The other night around 11PM, I suddenly got the urge to write. I took a piece of advice from one of my Pinterest boards and bar the door, I was out there for a short flight - basically two paragraphs of a few choice words, then a landing.
Later, as I got ready for bed, I thought to myself, "What shall I write about now?" I could feel the tumblers rolling around in my brain and then the light went on at "guns." Yikes, scary subject.
I was lying in bed, my brain buzzing and I began to think about what I would do if a thief broke in and stole my television. Of course, a person doesn't really know what they would actually do in a real situation but I pray that I would not shoot anyone over a television. I would of course consider shooting the television if I got the chance! It would thrill my heart to be able to destroy that set - right in their arms. Of course this spurred an idea for an app that could enact a doomsday machine inside your missing piece of stolen technology. With certain codes and buttons, a stolen machine could be rendered trash in minutes flat. America, you can have that one! OK, go!
I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. My Dad and as far as I know, all my uncles had guns - mostly rifles and shotguns. I cannot tell you what kind or how many guns my Dad owned. He did not talk about them and we rarely ever saw them. Dad and my uncles owned these simple guns to help their families. They hunted on occasion, and what they shot - we ate - mostly. They also used their guns to defend their gardens from the varmints that would eat the food our families depended on.
In those days, folks didn't yammer on about their guns. There wasn't a race to see who could have the biggest, most powerful weapon. It wouldn't have made sense to shoot a rabbit in the cabbage patch with a gun that made a dead rabbit inedible.
Also, most young men, growing up in the country, took a class in school on gun safety. I don't know if this was through the FFA or high school shop class. Being safe with a gun was important. Nobody screamed government interference in their freedom.
Move into our present time and it seems like a gun free for all. It's the wild west all over again! This is one thing that I do not understand. A machine gun, which fires 500 to 800 rounds per minute, is illegal to personally own (as far as I can gather.) Yet, an AR-15 (assault rifle) fires as fast as you can pull the trigger with an average of 800 rounds per minute. Why isn't this gun and ones like it, illegal? Why would anyone outside the military need to own a gun like this? So for those of you who are throwing the Second Amendment in my face - don't. You can use this time to weigh out the words "Well 'regulated' " against "shall not be infringed" - and that's a dog chasing it's tail.
We need a license to drive a car - and that usually means studying a driving manual, then taking a written and driving test ( with a renewal every four years). It's to make sure a person knows what they're doing with a vehicle which can easily become a deadly weapon. We don't shake in our boots because someone has asked us to show that we are responsible - with a car. The rationale that expects us to be mentally fit to drive a car, should also apply to guns. A gun is a serious piece of equipment.
I don't want to ban guns, I might need one myself someday. I would like to see some common sense show up to figure out the modern day gun scene! And don't bother with "We have to be ready to overthrow the government." Are you kidding me? It's like someone recently pointed out "You're taking a gun to a clone fight." Here's a clue, the government has the BIG guns. We'd be better off studying civil disobedience and getting good at that if we really need to change our government. (Hmm, maybe that's what it's going to take to make changes in the existing assault rifle laws.)
The dead coyote at the top of the page was hit by a car
at the corner of 950N and 125W in Fortville, Indiana.
The dead coyote at the bottom of the page
was hit by a car on HWY 221 between Woodlawn and North Cove, N.C.
That concludes my collection of dead coyote pictures.
Cars are dangerous!
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