "bad" things. Serious disconnect from reality, here. At least non-animist gun owners understand basic safety guidelines.

2. If the shop owner (and no, I'm not taking the story as an accurate accounting of her visit to the store) allowed her to site in on a window (regardless of inside window or outside, it's not a sufficient backstop) or even allowed her to handle a firearm without giving her the basic saftey rules, he's done us all a disservice. No, no gun stores I've ever been in have ever mentioned safety before allowing me to handle a firearm, but in this case, she'd established her inexperience with gun handling prior to taking the rifle in hand.

There were a few other choice bits in there, many already covered, but I figured I'd toss this one in as well.

 

[David Park]

I got a response to my letter (similar to my post above, with a P.S. offering to take her to the range). She said that she would never hate or even say anything bad about any group of people, including gun owners. She doesn't even hate the sniper any more. However, she hates guns, doesn't see anything irrational about that, but accepts that people like me feel differently.

She did say she'll keep my range offer in mind. I wrote back using a nicer tone, sent her a link to the 4 Rules here on TFL, and offered again to take her to the range. Who knows?

 

[KSFreeman]

Good work, David.

 

[AnotherPundit]

I like guns for the same reason I like fireworks.

 

[spacemanspiff]

doesn't even hate the sniper any more

next time, tell her, in the words of another TFL'er, "Think Twice, Publish Once."

i'd give props to whomever said that, but i have no idea, plus i'm too lazy to do a search right now.