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Up In Arms?
By Mona Lease
Hi, all. Last week was a study in mechanical errors - computer, ipad,
cell phone, etc. The last half of my column never made it to my editor.
I believe this is important so, I am resubmitting this.
The following is a lot of information in a short space. With the
rampant heroin usage - why are all firearms for sale and personally
owned - not under lock and key? Given the right circumstances - a BB
gun can kill. It's not the ammunition - it's the force behind the
ammunition that causes the problem. And just like a pool game - angle
means everything. A Daisy BB gun - no pump action - nose end of the
barrel touching the metal casing of the outside mirror of my car -
drove a metal BB down into the metal a 1/4 of an inch! Yes - I tried
this to prove a point to my son... any firearm is dangerous - even
deadly.
My firearm training - from a Viet Nam Vet (thanks much!) - was intense.
Firing the guns was last. There is a mental side to this. Violence is
always the last option. Walking away from a problem is always the first
option. There are no "attitudes" allowed! The firearm is for protection
- when there is no other choice - or for the arena - target shooting.
The same mental consciousness applies to hunting. A real hunter will
aim to kill - with the first shot. He/She will not leave a wounded
animal to suffer - unable to defend itself from it's weakest enemy.
You pick up a gun to kill. If you can not do that - do not pick up the
gun.You aim the gun to kill. If you can not do that - do not pick up
the gun. It is that moment of hesitation that will get you killed -
usually with your own gun. You fire no warning shots - this is NOT a
game. Also - people yelling obscenities and the like at you is "goading
you" into an action. Do not fall for the bait - which really says more
about you and your management of your emotions...which is from my
Karate Training - the mental side of it. In Karate - the idea is to
stay away from "explosive" situations. And again - to not be "goaded"
into an action. Karate literally means "empty hand" - by the way.
Both trainers taught me that you always maintain control of yourself.
If you lose your cool easily after using alcohol or illicit drugs -
then you need to make a choice - alcohol/drugs or firearms. The two
will never mix - do not be deceived. And most importantly - you always
assume every gun is loaded and the safety is not in place - no matter
how many times you empty it - or who is holding it. Losing your head on
either end of the gun can and usually does have "ugly results."
I googled Ohio Revised Code for our gun laws - and I am troubled. It
really only echoes our Constitution in that we have a right to keep and
bear arms - and little else. You do not even need a permit to purchase
one! Shouldn't there be some sort of mandatory training in the schools?
I am not speaking of firing the guns. I am speaking of the mental side
of this...maintaining control over yourself and your emotions. After
all - isn't that what gets it all started? Someone yells at you to drop
your weapon and you do not do it at once. Wouldn't it be some sort of
attitude that made you hang on to your gun? How many seconds the
requester waits for the gun to hit the ground is debatable. ..an
attitude is not debatable - is it? From my Viet Nam trainer: He finds
there is no excuse for violence in civilian life. He believes everyone
should go through 'Nam before having a gun...of any kind. He does not
own a gun. He believes if you can not walk away from trouble or
maintain your emotions - the gun will do you no good. You can not fire
a gun for ever. The mind and body can not endure it. At some point you
have to lay down the gun. It all made me think.
In 1967 - a girl was a ticket taker at a drive-in movie theater. Some
one fired a shot and she died. No one knows who fired the shot or why -
to this day. Denny Young and Kim Stephen were found shot to death in an
apartment. No one knows who - for sure. The why is speculated as a
disgruntled husband/ex-husband - according to the gossip. Around 1983 -
a brother was home on leave from the military. He jokingly aimed a gun
at his sister, pulled the trigger and she died. At a party - with
alcohol - some teens were playing with a gun. One decided another was
too drunk to take the gun with him. They argued, the gun went off and a
teen died. June 1994 - on 127 behind Green Villa Mobile Home Park -
someone fired potshots. One went through the rear of my mobile home. I
found the slug in my bedroom wall. A tiny 1"x2" stud kept it from
entering my bedroom. A Sheriff's Deputy said it was either a .38 or a
.44 slug!! Had I been sitting on the deck behind my mobile - I could
have gotten the slug in my neck. No one knows who or why on that one.
There were reports of other homes being hit at the next crossroad. In
all of these cases - in Darke County - no one fired to defend
themselves. Out of an attitude - happy - sad - angry - and
"potshotting" - people died. You have to have a permit to learn to
drive a car. And a license to keep driving the car. At the DMV -
through a battery of tests - someone determines if you are able to
drive - eye test - mental status - medical problems, etc. Every Dr. who
knows a patient is not capable of driving is required to tell the
state. Should guns be any different?
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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