guns

(I wrote this Thursday, December 18th and saved it as a draft, but the next day was the school shooting in Connecticut so I held off, but here it is.)

(That preface makes it seem like this is going to be something provocative, but it's not)

A couple year ago I was waiting to get a haircut and got into a conversation with a retired police officer about guns. At one point he showed me an ad in a magazine for this Stroeger shotgun and strongly recommended buying one for home defense. He said it was easy to shoot and the spread of the shot would give me a greater margin for error.

I had never fired a gun before, so I told him I didn't think the State would allow me to buy a one. But he laughed and assured me it was very easy to get a Firearm Owner Identification Card. Fill out a one page form, pay a $10 fee, and attach 1X1 picture, and within 30 days I'd have a license to own a gun.

Take a look at the application. Some of the questions include:

4. Are you addicted to narcotics?

(A bit subjective)

5. Are you intellectually disabled?

(again, seems a bit subjective)

6. Are you subject to an existing order of protection which prohibits you from possessing a firearm? 

(if yes, then why the fuck are you APPLYING FOR THE FUCKING LICENSE???? If someone answers Yes to this, they should immediately be taken into custody?)

10. Are you an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States? 

(No, but here's my name and address)

At the bottom is a section for applicants under 21.

We don't trust you to drink beer responsibly, but answer these three questions and you can carry a gun.

Have you ever watched gun videos on Youtube? There's a whole world out there. 

This is a great one on the myths and realities of shotguns for home defense.

First let me just say I think this guy is doing a great service. I love when people post tutorials---of any kind---online. (This is my lone contribution to that) (although I guess this blog is a tutorial for how to look at the world and live your life)

In case you don't want to watch the video, here's a summary:

MYTH - the pumping sound of a shotgun makes people run away. According to our narrator:

"It does not. First of all, the only time they should hear that sound is after a shotgun blast. Taking an unloaded gun to a gunfight is absolutely stupid. I've pointed shotguns at people, trust me, just pointing a shotgun at people gets their attention."

(I'd love to listen to him talk about the times he's pointed shotguns at people)

More advice:

"If someone is hiding behind a wall, or a couch, you want to be able to shoot through the damn thing. Be aware of your ammo. If you're worried about your kids, don't use a pistol, or even buckshot, use ball 223 ammo."

(again, I'd love to hear him talk about a time he's shooting at someone hiding behind a couch)

Other advice:

"Just because you shoot somebody with a shotgun doesn't mean they're instantly incapacitated. There are many, many, MANY stories of buckshot and slugs bouncing off a human skull. You have to follow through, you have to stay on it."

MYTH - you need to get your barrel cut or buy special ammo to get a tighter pattern. NO.

"By doing that you nuder the power of the shotgun: the spreading pellets. Imagine somebody is 15 yards away, and you fire that shotgun, and they're running, and your aim is not perfect, you might still get 4 or 5 pellets in them. but if you had it tightened you wouldn't get any."

(would love to hear him talk about a time he's shooting at a guy who's running)

Other advice: Avoid low recoil ammo. It simply means less gunpowder, less penetration. If you can shoot full power ammo, do it.

This is the shotgun he recommends for women "and even some men."

Getting your barrel shortened is overrated. The difference is negligible. 

He says the most misunderstood aspect of a shotgun is the bead sight. The sight is set at 100 yards, but the trajectory of a shotgun blast is like throwing a rock, "so if you're shooting at somebody 25, 50, 75 yards away, you'll need to aim low to hit them."

How many times has this guy been in a gunfight?

He suggests a shotgun over a rifle for home protection because of the "lethality" of a 12 guage. "It's the most lethal thing we as civilians can put on our shoulders and shoot."

...

Then I came upon this video of a guy taking his wife out for some long range shotgun shooting. 

(If I was running away from this woman and got as far away as that target, I'd foolishly think I was pretty safe.)

The most popular comment to the video is this:  

A beautiful woman who is a a decent shot and clearly enjoys shooting. It's no mean feat hitting offhand at that range with shotgun slugs. Dude, if you're dating her, whatever you do, DON'T let her get away from you. She's every man's dream.

Here they are shooting a machine gun. If you're wondering about the accents, they're from Kentucky. 

(An example of their accent: Where I'd say, "I like it." She pronounces it, "I lock it.")

(Is this machine gun legal? Is that what the mass killers are using? If you need a gun like this to hunt, you must be a terrible hunter.)

Here they are grilling a birthday dinner with a shotgun on "standby, in case we have any unwanted visitors." (don't bother watching this one)

This one is probably my favorite. June 9th was "Take your daughter to the range day." (fast forward to 1:00)

Oh wow. Just stumbled upon this

Ok, I don't know where I'm going with this. I've spent time on gun control before, and I don't want to get into it again other than to say that I think the only people who should want assault rifles to be legal are the those who profit from the sale of assault rifles, and aspiring mass murderers.