My Month with a Gun, A Response to Heidi Yewman

[8MM Mauser]

Twins,

This requirement already exists in many states, like my state, Michigan. In fact, that particular requirement is currently costing me out of having a permit; not to mention the time needed for "training." I work 45 hours a week, go to school seeking a BA full time at night, and take care of a wife and daughter, the costs of buying a carry peice, training ammo, buying the training and laying for the license is about what I make in a month.

I guess those of us too poor to afford "training" should remain defenseless outside the home, it's not like poorer people are more likely to be the victims of crime... Oh wait....

What I do at the range is much better than the "training" my state government says I should have. In fact, I probably put more rounds through my .22 than the vast majority of cops do in a given year. I do what I can, that is "common sense." Only an imbecile would buy a gun and seek no guidance or training; I have been lucky to have people in my life to take care of that for me as I come from "gun people." However, proficiency is not what matters to the governing body, what matters to them is their $100 license and their $200 training is yearly renewals of $100. It's tough enough to afford textbooks FGS!

 

[Pilot]

Pilot,

HMMM, I guess that ends my rebuttal then....please think about what you just posted.

"Well regulated" refers to the militia, not the private citizens right to possess an arm, but you are correct the 2A mentions training in the context of the militia, but again, does not tie training to the individual right. See the difference?

 

[spacecoast]

I took Twins' rebuttal to mean that the 2A isn't valid, since it doesn't say anything about training.

 

[Al Norris]

MLeake? Twins? I fully expect a 100 to 500 word composition on how we got from "My Month with a Gun, A Response to Heidi Yewman," to mandatory training - of any kind.

I also expect both of you to explain to our other members why you both thought taking this thread completely off topic was a good idea. Please include an apology to the OP and to the members of TFL for wasting our time (you both realize that your conversation could have been carried out via PM's, yes?)!

 

[dakota.potts]

MLeake, if you're any kind of man, you'll deliver it in 99 or 501 words.

But seriously, although some of the off topic discussion could be curtailed, I thought that some of it was addressing exactly what Ms. Yewman's article was about -- her suggestion that training should be made mandatory to carry a gun.

 

[Al Norris]

Dakota? PM inbound....

 

[twins]

Brian/readers of this thread,

It was not my intent to hijack the thread. Sorry it went that way.

Twins

 

[MLeake]

Brian, sorry, I agree with dakota.potts, and had thought that since you were playing counter-point to Heidi Yewman - one of whose major points was the horrible lack of mandatory training for gun ownership - that the debate between Twins and myself was absolutely on topic. If you did not feel that way, then I apologize for veer that I had not realized was veer.

Other readers of the thread, ditto. Once again, there are explicit topics in the OP, but I felt the mandatory training aspect was an implicit topic, in light of the original column that Brian was critiquing and countering.

Al Norris, I generally find you one of the most reasonable mods on TFL, so if you felt it was veer, I won't disregard your opinion. I don't necessarily agree, but out of respect for you will refrain from further discussion of the topic (aside from saying that 8mm Mauser bore out one of my main problems with the concept of mandatory training).

dakota.potts, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'd rather not have you get in trouble for tweaking mods on my account. If you really feel the need to do that, PM is your best bet.