No, I'm not going to register my guns. [View all]

[MadHound]

I've a grand total of four guns in my house, two shotgun, a twenty two single shot rifle, and the black powder wall hanger that went through the Civil War. Nothing major, about what you would expect to have in any rural household. They were handed down from my father, and once in a long while I use them, mostly for varmint control around my farm, and for target shooting every now and then.

In Missouri, I'm not required to register them, and I'm not going to, even if it becomes a legal requirement in this state. Why? Because I don't want my residence to become a potential target for thieves.

When the Journal News published the names and addresses of registered handgun owners, every single one of those people and households became a target. It was an epic piece of stupidity, since most of the flood of illegal guns in this country come from stealing the guns of law abiding owners. And the Journal News just gave those thieves a nice interactive map that allows them to plan their forthcoming crime spree much more effectively.

Yes, yes, I can hear you now, "Aren't guns supposed to be kept in a gun safe anyway?" Yes, they should be, but a few salient points here. A lot of people don't keep their guns in a gun safe. Some folks just have the single gun for self defense, stashed in their nightstand. Others keep all their guns but one in a gun safe. Some folks don't keep any of their guns in a safe, simply stash them in the back of a closet or in a drawer.

But even if they did keep all their guns in a gun safe, that still won't deter the determined and skilled thief. Most gun safes aren't that tough to get into, and some safes are so lightweight that a couple of people can simply move them out, throw the safe into a truck for later opening. In fact, about the most foolproof "gun safe" I've ever seen is my father in law's safe. When he built his new house, he build a special room, installed a bank safe door that he picked up at an auction, and put all of his guns in there.

But even if the thieves that come in are deterred by the gun safe, the rest of the house is still open for pilfering, and thieves aren't the pickiest people in the world. If they don't get the guns, they can still get the electronics and other valuables lying around.

Is that what the Journal News is wishing upon those law abiding citizens, making them a target for thieves? Do they deserve to be a target for criminals simply because they own a gun? Is this how the Journal News really wants to honor the victims of Sandy Hook, by creating an interactive map for thieves? How very irresponsible.

What is the purpose of this map? To let people where the big bad scary guns are? Really, are you going to change who you associate with just because they own a gun? Are you that shallow. Hell, out here in the country people simply assume that everybody has a gun in their house somewhere, it's no big deal. The kids still come over and play, neighbors still visit their neighbors, and nobody is freaked out by a gun. Perhaps it is because they've grown up with them, see them for what they are, a tool, and aren't bent out of shape by lawful gun owners. Geez, if you folks are weirded out by the mere possession of a gun, don't come around during hunting season, you'll freak from the sound of all the gunfire.

Here in Missouri, I'm not required to register my guns, and frankly I doubt that I will have to during my lifetime. However, if per chance it comes about that I will be required by law to register those guns, that will be a law that I break. I do not want my house to become a target for thieves, I want to keep my guns in my hands, not stolen by some thief to be used in some killing somewhere else. That is, in my opinion, the most responsible position one can take.

A shame that the Journal News didn't exhibit that kind of responsibility.