Rural gun ownership.

[silhouete2]

66. It's not a black/white issue--it's a grey one

In reading what you wrote--it seems clear that there are 2 main reasons that many rural folk own guns--hunting and protecting your family at your home. I have absolutely NO problems with that. My cousins live in rural Idaho and they have handguns and a shotgun. Their nearest neighbor is miles away and they are basically snowbound in the winter months. They also hunt. However, they do NOT have semi-automatic guns that shoot massive amounts of bullets in a short span of time. Nor do they conceal carry when they walk into town or go once a month into "the city". They never talk about going to the movies strapped nor walking around the mall in the larger towns with guns.

The practicality of gun ownership in rural America makes sense. For the reasons you described above. However the CT shooting and the recent one on Christmas Eve were done by people using semi-automatic weapons--and they weren't using it defensively--they were using it to purposely kill people.

I have family members who live in urban/suburban environments who have guns. They are kept at home for what they say is security purposes in case of home invasion. However, none of them conceal carry nor advocate the whole "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." They realize that it impractical in an urban environment. Too many people, too many issues--add in weapons, and you are open for some serious issues.

The 2nd amendment guaranteed a right to bear arms--but it wasn’t' made clear on some issues that affect modern day America. It was written in a time when guns were a necessary part of everyday life for EVERYONE. I'm all for --have your shotgun, handgun for hunting, shooting, family defense. But I have issues with letting people walk around concealing guns because they THINK they are going to stop a lunatic--even though I'd bet few have had extensive defensive shooting practice. You want to carry a gun around every day--you need a permit and you have to re-up that permit. I also believe that semi-automatic weapons and magazines with huge amounts of bullets aren’t' necessary. Where do we stop? Responsible gun ownership has to start with a conversation on why semi-automatic weapons are necessary. The whole yelling 2nd amendment as a defense doesn’t hold water.

And yes, we have to do a better job of not letting people with issues own guns. However, even though the shooter in CT had issues that were present before the incident, it isn't always crystal clear. Who's to say that someone who now owns a gun, purchased it legally and was of sound mind at the time, doesn’t snap later on and now has a device that can take out people easily.

Not everyone sees the 2nd amendment as an absolute for people to be able to carry whatever kind of gun they want. I know people argue that if we limit the kinds of guns "the good guys" have access to, then the "bad guys" will. Well, considering that many illegal guns start out as legal purchases, to me ends that argument. Don't want bad guys to have semi-automatic weapons--don't let them be sold so the "bad guys" can steal them.

This isn't a black and white situation when it comes to guns. We can't get rid of them all--but at the same time, arming everyone who walks on 2 legs isn't the simple answer either. We need to sit down and talk about it. However, since nowadays most people live in a black/white I'm right/you're wrong world--nothing on this will ever meet with a compromise and that is a shame. I don't want to live in a society where teachers are armed--and our schools are treated like prisons or fortresses. I don't want to be so afraid to go out in public in case people get so angry at one another-they draw their guns and start shooting. There has to be a 3rd way. We just have to be brave enough to talk about it.