Attn: American Gun Lovers - The Blessings of Civilization Are Required!

[spin]

13. Do I get the feeling that you believe that all gunowners hope for the chance...

to blow away some bad guy?

If so, let me point out that most responsible gun owners have no desire to ever have to use their firearms for self defense. People who carry concealed weapons go out of their way to avoid confrontation or a situation in which they will have a legitimate reason to use their firearms.

Such individuals practice something called "situational awareness". That means simply that they are alert to their surroundings. They don't walk down dark streets with a cell phone glued to their ear. They don't visit outdoor ATM machines at 2 am. They avoid dangerous areas without a good reason to enter such areas. I could go on but you probably get the idea.

But if they really wanted to, they could ignore all the safety rules. They might walk into a bar in a bad neighborhood and flash a roll of $100 bills just to attract the attention of predators. Leaving the bar, they could wonder off staggering like someone who is drunk and wait for some fools to attack them. They then could whip out their "assault weapon", perhaps a Glock .40 with a high capacity magazine that holds 24 rounds, and proceed to put large holes in their attackers. (http://www.glockmeister.com/22-Round-GLOCK-Factory-Magazine/productinfo/G22MAGHF22/)

But many studies show that those who carry concealed have little impact on crime. Perhaps that is because of the alertness of those who carry and the wisdom of street predators that look for easy targets instead of those who like they might be far more difficult to surprise and overcome.

You too can practice situation awareness and reduce your chances of ever being attacked even if you chose to not carry a concealed firearm or any weapon. The video below, while not the best, can give you the idea. In this long video you will find a poster who those who oppose firearms will view as a stereotypical person who carries concealed. Of course he is not typical of the majority who CCW but I chose him because you probably will laugh at him and that's fine. You may consider him a paranoid idiot but there is some wisdom in his words. If you watch the entire video you might just realize that many people who carry concealed listen to such videos and discuss situational awareness on various forums that are far too conservative for many Democrats to read. They are far from the blood thirsty vigilantes in your dreams.

Watching this video may enable you to avoid a very serious situation by merely being observant of your surroundings. It does take practice but I often find it an interesting game to play when I am in public. People are very interesting and if you practice situation awareness you might find that it increases your enjoyment of being in a crowd or even alone. If alone on a street, you will be far more aware of the natural beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. You may pause to watch or sunset or smell some roses. Plus situational awareness might just save your life or your health one day.

But if you chose you continue to enjoy all your fantasies about those who own and carry firearms. Write a novel, direct a film. Either should prove profitable as many people love unrealistic films and books. Be sure to include assault weapons with 3000 round magazines, cars that explode in minor traffic accidents and superheroes who can defeat twenty trained opponents without weapons merely by using their skills in some obscure martial art.