Why North County owns guns (North San Diego County)

North County Times ^ | Nov 17 04 | B Brett

[churchillbuff]

It's 2 a.m. Except for the occasional cry of a coyote, the night is deeply silent. The rest of my family is asleep, but I'm lying here wide awake, thinking about guns. I'm thinking about how, when I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years, I knew nobody who owned a gun ---- not even those who lived in rough neighborhoods. And how, here in this peaceful rural enclave of Valley Center, almost everyone around me has at least one firearm.

I've asked some people I know why they feel the need to have a gun, and a few of them talk about protecting themselves from rattlesnakes and mountain lions. I have a hard time buying that one ---- there are more injuries caused by hurtling down Valley Center Road in a month than there are from rattlesnakes in a decade. As for mountain lions, I've lived here for 10 years and I'm still waiting to see one.

Most people tell me about the Second Amendment and their inalienable right to bear arms. They talk about the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.

Sometimes they like to remind me that guns don't kill but people do. When I ask these people what they feel they need to protect themselves from out here, where crime usually consists of having a bicycle stolen, they say it's better to have weapons in the hands of responsible people than criminals.

None of this makes much sense to me. I've lived in North County long enough to see that many men here in the land of big boulders and horse ranches have Wild West fantasies. This is, after all, John Wayne country, the place where real cowboy and Indian games were played out. There's a little bit of a Texas mentality in Valley Center ---- if people could get away with driving around with guns on their roof racks, I have no doubt that many of them would, even if there was no logical reason for it.

People tend to forget that in the days of the Founding Fathers all firearms were single shot and took about a minute to reload for the next shot. They also tend to forget that in those days there was no standing army, which is why the Founding Fathers needed ordinary people to protect the country.

Most important, in the days of the Founding Fathers and the Wild West, there wasn't an epidemic of ADD, OCD, hyperactivity and depression among teenagers. Suicide wasn't the second-highest cause of death among teenagers after car crashes. And homicide wasn't the third. Instead of playing adrenaline-pumping video games like Grand Theft Auto for hours on end, boys tired themselves out chopping wood and hauling water.

Grizzly bears and mountain lions were a real threat a hundred years ago here in Valley Center, so it would have made sense for men to own guns and teach their families how to use them.

By 3 a.m., I'm wondering when there'll be another Columbine or Santana High massacre. I'm also wondering why President Bush, who cares so deeply about eliminating weapons of mass destruction around the world, should care so little about eliminating the weapons of destruction right here on our own soil: semiautomatic assault weapons. Will I ever get any sleep?

[South40]

I betcha there are more guns in East County.

[sport]

As the saying goes,"God created man." "Samuel Colt made men equal."

[Steel Wolf]

Thank you. I got considerably dumber reading this article. There is no longer any chance I'll use my genuis intellect for evil, because my IQ is now in the mid 30s.

[kingu]

The author forgot all the human critters who go into North County to commit crimes, including invasion robberies. But hey, he's a liberal whiner, so as soon as he buries his family and someone brings up his editorial, he'll point out that if there were more gun laws, those criminals wouldn't have had weapons to kill his family.

The mentality is self destructive.

[sport]

You can always go back to where you came from, B.Brett.

[The KG9 Kid]

Shut up, Brigid.

[FreedomCalls]

I also own a fire extinguisher. I've never used one though. I've never even seen a house fire. None of my neighbors have either, but they too own fire extinguishers.

[paul51]

Anyone that doesn't accept the responsibility to learn how to defend themselves and their families is a fool. If evil ever showed up in front of this guy, what's his plan? Call the police...or his neighbors who are armed? After he writes drivel like this, if I were his neighbor, I'd probably hang up on him.

[Steel Wolf]

I'm thinking about how, when I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years, I knew nobody who owned a gun ---- not even those who lived in rough neighborhoods. And how, here in this peaceful rural enclave of Valley Center, almost everyone around me has at least one firearm.

The author nails it dead on in the first paragraph, without even realizing it.

[Monterrosa-24]

These good neighbors should tell this guy they have guns because if his sniviling zip-wad "liberal" socialist friends give themselves too much power, the people will have the option of rising up, hanging the worst government officials, holding free elections, and regain their republic.

[Humidston]

Looks to me like the author would prefer living closer to Boston, where people are ohh so much more cosmopolitan and elitist. And I'm certain the neighbors would love to see them go!

[SaltyJoe]

So, this guy wants the Republicans to own all the guns?

That's how I throw this BS right back at leftists (and union bullies).

"So, Mr. Union "brother", are you saying that you would rather have President Bush own all the guns?"

It usually stops the argument abruptly.

I hate being surrounded by limp wristed wussies at certain times in my life. I hate having to explain that the muzzle loading single shot musket was the "assault rifle" of its day. Its deadly accuracy and range was often greater than of horse drawn light artillery. How many times do the legal gun owners of America have to fight off cowards like this? Seven times seventy?

I'm going to make it a point to remind them that I get my security advice from Israelis. I'm looking to expose their anti-human hatred for life. Self-defense is intrinsict to self-preservation. And if they don't want to have simple and legal firearms, then such cotton candy fluff writers should place ALL their faith in Jesus to protect themselves rather than guns and government.

[mrpipesmkr]

No, the author will never get any sleep.

[c-b 1]

I've asked some people I know why they feel the need to have a gun

Sorry, B Brett, I don't have to justify to you, or anyone why I own firearms!

Most important, in the days of the Founding Fathers and the Wild West, there wasn't an epidemic of ADD, OCD, hyperactivity and depression among teenagers. Suicide wasn't the second-highest cause of death among teenagers after car crashes.

Wouldn't it make sense to look into what is causing ADD, OCD, hyperactivity, and depression amoung teenagers, and correct that problem, without drugging anyone who doesn't fit the current definition of normal?

[gc4nra]

"You can always go back to where you came from, B.Brett."


No! We don't want him.

[LibertarianInExile]

But it's so much fun to answer the question!

Why do you feel the need to have a gun?

-Because if I don't have one the monsters will eat me.

-Because when people like you bother me, I think about ol' Betsy and the day of revolution and it always makes me smile!

-Because it's so damn hard to carry a concealed machete.

-Because when I need to change lanes on day trips to LA, it's easier just to shoot out the tires of the liberal puke next to me than hope he'll let me over.

-Because we have to be able to take and hold the bridge to Coronado after the shooting starts...oops, I've said too much!

-Because if your crazy mom shakes like that AGAIN while I'm introducing her to the ol' python o' love, I'm going to have to kill her to get her off me.

-Because people don't give you their money if you're just carrying a hammer.

-Because when I didn't carry but was happy to see people, people kept making the same lame joke about me 'having a gun in my pocket.' Joke's on them now!

-Because it's much more fun watching Dan Rather on the news when you can point and go 'kerpow! blam!'

[LibertarianInExile]

"Most important, in the days of the Founding Fathers and the Wild West, there wasn't an epidemic of ADD, OCD, hyperactivity and depression among teenagers. Suicide wasn't the second-highest cause of death among teenagers after car crashes."

Nah, there's a simple correlation between lack of gun ownership and those mental disorders, as well as suicides. When every kid had a bb gun or a .22, you didn't hear jack about those things, didja? :)

Not to mention that
A) you can't find many statistics on suicides in the 1700s or the Wild West
B) there weren't cars to crash in those days
C) in those days, you didn't have time to get depressed, because you were busy killing Brits or Injuns with your trusty musket. It's amazing what a perspective dead people give you on life!

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

ZOT! It's 2 a.m. Except for the occasional cry of a coyote, the night is deeply silent. The rest of my family is asleep, but I'm lying here wide awake, thinking about ZOT! . I'm thinking about how, when I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years, I knew nobody who owned a ZOT! ---- not even those who lived in rough neighborhoods. And how, here in this peaceful rural enclave of Valley Center, almost everyone around me has at least one ZOT! . I've asked some people I know why they feel the need to have a ZOT! , and a few of them talk about protecting themselves from rattlesnakes and mountain lions. I have a hard time buying that one ---- there are more injuries caused by hurtling down Valley Center Road in a month than there are from rattlesnakes in a decade. As for mountain lions, I've lived here for 10 years and I'm still waiting to see one. Most people tell me about the ZOT! Amendment and their inalienable right to bear ZOT! . They talk about the Founding Fathers and the Constitution. Sometimes they like to remind me that ZOT! don't kill but people do. When I ask these people what they feel they need to protect themselves from out here, where crime usually consists of having a bicycle stolen, they say it's better to have ZOT! in the hands of responsible people than criminals. None of this makes much sense to me. I've lived in North County long enough to see that many men here in the land of big boulders and horse ranches have Wild West fantasies. This is, after all, John Wayne country, the place where real cowboy and Indian games were played out. There's a little bit of a Texas mentality in Valley Center ---- if people could get away with driving around with ZOT! on their roof racks, I have no doubt that many of them would, even if there was no logical reason for it. People tend to forget that in the days of the Founding Fathers all ZOT! were single shot and took about a minute to reload for the next ZOT! . They also tend to forget that in those days there was no standing army, which is why the Founding FREEPers needed ordinary people to ZOT! the DUmmies. Most important, in the days of the Founding Fathers and the Wild West, there wasn't an epidemic of ADD, OCD, hyperactivity and depression among teenagers. Suicide wasn't the second-highest cause of death among teenagers after car crashes. And homicide wasn't the third. Instead of playing adrenaline-pumping video games like Grand Theft Auto for hours on end, boys tired themselves out chopping wood and hauling water. Grizzly bears and mountain lions were a real threat a hundred years ago here in Valley Center, so it would have made sense for men to own ZOT! and teach their families how to use them. By 3 a.m., I'm wondering when there'll be another Columbine or Santana High massacre. I'm also wondering why President Bush, who cares so deeply about eliminating weapons of mass destruction around the world, should care so little about eliminating the weapons of destruction right here on our own soil: semiautomatic assault ZOT! . Will I ever get any sleep? /sarcasm

[Travis McGee]

What a complete moron. Two points.

/1/ Those flintlocks back in the olden days were MORE deadly, not less deadly, when you take into consideration the medical care provided to gunshot victims in 1800 and 2004. Any limb shot meant an amputation, and a 50-50 chance of a death in screaming agony anyway from infection. Any torso shot resulted in an agonizing screaming death, period. Today's gang bangers sport bullet wounds like tattoos, after being patched up in most cases.

In 1800 a deranged person could easily load up a blunderbuss or two and wipe out a church picnic or schoolroom with a hail of lead balls and rusty iron nails. Most of the wounded victims would die horrible deaths, as I outlined above, from sepsis. Yet I have never heard of it happening. What changed from then until now? The values, not the firepower.

/2/ The people (militia) were armed to fend off an out of control "standing army," a concept the FF abhorred and feared. The fact that we have a vast standing army today is MORE of a reason for the people to be armed, not less.