My brother the gun nut...

[nil desperandum]

54. I stayed with my folks

while on leave from the military. We had always hunted, my dad, my brothers, my friends...brought guns to school in our cars and trucks and I even carried my double barrel shotgun into English class to show my teacher who was interested in what we had for guns.

I also had a revolver as a kid...and I bought a 1911 for target practice and because I knew it was a military pistol.

While home on leave two men tried a home invasion of my parent's home apparently mistaking our home for someone they knew to have some cash on hand...had I not had that 1911 I suspect the outcome would have been quite different for my parents and siblings...

The thing that remains in my mind as a clear as a bell over 40 years later is how fast everything happened...literally seconds, the sounds, the smells, I still recall it as if it was yesterday.

Training with the 1911 in the Army made my proficiency with it very good.

I still carry to this day, perhaps because of that experience. I still target shoot and train with some old military friends a few younger vets because I think it's wise to do so to remain accurate and safe with your techniques.

I will probably never need that weapon again, but when I did I was really glad it was available.

I'm a strong supporter of the 2nd amendment and I don't find it at all at odds with the ideas of being a progressive. That said I think certain aspects of our guns laws should be addressed, but that's not the only resolution here.