Kid With a Gun : Gun Control and Traditional American Values
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| United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903 |
When I started writing this article it was originally intended to be about building my first AR-15. I think with the recent events involving Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson and the response of A&E to his statements my thoughts were led in another direction. The whole Phil Robertson debacle has served to bring to light the conflicts between traditional values and politically correct liberal viewpoints. Don't get me wrong because I'm not a Bible thump-er by any means, I have a lot of what would be considered "liberal" viewpoints. I think what bothers me is the way the media in particular is so welcoming of some lifestyles and viewpoints but chastises anyone who dares express an opinion based on traditional Christian values. I had started writing about how the attitudes towards gun ownership had changed to lead into why I had never owned an AR but was compelled to build one recently. I unintentionally ended up on the perhaps somewhat preachy but heartfelt tangent that follows. I'll get back to my first AR build later.....
I have always been a gun enthusiast and
these days I collect mostly older military rifles and pistols, looking for
relics of the past intrigues me. I mostly have pieces from WWI, WWII, and
the Wild West. These are the weapons that helped forge our nation and
protected our way of life. Without these tools of liberty there would be no
America. The craftsmanship and ingenuity involved in making these guns is an
art form. The lives of the brave sons and daughters who fought for our nation
relied on the genius of their design and the quality of their workmanship.
My tastes weren’t
always so symbolic. Ever since I was a kid and graduated from an air gun to my
first .22 rifle and shotgun I have been interested in firearms and shooting. I
grew up in the rural Moreland, Georgia and hunting and shooting was just a normal and
almost required part of every young boy’s life. I think I got my first .22
rifle for Christmas when I was maybe 13 or 14 and it was my constant companion
on my daily treks into the woods. It was an inexpensive FIE copy of the
Remington Nylon 66, I think it came from Otasco or maybe K-mart. The next year
of course I had to have a shotgun to keep it company, it was an old Deerfield
20 gauge pump my father found at a pawn shop, but it functioned flawlessly. I
always kept them both loaded in my closet in case we were invaded by those
pesky Russians or a gang of outlaws. Times were different then and nobody
thought anything much of kids owning firearms. Of course the adults constantly
drilled the safety rules into our heads at every opportunity and made sure we
were instilled with enough sense and morals to be trusted with one. The latter
lesson was the more challenging and time consuming part but parents did it
because as parents that was their job and responsibility. It was a job not to
be taken lightly and involving sacrifice and commitment.
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| Model 1897 |
I used to go “hunting” a lot which was really
just an excuse to get dressed in camo and explore the forest with my friends or
on a solo adventure. I never really shot a lot of game; pine cones and
mistletoe was my favorite quarry. Of course I had that one friend who
wanted to shoot everything that moved, snake, squirrel, lizard, blue jays….
Fortunately for them he wasn’t a very good shot. There was no need for
recycling as any tin can or milk jug we got a hold of was shot up until it was
reduced back to its base minerals and redistributed throughout the countryside.
Maybe it wasn’t as cool as playing Grand Theft Auto or watching trash TV, but it
got us out of the house. We got lots of fresh air and we learned
responsibility, marksmanship, and camaraderie. We also picked up a lot of
knowledge of nature and the world around us off the beaten path. We learned the
importance of cleaning and maintaining our weapons and to respect other peoples
land.
For boys pocket knives were a necessity
at school in case you needed to cut something for your teacher and of
course as a last line of defense against perverts, ninjas, or parachuting
commies. Seriously those were the days of the Atlanta child murders and we were
just a stone’s throw down the road from there. Common sense told you a
sharp blade would probably be more useful in fending off an attacker than one
of those plastic whistles they used to give us. Those events were
splashed all over the local channels on the evening news which was required
viewing back then for most families. It instilled fear in parents and kids
alike and was maybe my first memory of senseless violence and of murder for no reason.
Something that has become all too common place in today’s society.
“Zero Tolerance” hadn’t been invented yet.
People and events were actually judged individually on their own merit and with
common sense. You were also allowed to have personal values and express them
without ridicule. We had heroes and celebrities we looked up to. Not because
they were outrageous or did crazy stuff but because they were good honest
people and they did good things. People who worked hard and were rewarded for their
efforts were respected and looked up to. You didn’t have to be afraid to have
an opinion or take a stand on something you believed in. Things have
changed and somewhere along the way we lost our perspective and took a wrong
turn onto a very dark path.
If we as a society and a nation think we can’t
trust our citizens to have firearms then there is something desperately wrong
that has nothing to do with gun control. Add to this the fact that our
government passes out weapons to the barbarians in the middle east and other
volatile regions like they were government cheese and it doesn’t take a genius
to figure out there’s a problem. Most of these people would just as soon kill
us as they would shoot the other idiots they are fighting. Our commander in chief
is more like the celebrity in charge. Washington’s “leadership style” has
become a joke and an embarrassment. It’s a constant game of, what can we
talk these idiots into believing this week. The task of diverting attention
from their own screw ups without taking any responsibility for anything is
also time a consuming endeavor. And of course they have to figure out how to
best use the latest savage’s senseless actions to further their own
idiotic agenda. The news media are the ultimate enablers acting more like
publicist and promoters for their favored politicians and twisted agendas.
Looking closer to home a strong
family structure is almost non-existent these days. The Leave It to Beaver Days
of family values and parental role models are all but over. Kids are often left
to learn their “values” from TV, video games and music. More often than not
what they learn is to do whatever you feel like and you are entitled to be
happy and be provided for. And bad behavior is often not only tolerated but rewarded.
Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either a racist, bigot, or just
clinging to their foolish religion. Of course “foolish religion” translates
into Christianity, all the other religions are free from ridicule and anyone
who criticizes or dares to disagree with them is horrible and prejudice.
What does all this have to do with the gun control movement? The point is guns or even gun control is not the problem at all. We need search a lot deeper if we ever hope to find answers to what’s wrong with our country and why senseless violence has become so commonplace. Maybe we need to look to the common sense, beliefs and values of our past. Whether you are a Christian or not, our entire society, our system of values, respect for ourselves and others and the respect for human life is all based on Christian beliefs and the Bible. Without having these foundations in our past we would have nothing and without them today and in the future soon we may be left with nothing. Irvin Bennett
Here's an interesting footnote to this story. I regularly publish articles on the Yahoo Contributor Network and this article was the first one they ever rejected. Yahoo tends to be extremely liberal, and they love Obama worshiping articles. Here was the response I got from them on my publishing this article. "Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, we cannot publish this content, because it contains language, references or ideas deemed inappropriate by Yahoo Contributor Network" Thanks for proving my point Yahoo!
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